Muni Offers Free Weekend Rides to Mark Lunar New Year, Outlines Parade Impacts
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency on has announced it will provide free rides this weekend to help celebrate the Lunar New Year, in addition to detailing street closures and service impacts from Saturday's Chinese New Year Parade.
The complimentary service begins Saturday at 5 a.m. and continues until Monday at 5 a.m. The free service includes rides on San Francisco historic cable cars, as well as all streetcars and buses.
Muni reminds passengers that the agency does not have the ability to turn off the Clipper readers. Riders are advised to not tag their Clipper card or app or they will be charged. Refunds cannot be provided.
The agency additionally has provided information on street closures and service impacts due to the Chinese New Year Parade taking place Saturday evening. Staging will begin around 3 p.m. along Main, Market and 2nd streets with the actual Parade beginning at 5:30 p.m.
HeadsUp: The #ChineseNewYear Parade is tomorrow. The parade will start at 5:30pm from Market & 2nd. #SFMuni svc will be impacted. Reroutes can be found here: https://t.co/qNRIndWkgN pic.twitter.com/lGUdESKcRG
— SFMTA (@sfmta_muni) February 18, 2022
From Market and 2nd Street, the procession will go along Market, Geary, around Union Square on to Post, then along Kearny to Columbus, disbanding on Columbus between Pacific and Washington. Muni will reroute buses that serve or cross Market Street.
Several streets in the Financial District will be closed for parade staging and for the parade itself. They will reopen after the parade is clear and streets are cleaned at approximately 9:30 p.m.
- 2nd Street between Market and Mission 2 p.m.
- Market, between 2nd St & Geary 3 p.m.
- Geary, between Market and Powell 3 p.m.
- Powell, between Geary and Post 3 p.m.
- Post, between Kearny to Powell 3 p.m.
- Kearny, between Geary and Pacific 3 p.m.
Additionally, the annual two-day Chinese New Year Community Fair will take place on February 19-20 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The event will be held on Grant Avenue between California Street and Broadway and on the streets crossing Grant between Stockton and Kearny. Street closures in the area begin Friday at 11 p.m. and conclude Sunday at 11 p.m.
More information about service changes and street closures can be found on the SFMTA website.
The agency has also decorated two cable cars with a Lunar New Year theme and will be running them until Feb. 20. The SFMTA API Affinity Group and other staff members will be riding in the parade on a motorized cable car that will be outfitted with commemorative banners.