Press Releases

Transit Agencies Gear Up for New Year's Eve Service

Oakland, Calif., December 14, 1999. . . Bay Area transit agencies are preparing for an unprecedented millennial New Year's Eve, with a million or more celebrants expected in downtown San Francisco and other major events taking place in San Rafael, Santa Rosa and around the region. Officials from transit agencies, police departments and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) have been working for months to plan and coordinate services in an effort to ensure safe, convenient travel options and avoid traffic gridlock.

A number of transit agencies are providing extra service and free or special fares (see chart). BART will run all night on Dec. 31, and BART riders can buy an advance $5 "millennium flash pass" good for unlimited rides from 6 p.m. on Dec. 31 to 6 p.m. on Jan. 1. San Francisco Muni riders will have free fares from 8 p.m. on Dec. 31 to 6 a.m. on Jan. 1. Muni will increase its all-night service on "owl" lines, and motor coaches will replace the cable cars and electric trolleys, which will be removed from service in the early evening of Dec. 31 as a precaution against the Y2K bug. Caltrain will operate six special trains between San Jose and San Francisco on New Year's Eve. Round-trip tickets are $10, with advance reservations required. SamTrans fares will be free on New Year's Eve, and after 8 p.m. on Dec. 31, buses that normally serve downtown San Francisco instead will connect to Colma and 24th Street BART stations. Golden Gate Transit ferries will make 15 extra round trips New Year's Eve and early on Jan. 1, with 10 extra Larkspur-San Francisco trips and five additional Sausalito-San Francisco trips. Advance round-trip tickets are on sale for $20. Golden Gate Transit buses also will provide extra service into and out of San Francisco, leaving the city every half-hour after 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 1. Vallejo Ferry is selling 900 advance round-trip tickets to ride on three special ferries between Vallejo and San Francisco on New Year's Eve, with tickets priced at $35. Sonoma County Transit and Santa Rosa CityBus are both offering free fares on Dec. 31 and will add service for people attending the First Night Celebration in downtown Santa Rosa. Valley Transportation Authority in Santa Clara County is offering free rides on its light-rail transit and buses after 7 p.m. on Dec. 31.

Travelers can obtain up-to-date information on all Bay Area transit services by calling TravInfo® at 817-1717 from any location in the nine-county region. Current transit information, including route maps and schedules, is also available on the Internet at www.transitinfo.org

For motorists heading to and from San Francisco on New Year's Eve, the Freeway Service Patrol will be on duty, with 15 trucks ready for dispatch by the California Highway Patrol to help clear accidents or stalls on major arteries.

All of these transportation plans notwithstanding, MTC Deputy Executive Director Steve Heminger cautioned, "Given this Year's unique circumstances, with record crowds expected and the possibility of Y2K power failures, everyone needs to be patient and be prepared for potential freeway and transit delays."

• In the East Bay, regular weekday, school holiday schedule on 12/31.
• In the East Bay, regular Sunday/holiday owl schedule on 1/1.
• All Transbay service will operate regular weekday, school holiday schedules on 12/31, but no departures from San Francisco at or after 12 am on 1/1 (no Transbay owl service).
• The last inbound bus of Transbay lines A, F, N and O on 12/31 will terminate at West Oakland BART, instead of downtown San Francisco.
• Transbay owl line A will operate between West Oakland BART station and Oakland Airport.
• Regular Sunday local/Transbay schedule on 1/1.

Or call:
817.1717 from anywhere in the Bay Area

• Regular weekday schedule on 12/31.
• Last boat to San Francisco (Pier 41) departs Alameda at 8:45 pm and Oakland at 8:55 pm.
• Last boat to Alameda/Oakland departs Ferry Building at 8:25 pm.
• No ferry service on 1/1.

Or call:
(415 705) 5555

• $5 'Millennium Flash Pass' will be pre-sold beginning 12/15; good for unlimited rides from 6 pm on 12/31 to 6 pm on 1/1.
• All regular tickets can also be used.

• Regular weekday service on 12/31 until 7 pm.
• Saturday-level service (20-minute headways on all 5 lines) from 7 pm on 12/31 until 5 am on 1/1.
• Sunday-level service (20-minute headways on 3 lines) begins at 5 am on 1/1.

Or call:
(510) 464-6000

• Regular weekday service on 12/31.
• No service on 1/1.

• 6,000 $10 round-trip tickets will be pre-sold; only pre-sold tickets will be honored on special trains.
• Tickets will be train-specific to San Francisco, but valid for any post-midnight return trip on a first-come, first-served basis.

• Modified schedule on 12/31 (34 trains instead of the usual 68 weekday). The last regular service trains will depart San Jose at 10:30 pm and San Francisco at 10 pm.
• 6 round-trip, reservation-only trains will operate between San Jose and San Francisco. These special trains leave San Jose between 4:38 pm and 7:38 pm and return from San Francisco on 1/1 approximately every 30 minutes from 1:30 am to 4 am.
• Sunday schedule on 1/1.

Or call:
(800) 660-4287

• Holiday schedule on 12/31.
• No service on 1/1.

Or call:
(925) 676-7500

• Regular weekday service on 12/31.
• No service on 1/1.

• $20 round-trip ticket/wristband will be pre-sold.

• Holiday schedule of service until early evening on 12/31.
• 10 additional trips will operate from Larkspur to San Francisco between 6:45 pm on 12/31 and 1:45 am on 1/1
• 10 additional trips will operate from San Francisco to Larkspur between 7:45 pm on 12/31 and 2:45 am on 1/1.
• 5 additional trips will operate from Sausalito to San Francisco between 8:45 pm on 12/31 and 2:45 am on 1/1.
• 5 additional trips will operate from San Francisco to Sausalito between 9:30 pm on 12/31 and 3:30 am on 1/1.
• No regularly scheduled ferry service on 1/1.

Or call:
(415) 923-2000 from San Francisco County

(415) 455-2000 from Marin County

(707) 541-2000 from Sonoma County

• Before 7 pm on 12/31, Basic Service Routes to San Francisco operate modified schedules:
    * Routes 20 and 40 - regular Saturday schedule
    * Route 30 - special am and pm peak period schedule only
    * Routes 10, 50, 60, 70 and 80 - increased Saturday schedule
• After 7 pm on 12/31, only Routes 10, 20, 50 and 80 will operate between San Francisco and Marin county via the Lombard, Van Ness and Mission corridors.
• Service along these corridors may be truncated depending on street congestion; in the event of severe traffic, buses will pick-up and drop off at Lombard and Filmore.
• From 12:30 am until 4 am on 1/1, 4 buses depart San Francisco every 30 minutes.
• Route 29 (ferry shuttle bus) will operate enhanced service to meet all departures and arrivals of special New Year's Eve ferry service.
• Sunday/Holiday schedule on 1/1.

Or call:
(415) 923-2000 from San Francisco County

(415) 455-2000 from Marin County

(707) 541-2000 from Sonoma County

• Free from 8 pm on 12/31 to 6 am on 1/1.
• Regular fares at all other times.

• Basic weekday, non-school schedule of service on 12/31.
• An all night Metro LRV Shuttle will provide service in the Metro Subway from 12:15 am to 6 am on 1/1 between West Portal Station and Embarcadero Station, with some trips going to the CalTrain Station.
• After midnight, service on the J-Church and N-Judah lines to the outer terminals will be provided by motor coaches from the street level at Church Street Station.
• After midnight, service on the K-Ingleside, L-Taraval, and M-Ocean View lines to the outer terminal will be provided by motor coaches from West Portal Station.
• All night service will be increased to handle the higher ridership on all "Owl Service" lines.
• Cable car service will stop at 6 pm on 12/31 and will be replaced by motor coach service on all cable car lines.
• Trolley coach service will convert to motor coach service beginning at 5 pm on 12/31 and run until normal service terminates.
• F-line service will stop at 6 pm on 12/31 and be replaced by the Metro LRV Service in the Metro Subway.
• Service on all lines will likely be impacted by crowds, congestion and street closures. Reroutes, or even the suspension of service, may result due to these impacts.
• All service will be on holiday schedules on 1/1.

Or call:
(415) 673-6864
(415) 673-MUNI

• Regular weekday service on 12/31.
• No service on 1/1.

• Regular weekday service on 12/31.
• No service on 1/1.

• Free from 4 am on 12/31 to 7:30 am on 1/1.

• Regular service until 8 pm on 12/31.
• No bus service arriving in downtown San Francisco after 8 pm on 12/31; instead, San Francisco-bound bus routes KX and 292 will serve the Colma and 24th Street BART stations, respectively.
• Route 391 will operate every 30 minutes from 9 pm on 12/31 to 6 am on 1/1, serving both the Colma and Daly City BART stations.
• Holiday schedule on 1/1.

Or call:
(800) 660-4287

• Free from 9:00 pm on 12/31 to 1 am on 1/1.

• Regular weekday service until 9 pm on 12/31.
• Special late night service on routes 2, 3, 4, 5E, 6, 8, 10, 11 and 12 after 9:30 pm on 12/31 until 1 am on 1/1.
• No service after 1 am on 1/1.

• Free from 4 pm on 12/31 to 12:30 am on 1/1.

• Regular weekday service on 12/31.
• Additional service will be added on major routes to/from downtown Santa Rosa beginning in the early evening; last outbound bus departs from Santa Rosa transit mall at 12:30 am on 1/1.
• No service after 12:30 am on 1/1.

Or call:
(707) 576-7433

• Regular weekday service on 12/31.
• Modified schedule on 1/1.

• Regular weekday service on 12/31.
• No service on 1/1.

• Regular weekday service on 12/31.
• No service on 1/1.

• A total of 900 $35 round-trip tickets will be pre-sold.
• Tickets will be boat-specific, to and from San Francisco.

• 3 round-trip ferries between Vallejo and San Francisco; these ferries depart Vallejo at 7:30, 8:30 and 9:45 pm on 12/31, and return from Pier 41 (note terminal change) at 1, 2 and 3 am on 1/1.
• No ferry service after 3 am on 1/1.

Or call:
(707) 648-4666

• Route 80 will operate between Vallejo and the El Cerrito/Del Norte BART station to coincide with train arrivals/departures from 10 pm on 12/31 to 6 am on 1/1.
• No regularly scheduled transit service on 1/1.

Or call:
(707) 648-4666

• Same as usual, except free on buses and light rail after 7 pm on 12/31.

• Regular weekday service on 12/31.
• Sunday service on 1/1.

Or call:
(408) 321-2300

• Regular weekday service on 12/31.
• Sunday/holiday service on 1/1.

• Same as usual on 12/31.
• Free fares on 1/1.

• Regular weekday service on 12/31.
• Sunday/holiday service on 1/1.

Or call:
(925) 455-7500