San Francisco Transportation Guide
Written/Edited by: Northern Latitudes Editorial Team
Updated: 5/23/2026
How to get around San Francisco? The city has one of the best transit systems in the United States, Clipper, Muni, Bus, Metro, Streetcars and more... this guide is there to help you navigate it.
How to pay for San Francisco Transportation?
At first sight, the fare system for transportation in San Francisco can seem a little bit overwhelming. Yet, it is not that complicated. Let us explain how you can pay for your rides in San Francisco.
Quick Summary:
Most Convenient Method to Pay: Clipper Card (available on app or at BART stations).
Best fare for visitors: Visitor Passport (1, 3 or 7 days)
Clipper
The Clipper Card is a transit card you can use to pay for nearly all of the transportations in San Francisco. The only exception is the Cable Cars. The card can either be physical or digital (on your mobile device). Though, we recommend using a physical card if you are a foreigner. The app may not be available in foreign countries.
How to get a Clipper card?
Getting a Clipper Card is pretty simple. If you want a digital one, simply download the Clipper app and load a card (which is usually loaded on your digital wallet). Everytime you want to load your card with either a pass or money, you will use the app. To get a physical card, you can order one online and get it mailed to your house or go to a BART station and find a kiosk. A new physical card cost $3 in addition to what you load on it.
Be Careful! If you buy a physical card and then connect it to your virtual Clipper account, passes will take some time to be loaded on your card. You can also decide to transfer your physical card into a virtual one, but this will permanently disable the physical version of the card.
Photo by 4300streetcar | Wikimedia Common Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
MuniMobile App
Those who do not have a Clipper card can use the MuniMobile App. The MuniMobile app serves as a ticket purchase platform and trip planner.
Bus & Metro (Light Rail)
Both the Bus and Metro of San Francisco are operated by Muni. Thanks to this, the fares for both of them are the same. When it comes to convenience, both are effective transportation means. The bus has more stops while the metro can be faster. Bus stations are located along the streets and often feature shelters. On the other hand, the Metro stations are elevated platforms when on-street. Two metro lines are subway lines, meaning their stations are underground.
Fares for Bus & Metro
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Adult Single Ride - $2.85 to $3.00
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Day Pass - $5.70
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Free for youth 18 and under
Clipper Card Working
MuniMobile App Working
Tips
If in San Francisco, you plan on visiting the major places such as the Golden Gate, Palace of Fine Art or Golden Gate Park, the bus line 28 will probably be your best option.
BART (Bay Area Transit System)
The BART serves most of the San Francisco Bay Area. It goes all the way down to San Jose to the south, stopping at the International Airport of San Francisco on the way.
Fares
The BART works using a specific card called Clipper Card. This card can be physical or digital. It can be reloaded and needs to be scanned every time you get in or out of a BART station. You can find more detail about the Clipper here.
Fares for BART (Clipper required)
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Exact cost depends on your destination and departure stations. Fares generally range between $3 and $12.
Clipper Card Working
Frequently Asked Question(s):
Is the BART safe? Security has been a concern for many BART users. Generally, the BART is safe and many stations have security guards. Nonetheless, we are encouraged to be careful when traveling to specific areas, and precautions are always necessary at night.
San Francisco Cable Cars
The cable cars are the iconic transportation system of San Francisco and had rendered years of loyal services. Nowadays, it is mainly a tourist attractions. But don't worry, it is a good one.
How to ride a cable car?
To ride cable cars in San Francisco there are two main options. You can either wait at car turntables, these are the final stops of each route. Or you can wait at the cable car stops, generally brown and white signs. Waiting times can be fairly long, and boarding is based on a first come first served basis.
What is the best cable car route in San Francisco?
Determining which line is the best is a subjective matter. So, in our opinion we would say that the Powell & Hyde Cable car is the best. This line offers a view of the Golden Gate Bridge as well as Alcatraz Island.
Breakdown of cable car routes:
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Powell & Hyde - Best views. Stop at Lombard Street. Passes near Chinatown. Departure/End 12min away from Fisherman’s Wharf.
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Powell & Mason - Departure/End 10 min away from Fisherman’s Wharf. Passes near North Beach (Little Italy), great views of Bay Bridge.
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California St - Departure/End near the Ferry Building. Passes through the financial district
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Fares for Cable Cars:
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Single Ticket - $9
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Senior / Disabled - $4
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Youth 4 and under - Free
Included in Visitor Passport Pass
Clipper Card Working
MuniMobile App Working
Map of San Francisco cable car routes provided by Northern Latitudes.
San Francisco Bay Ferry
The San Francisco Ferry is a nice and convenient way of moving around San Francisco. The route allows passengers to reach towns that may otherwise require long driving time while offering some great views over the bay.
Routes
Fares for Ferry
Fares depend on the route.
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Regular ticket (mobile or paper) range - $1.10 to $9.90
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Children under 5 - Free
Clipper Card Working
All the routes of the San Francisco Bay Ferries goes to downtown San Francisco except for the Oakland & Alameda route. Some routes may also be opened during special events like sports games.
​Shorter routes are also available (not depicted on map above). This includes the Alameda Short Hop connecting Mainstreet Alameda and Oakland’s Jack London Square, and the free Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle connecting Alameda Landing and Oakland’s Jack London Square. Note that both of these routes are open only on select days.
Streetcars
Another iconic transportation type of San Francisco, there are only two streetcar lanes – the E and F. Both pass next to major points of interest including the Ferry Building and Fisherman's Wharf.
Fares for Streetcars:
Adult Single Ride - $2.85 to $3.00
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Day Pass - $5.70
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Free for youth 18 and under
Clipper Card Working
MuniMobile App Working
For more information on historic streetcars, you can visit the Market Street Railway website.
How to go to/from San Francisco International Airport to Dowtown?
San Francisco International Airport is not located right next to downtown. How to get from San Francisco to the airport? Here are some methods.
Driving From the Airport
The drive from San Francisco International Airport to San Francisco is about 30min long via the I-280N or US-101N.
BART
One BART station is located in the international terminal of the airport. The station can be reached via the airport tram if you come from the terminal 1 and 3 of the airport. The ride from the airport to the city takes about 40min.
Private Companies
The company SamTrans offers bus ride from the airport to the town. You may visit their website (click here) for more information.
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