Muni Adds Service on the 1 California and N Judah Starting August 29

Muni changes its schedules on Saturday, August 29, 2026. The 1 California and the N Judah get more frequent service, the 5R Fulton Rapid switches entirely to 60-foot buses, and a set of stop and routing changes lands in time for the start of school. The SFMTA published the details on August 5 and says the whole package is cost neutral.

What gets more frequent

The 1 California moves from a bus every 10 minutes to every nine. Between the Presidio and downtown, the SFMTA says buses will come every four to five minutes.

The N Judah also moves from every 10 minutes to every nine during peak hours. The agency says it is working at the same time to reduce congestion at the La Playa terminal, the outer end of the line near Ocean Beach.

All 5R Fulton Rapid trips switch to 60-foot buses instead of the current mix of 40- and 60-foot vehicles, running every 10 minutes. The SFMTA says that gives the route more room than it had before the February 2026 service changes.

Several other routes pick up capacity rather than frequency. The 22 Fillmore and 29 Sunset get added capacity hours. The 38R Geary Rapid and 49 Van Ness-Mission get more capacity in the morning peak. The 29 Sunset also gets more in the evening.

The back-to-school changes

A few morning 8AX Bayshore Express trips will serve the 8 Bayshore stops north of Broadway. That gives students traveling from Visitacion Valley to Francisco Middle School a one-seat ride instead of a transfer.

The 28R 19th Avenue Rapid gets a new stop at 19th Avenue and Eucalyptus Drive, which the SFMTA expects Lowell High School students to use.

Service is being adjusted slightly at three middle schools. Hoover Middle School students use the 66 Quintara and Rooftop School students use the 37 Corbett at their regular stops. Aptos Middle School students can ride the K Ingleside outbound to the Ocean Avenue and CCSF Pedestrian Bridge stop, then board the 8 Bayshore at Geneva Avenue and Howth Street.

One reliability fix

The 22 Owl keeps its 30-minute frequency but gets a schedule better matched to actual travel times. The SFMTA is telling riders on that route to check the new times.

What it means if you are visiting

Both routes gaining frequency are ones visitors use. The 1 California connects the Presidio to downtown. The N Judah runs from downtown out to the ocean end of the Sunset, passing Golden Gate Park. The 49 Van Ness-Mission and the 38R Geary Rapid, both getting morning capacity, are the Van Ness and Geary corridor buses.

Fares are not part of this change. The separate fare and payment changes already in motion are covered in our post on Muni payment changes.

The budget behind it

The SFMTA is direct about where the service comes from. The changes use schedule efficiencies rather than new money, and the agency says it cannot increase overall Muni service while its budget gap stands. Without new funding, it says, it may have to eliminate about one quarter of Muni service.

Details from the SFMTA and its service changes page. SFist, NBC Bay Area and Local News Matters also reported the announcement.

For other transport dates this month, see our coverage of BART’s August 10 schedule change and BART’s Green Line weekend closures, plus things to do in San Francisco in August.

Photo: Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.