How to Get Around  Union Square & San Francisco


Getting Around Union Square & San Francisco

There are a great many choices in getting around in San Francisco. You will find listed below the main sources of transportation for San Francisco and when best to use them.

Modes of Transportation

BART (Underground)

Ferries

Shuttles (To the airport)

Caltrain (Train)

Muni (Street Cars & Buses)

City Pass, Bikes, Maps

transportation images for train, bart, cable car, limousine, ferry, bart and taxis

BART BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT - Underground Transportation

BART Oakland Airport

BART Find Closest Station


Cable Car

The San Francisco Cable Car is one of San Francisco's defining attractions. Steeped in wonderful history, the San Francisco Cable Car is still a treat to ride and an excellent way to experience the City of San Francisco. Street Car, Cable Car, what's the difference?

How to Ride Cable Cars

You can purchase your ticket on the cable car via their app at Get MuniMobile App or here is a location finder you can use to find a physical location to purchase your ticket/s ahead of time.

Cable Car Turn-Around in Union Square

Fares for the Cable car are: Adult & Youth (ages 5-17) $6.00 each way. $3 for seniors or those with disabilities.

1-Day Visitor Passport - $22
3-Day Visitor Passport - $33
7-Day Visitor Passport - $43


Caltrain COMMUTER TRAIN

Caltrain can take to and from the Peninsula and San Francisco and all the way to Gilroy. There is all the information you will need on the following web site for Caltrain.


Ferry

There are 3 ferry systems that are used for transportation as well as site seeing and there are two specifically for site seeing. The Golden Gate, Blue & Gold and Baylink ferries offer commuters and others transportation between Sausalito, Larkspur, Tiburon, Alameda, Oakland or Vallejo and San Francisco. They also have other site seeing cruises as well. The Blue & Gold fleet even has a trip to Alcatraz. The Angel Island/Tiburon Ferry is a ferry taking you to Angel Island and back. The Red & White Fleet is primarily a cruise or site seeing line. Click on the links below and explore all the wonderful sea-going opportunities.


Limousines


Muni STREETCARS, BUSES in San Fransisco

Muni includes buses, light rail and street cars. Technically the Cable Cars are part of Muni, but operate much differently. Thus we have put Cable Cars in their own section.

A single ride fare on Muni is good for 90 minutes of travel, whether it be on a single route or a trip with multiple transfers across buses and light rail. For more information on how exactly it works.

Fares for the Cable car are: Adult & Youth (ages 5-17) $6.00 each way. $3 for seniors or those with disabilities.

Adult Fare - $2
Youth (ages 5-17), Seniors, Disabled - $0.75

1-Day Visitor Passport - $14
3-Day Visitor Passport - $22
7-Day Visitor Passport - $28


Airport Transportation shuttles, vans, shared, hotel, door to door

Airporters, Shared Ride Vans and pre-arranged Vans - Many of these can be reserved Online and some you can just hop on at the airport. Some of them are door to door and some of them take you to a general area.

Advanced Airporter (415) 504-6411
Airport Express (415) 775-5121
American Airporter Shuttle (415) 202-0733
BayPorter Express (415) 467-1800
East Bay Connection (925) 945-0268
Go Lorrie's Airport Shuttle (415) 334-9000
Marin Airporter (415) 461-4222
Marin Door to Door (415) 457-2717
Quake City Shuttle (415) 255-4899
San Francisco City Shuttle (415) 822-2648
Super Shuttle (415) 558-8500

Taxis

San Francisco has a robust taxi system and if you are vising San Francisco and staying at a hotel, it is best to not rent a car and rely on taxis, Muni, cable car or BART. Most hotels in San Francisco charge around $75 a night to park your car and give you in and out ability.

Catching a cab at certain hours of the day or in less trafficked areas of The City can be challenging. However, with all the new smart-phone apps and a few tips - getting around The City without a car is the most efficient, inexpensive and convenient choice.

Catching a cab in a highly trafficked part of The City can be as easy as just hailing one from the street. In very busy times or where cabs are not so prevalent on the street, taxi stands, where you can line up and taxis also line up is your best bet. Most hotels in the main areas of San Francisco have a doorman who can hail you a cab. It is customary to tip the doorman. You don't have to be a patron of the hotel.


Rates, Safety Tips & Where to Find a Cab in San Francisco
Taxi Tips
Comparisons between Lyft, Uber & Regular City Taxis

RATE COMPARISONS

The apps for Lyft & Uber will give you the best rates when it is not a time period in which their surge pricing occurs. This can happen when there is an unusual demand and is usually related to calendar celebration events like New Year's Eve or big events occurring in the The City or at the airport when a large flight or a number of flights lands. In those cases you would benefit from taking a regular cab which has static prices - although they may be hard to find as the "demand" is taking place. Another time to beware of is during rush hour on raining days or evenings.

AIRPORT CAB TIP

At the airport when hailing a cab, know that the regular cabs cost considerably more than Uber or Lyft does, especially if you are traveling a bit of a distance. However, if there are a lot of people looking for rides at any one time - Uber and Lyft will have a very expensive surge pricing in effect. One way to avoid that is to wait a little bit or if you don't have to pick up your bags - hurry to be one of the first out there!

APPS

UBER

LYFT


City Pass, Bikes & Maps

City Pass - 7 Day Muni & Cable Car Passport plus Attractions

CityPass Info
Muni & Cable Car 7 Day Passport + Attractions

CityPass Includes

California Academy of Sciences

Blue & Gold Fleet Bay Cruise

Aquarium of the Bay or Monterey Bay Aquarium

Exploratorium or De Young Museum

7 Days FREE RIDES on Muni & Cable Cars


How to Get Around on Bikes

Bike Map

How to Use Muni with your Bike

How to Park your Bike

GoBike - Grab a Bike & Go




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