MUNI – F Market & Wharves

love the f line love it when they run the new orleans fomer st charles ave street cars on rare occasions

We did have a bit of a problem finding the Muni-​F when we exited the Embarcadero — but other than that — it was great traveling the city with the old cable cars. They are works of art and the 1950s versions are amazingly quiet.
On Thursday, December 17, in the AM, we rode the old wooden car that was driven by an amazing Asian — American driver. He was so patient explaining to people — and us — the prices and what exits we should take to destinations.
Since we were heading to the Bart connection, and being his break, he even carried my luggage down the stairs for me.

Rudest and Slowest drivers seem to run this line & many of them act like ticket nazis. I hate having to ride this lone but sometimes I have no choice. The drivers also take really long breaks and congestion is often a huge problem as a result!

Just rode trolley #1061 on the F Line. Our driver was the sweetest woman! She assisted a passenger by telling him how to get to a bus stop because the BART system was not working. She was so caring! She wished us a good night as we were leaving her trolley. So different from the gentleman driver earlier in the day! He has NO personality!

Way too crowded and you better watch your pockets.
They could use twice the number of cars on this route. We travelled on the f line during the week and were frequently passed by full cars. It was quicker to just walk.
If I had a chance to re-​plan our schedule, I’d plan for one day at union sqr., ferry bldg, and Exploratorium, then a second day for pier 35+Ghirardelli. I’d forget the f line.

The F train is the most crowded and busiest muni trains to take in SF. This is for both inbound and outbound trains. It’s cool that they use the older cars to transport tourist and locals, but these cars are limited in passenger capacity.
While waiting for a train headed to Fisherman’s Warf, we were passed three times by trains that were full. Fyi drivers will bypass stops if the train is full. A full train will only stop if there is a stop request. What should have been a short commute turned out to be an outing.
I would have given them one star, but added one back due to the friendly outbound driver. He made clear anouncements at each stop, warned passengers to be aware of their surroundings, and to watch for pickpocketers.
Muni if you are reading this, please add additional cars to this line or use a larger vehicle with higher passanger capacity.
Note: Recommend getting on at the start of the route (on Jones in between Jefferson and Beach) for inbound rides to guarantee that you get on and have a seat.

This muni line runs from Fishermans Warf up along the bay to the Ferry Building then turns and runs up Market Street to the Castro. It is cool that they use several restored historic street cars from around the world and have a bio of their history onboard. All that gets 4 stars.
The problem is the service, It is usually ok, trains run when they feel like it, there will be a long wait then 2 in a row. Drivers are usually ok but not at all friendly, Usually that is 2 stars.
OK so now we are averaging a 3 star. Then yesterday May 10 330 in front of the Walgrens in Fishermans Warf, I was walking up and saw a train with the doors open. Walked up but slowed down to let people in front of me board, as I lifted my foot to step up the driver who had looked away to pretend he didn’t see me? or so it seemed, blamed the door in my face so he could hurry up and wait at the stop light, Not even half the seats were full. Great way to treat tourists in your town, jerk. Minus 1 stars.

Horrible lol
If you take this train from north water front area, most likely the driver would just fly pass you and never stops…

I have been riding the streetcars long before there was an F line. If you are anywhere downtown along Market Street, you can take a ride in one of the historic F streetcars. The Milan cars were built in 1928, and the PCCs were built around 1948. It’s probably the easiest way to get to Fisherman’s Wharf without walking.
Notice I did not say it is the fastest way to get to Fisherman’s Wharf. As any long-​time resident of San Francisco will tell you, the Muni schedules are a joke. They claim streetcars run 6 – 12 minutes apart. That’s true most of the time, but some days you just have to wait.
Sometimes there are not enough historic streetcars running (they’re very old so they do break down) to meet passenger demand, and Muni adds buses along the same route. You will see the same things out the window, but the ride will quieter and not historic.
If you’re at Fisherman’s Wharf heading back downtown, here’s some advice. Board the streetcar at the beginning of the line at Jones & Beach. You should see a line of streetcars and a line of people waiting to board. If you don’t want to stand, you can always take the next streetcar. It’s not a good idea trying to catch a crowded streetcar once it’s left Fisherman’s Wharf. Sometimes the driver will not stop to take on additional passengers, and you could be waiting for a long time.

Oh yes the SF F Line. I must say this is the first thing I see when getting of the BART. It makes Powell st. a major interchange for public transport. When the trams are in service they try their best to get everyone on board. I really like how there is a new tram every time. Ever since ²⁄₂₀₁₃ I have been riding the F Line either for a work break or a general trip to SF. Since then it has been difficult to catch the British boat tram or any other internationally made tram. TBH you get what you paid for. At times they substitute the Tram with a trolley bus which is cool because frequency is maximized. Good service and friendly drivers. There are more fast times when you past the ferry building.
Bad news: the traffic gets horrible on the way back to the city. Don’t rely on the tram for getting to a restaurant, you will get hungry and be stressed before eating. Tram drivers are also able to have long lay overs when going to the city, so please be patient.

I loved taking this train. It takes me back to my childhood when the green trolleys ran to Stonestown.
Why does the train takes 15 minutes to travel from Embarcadero @ Market to the Exploratorium on Vallejo Street? The packed train stopped idly for long periods of time for no apparent reason before /​after picking up passengers.
Too slow mo.
I dream of day when a single public transit train will travel the full length of the Embarcadero, from the Piers all the way to the ballpark.

To the SF tourist: This is NOT a cable car line! The cable car lines are California Street, Powell-​Mason and Powell-​Hyde. Instead this line is serviced mainly by the heritage streetcars, though I have seen and boarded a standard MUNI bus. As it is operated by MUNI, the fare is your standard $ 2.25 and Clipper cards are accepted.
What is important about this particular line is that this line is integral to linking two parts of SF together: Market Street and the Embarcadero. While there are faster ways of getting around the two areas such as the bus routes on the Embarcadero and MUNI light rail/​BART along Market, as a surface line it’s definitely the more tourist-​friendly option. Unlike the cable cars, this line is still used by commuters and locals going about the city.
Embarcadero: Connects the Ferry Building, Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf and Ghirardelli Square. If I’m ever in the city I would use the F line to get around the Embarcadero area. As the BART Embarcadero stop is near the Ferry Building I would use it to get from the Ferry Building to Pier ³⁹⁄₄₁. As the cable car lines end nearby Fisherman’s Wharf it’s a good way to get back to the Ferry Building area or anywhere around Market.
Market Street: Connects Financial District, Union Square and the Mission District before finally ending in the Castro District. I would definitely recommend this line to tourists as it’s a great way to see parts of the city away from the water but keep in mind that not only do the streetcars stop at every stop, the loading area is in the middle of the street. As it goes along Market it connects a lot of MUNI lines together if you have to catch another bus to get to your final destination. If you are in a hurry or don’t want to be bothered by tourists many of the stops are serviced by BART or MUNI light rail underground.
If I were a tourist start a cable car ride from Powell and Market to Fisherman’s Wharf and use this line to go back to Powell and Market.

Garbage service, had to wait for ages to get on it and when the time came the car was «Not in Service», flew by the stop and the time board said next car in 14 and 14 mins. Which means those times managed to bunch up.
The time board displayed wasn’t even accurate. This was near the start of the line in the morning so I don’t know how they managed to mess it up so badly.
It’s not even always a street car, a lot of the times it is a bus replacement so you don’t get the authentic experience.
Rent a bike instead.

I didn’t really know about this streetcar system until my boyfriend and I saw a bunch of people huddled together in front of the Ferry Building. We asked and found out the streetcar was going up the Fisherman’s Wharf… which was our next destination! Good thing we asked because we were going to travel by foot.
So paying $ 2 will give you ride privileges for 3 – 4 hours, I believe. For locals, a pass is available too. The streetcar is very cute and old school. The only thing that can suck is how crowded they can be during peak hours. It’s seriously like a pack of sardines. but for short trips, it shouldn’t be so bad. This was a cool option to use for public transportation around SF.

The F was our little buddy all weekend. Took us all around the Embarcadero from the Wharf all the way past City Hall most of the way toward Haight Ashbery. Got on the wrong ferry back from Sausalito? No worries. Just jump on the F and she’ll wrap you in vintage history, take you where to need to go and even tell you a few stories along the way. Slow? A little. Packed? Often. Get over it and enjoy the view. Oh, and your $ 2 fare is good for three hours or so on all the other lines too. No reason to complain whatsoever.

There is so much to see and do along the F line. We started our ride after visiting the TCHO chocolate factory on the Embarcadero and sampling their chocolates. Then we wanted to head back to Union Square so we walked across Embarcadero and waited for the southbound trolley at the platform.
The ape exhibit in front of the Exploratorium was winding down as a new group of children drummed to start it all over again.
The sunshiny yellow and orange trolley pulled up with the nicest conductor who told us to insert exactly $ 2 into the machine in front of her. No change is made so if you only have a $ 5 bill, you will leave $ 3 behind. Fortunately for us, we each had $ 2.
Unfortunately for some passengers who were getting on the trolley from the Union Square stop, stood at the front fishing for change while juggling all their purchases. Aaakwhard! But San Franciscans sitting at the front all pulled out their coin purses or gleaned their pockets for spare change so this group could pay their fare, move to the back of the bus like most of us, and chill before the next stop.
The trolley almost emptied at the Union Square stop and we finally got a seat.
So we decided to stay on the trolley to the end of the line. The F line ends at a street around the corner from Castro St. There you can explore yet another San Francisco neighborhood.
The trolleys do get very crowded and I would recommend you keep track of your purses and wallets in such close quarters.

This system doesn’t scale at all. The cars are way too packed and don’t run frequently enough. If possible they should be connected in 2’s and 3’s.
If you are in the middle of the line sometimes you may need to take it in the opposite direction to get on at one of the ends of the lines.

Public transportation is a great way to get around the bay area, and San Francisco in particular. We enjoyed riding this line — it’s very similar to the actual streetcars and much cheaper.
With that said, it can be very difficult to get on this line. We waited and waited at the stop and didn’t see one. So we had to walk nearly 45 minutes to the pier for our Alcatraz tour.
It’s worth riding, but very crowded when you do get on. (With rare exception, much more crowded than typical MUNI train.)

When in the city on a tourist walk about, there are things you should do, one of them being riding Muni’s F Line from the ferry building to Fisherman’s wharf or vice versa.
These cars are old street cars, history in motion, how cool is that? Each street car lists on it where it is originally from which could range from all over the world to within the states including even from San Francisco.
Yes its busy, yes it’s crowded, the fair is 2 bucks and the transfer is good for 6 hours and you can use it all on Muni bus systems. I don’t know about you, but I can get a lot of traveling done in 6 hours. Haha
Riding the F Line shouldn’t be missed, take a min of your life and hop aboard a street car and learn about its history! Im still trying to get aboard the topless street car, seems to be always a few stops of head of me, when I am ready to ride the F line. One day I will get it!

I love this line. The old cars, the history of SF that one rolls past, the great drivers.
Pick a car, they come from the world over, and so many are so different, like the Peter Witt cars from Europe with there wood benches.
There are some special cars, like the boat car or the really old one from the beginning of the last century.
Not fast, just fun.
Enjoy!