| San Francisco trolleybus system | |
|---|---|
 An XT60 trolleybus on route 5-Fulton in December 2017 | |
| Operation | |
| Locale | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Open | October 6, 1935 |
| Routes | 15 |
| Operator(s) | Market Street Railway (1935–1944) San Francisco Municipal Railway (1941–present) |
| Infrastructure | |
| Electrification | Parallel overhead lines, 600 V DC |
| Depot(s) | Potrero Presidio |
| Stock | 278 vehicles (as of 2023, excluding historic vehicles) |
| Statistics | |
| Annual ridership | 42,240,000 (2023)[1] |
| Website | https://sfmta.com sfmta.com |
The San Francisco trolleybus system forms part of the public transportation network serving San Francisco, in the state of California, United States. Opened on October 6, 1935,[2] it presently comprises 15 lines and is operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway, commonly known as Muni (or the Muni), with around 300 trolleybuses. In San Francisco, these vehicles are also known as "trolley coaches", a term that was the most common name for trolleybuses in the United States in the middle decades of the 20th century. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 42,240,000, or about 145,600 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.
The Muni trolley bus system is complementary to the city-owned Muni bus services, Muni Metro and cable car system and the rail-bound regional Caltrain and Bay Area Rapid Transit systems. In addition, it shares some of its overhead wires with the F Market & Wharves streetcar line.
One of only four such systems currently operating in the U.S., the Muni trolley bus system is the second-largest such system in the Western Hemisphere,[citation needed] after that of Mexico City. The system includes the single steepest known grade on any existing trolley bus line in the world[3][4][5][6] (22.8% in the block of Noe Street between Cesar Chavez Street and 26th Street on route 24-Divisadero),[3][5][7] and several other sections of Muni trolley bus routes are among the world's steepest.[8]
- ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
muni historywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Perles, Anthony (1984). Tours of Discovery: A San Francisco Muni Album. Interurban Press. p. 127. ISBN 0-916374-60-2.
- ^ Box, Roland (May–June 1989). "San Francisco Looks Ahead". Trolleybus Magazine No. 165, pp. 50–56. National Trolleybus Association (UK).
- ^ a b Trolleybus Magazine No. 261 (May–June 2005), p. 72.
- ^ Trolleybus Magazine No. 313 (January–February 2014), p. 27.
- ^ "General Information About Transit". San Francisco MTA. 2012. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
- ^ Trolleybus Magazine No. 259 (January–February 2005), p. 23.