New Year's Mass Transit Guide
(credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
If you choose to get hammered on New Year's Eve, rest assured you can get home safely for free via bus, train or light rail if you live anywhere other than the East Bay and North Bay. Within San Francisco, get free rides on Muni (including the cable cars) all night starting at 8pm on December 31, 2015.
You can also get a free taxi ride home or a free "tipsy tow" from AAA if riding public transportation isn't your thing. All details have been confirmed with the transit agencies for December 31, 2015.
Free rides on all Muni lines & routes (including cable cars) from 8pm NYE until 5am on New Year's Day. There will be additional Metro service from 9pm to 2:15am from West Portal to Caltrain and until 4am from Embarcadero to West Portal Station.
Extra Owl Service – Buses run every 15 minutes (instead of every 30) from 1pm to 5am: 5 Fulton, 14 Mission, 22 Fillmore, 24 Divisadero, 38 Geary, 90 and 91 Owl and the L and N Owl motor coach service.
Free rides on all routes (including RediWheels) from 8:00pm until 5:00am. SamTrans will operate on their Sunday schedule on New Year's Day.
To encourage New Year's reveler to take the train, Caltrain will run a regular weekday schedule on Thursday, December 31, 2015. Free fare hours will be 8 pm to 5 am. Caltrains has also scheduled out four extra southbound trains after midnight to accommodate the mass of party-goers into the Peninsula. Keep in mind they prohibit open alcohol containers after 9:00pm and passengers who get a bit rowdy will be detained. Trains past San Jose, will not operate. Caltrain operates on the Saturday schedule on January 2nd, 2016.
Free bus and light rail service from 8:00pm on New Year's Eve until 5:00am on New Year's Day. All VTA riders are encouraged to check their schedules for the return trip times to make sure they won't miss their bus or trains.
Important Note:
VTA will extend New Year's Eve service in the late evening for:
Light Rail: (Alum Rock- Santa Teresa and Mountain View-Winchester lines)
- Lines 304, 321, 328 and 330
- Last trip leaving Santa Teresa at 1:53 a.m.
- Last trip leaving Alum Rock at 1:35 a.m.
- Last trip leaving Winchester at 1:12 a.m.
- Last trip leaving Mountain View at 10:51 p.m. - Last trip leaving Baypointe at 1:27 a.m.
Express Line 180/181: (to the Fremont BART Station)
- Last Northbound bus leaving Diridon Station at 2:03 a.m. arriving at Fremont BART at 2:48 a.m.
- Last Southbound bus leaving Fremont BART at 3:04 a.m. arriving at 2nd & Santa Clara at 3:40 a.m. (Does not go to the Diridon Station)
No special fares for New Year's Eve, but there will be extended service until 3am. The best tip we can give is to buy your round trip ticket in advance to avoid a line on the way home.
"Skip Stop" Schedule at Embarcadero & Montgomery
To help ease overcrowding due to the New Year's Eve fireworks show at Pier 14, some trains will not stop at either Embarcadero or Montgomery Street stations during peak hours.
- Pittsburg/Bay Point and Richmond trains will not stop at Embarcadero Station – Use Montgomery Station instead
- Dublin/Pleasanton and Fremont trains will not stop at Montgomery Street Station – Use Embarcadero Station
Thanks to a grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Alameda County Transportation Commission and the Jack London Improvement District, Downtown Oakland's free Broadway Shuttle will be running on New Year's Eve on Thursday, December 31, 2015 from 7:00am to 1:00am Thursday, New Year's Day.
Hop on and hop off at any stop between Embarcadero West (Jack London Square) and 27th Street. Shuttles run every 12 minutes.
Revelers in San Francisco will be offered a potentially life saving treat this New Year's Eve, December 31, 2015 – a free taxi ride home, thanks to Berg Injury Lawyers. Starting 10 pm NYE through 4 am, Friday, January 1, 2015.
In San Francisco (within city limits):
Call Luxor Cab at (415) 282-4141. Tell them "Berg Injury Lawyers is picking up the tab" ($35 Limit)
Free Cab Tips:
- Be patient when calling – it may be tough to get through over the phone
- Cabs will take you home from a bar, restaurant or club (not from house parties) – not to other bars
- The first $35 of the fare will be covered, you must cover the rest.
- Free cab rides offered 10pm on New Year's Eve through 3am.
- Remember to tip like a rockstar
Cab rides are made available to area residents who otherwise might attempt to drive home after drinking. Rides are provided from bars & restaurants (not from house parties) to an individual's residence and not to other drinking locations.
More details at [ sf.funcheap.com ]
