Muni ridership hits 75% of pre-pandemic levels

Muni is back. After years of slow growth, ridership is now at 75% of pre-pandemic levels — a major signal that downtown is recovering and San Francisco is moving in the right direction.

The facts

Muni reached 75% of its pre-pandemic ridership in early 2024. On an average weekday, 486,000 people now ride Muni — up from about 440,000 in 2023. This totals about 158 million passenger trips in 2024, an increase of 13.5 million trips versus 2023. The city credits this rebound to service improvements, and a focus on cleanliness, safety, and reliability.

The top routes are the T Third, 38R Geary Rapid, 49 Van Ness/Mission, and N Judah.

The context

Like many cities, San Francisco saw a sharp drop in ridership in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but has been steadily increasing. Pre-pandemic Muni served about 625,000 riders per weekday, so there’s more work ahead. But hitting 75% is a key milestone, especially at a time when BART is still hovering around 40%.

SFMTA faces a $300 million budget deficit due a rise in costs and a sharp drop in parking revenue. Yes, that’s right - city parking garage revenues fund the bus, and far fewer people are driving to and parking in downtown. Mayor Lurie and State Senator Scott Wiener are both working on transit funding measures for the 2026 ballot.

The GrowSF take

This is a bright spot after years of pandemic-driven transit declines. San Francisco invested in better bus service, added bus-only lanes, and fixed broken schedules — and it worked. We’re not all the way back yet, and further recovery is needed for downtown to return to its heyday, but progress is progress!