The six-month-long series of events include the first-ever public tours of the Muni shop in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood,where cable cars are built and rebuilt; history-themed walk/ride tours of neighborhoods served by the cable car lines; the planned operation of “ghost” cable cars from disappeared lines, and a reenactment of cable car founder Andrew Hallidie’s historic first run.
San Francisco’s cable cars are one of the only moving National Historic Landmarks. To make it easier for visitors and residents to experience cable car rides, starting July 1 through the end of 2023, a special $5 all-day pass will let riders hop on and off the California cable car line and explore neighborhoods along the route. A standard point-to-point cable car ticket costs $8.
Residents and visitors can also take advantage of the existing all-day, all-Muni Visitor Passport for $13 to hop on and off all cable cars, F-line historic streetcars, Muni trains and buses to take walking tours of neighborhoods near the cable car lines.The passes areavailable on the Muni Mobile smartphone app. For guides to must-sees along and near the cable car lines here, San Francisco Travel Association has created three guides on its website for thePowell-Mason Line, Powell-Hyde Line, and California StreetLine.
“For the last 150 years, residents and visitors have enjoyed the incredible experience of riding our cable cars through our neighborhoods to experience stunning bay views that are famous all over the world,” said San Francisco Mayor London Breed. “You cannot imagine San Francisco without our iconic cable cars. In celebration of the 150th anniversary, we invite everyone to ride our wonderful cable cars to experience the magic of San Francisco.”
The six-month-long celebration kicks off on June 13 at 11:00 a.m. at California,Drumm and market Streets, when Mayor Breed, Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin and SFMTA Director of Transportation Jeffrey Tumlin will join civic, business and neighborhood leaders to ride the oldest surviving cable car, ‘Big 19’, originally built for service on Market Street in 1883 and one of the largest cable cars ever built. The inaugural ride will take them through the Financial District, Chinatown and over Nob Hill to Polk Gulch and Van Ness Avenue.
“San Francisco is famous for creating wonderful civic events, and what could be more wonderful than celebrating 150 years of cable cars,” said Jeffrey Tumlin, SFMTA Director of Transportation. “SFMTA owns and operates the cable cars as part of Muni, but really, they belong to everyone, and we invite people from around the world, around the Bay, and around the block, to enjoy our iconic cable cars.”
“No other city in the world has cable cars. San Francisco was the first city with cable cars, and since 1957, we’ve been the only city to run them,” said Rick Laubscher, President of Market Street Railway. “Our special 150th anniversary website, sfcablecars.org, is filled with cable car history and little-known stories. It also makes it easy to combine cable car rides with walking tours of Chinatown, the Barbary Coast, Fisherman’s Wharf, Nob Hill, Russian Hill, Union Square, Polk Gulch and the Financial District. It’s a great year to rediscover San Francisco and the cable cars.”
Tags: Market Street Railway, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, London Breed, SFMTA, Jeffrey Tumlin, Rick Laubscher
