Muni Heritage Weekend Returns September 19 and 20 With Free Rides on Historic Streetcars

Muni Heritage Weekend runs Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20, 2026, from 10am to 4pm both days. Rides on the historic streetcars and vintage buses are free. The SFMTA presents the event with the nonprofit Market Street Railway, and it marks the transit system that has run in San Francisco since 1912.

Where it happens

The base is the San Francisco Railway Museum at 77 Steuart Street, between Market and Mission, across from the Ferry Building. Free rides depart from Embarcadero Plaza and the area around the museum. Market Street Railway says streetcars and buses leave every few minutes from 10am to 4pm on both days.

The two organizers describe the ride length differently. The SFMTA’s event page says streetcar and bus trips run about 45 minutes. Market Street Railway says the streetcars run a 30-minute round trip to Fisherman’s Wharf and back. Both say riders can get off at the Wharf: the SFMTA lists boarding and exiting at PIER 39, at Embarcadero and Stockton Street, when there is space.

Which vehicles are expected

Market Street Railway lists the 1934 open-top “Boat Tram” from Blackpool, England, and car 578, the 1896 “Dinky” that survived the 1906 earthquake and fire and is the oldest passenger streetcar still operated by a US transit agency. Also expected: Municipal Railway Car 1 from 1912, a Melbourne tram from 1928, and a 98-year-old Milan tram.

Buses run a separate route that Market Street Railway had not published as of September 1. The lineup is expected to include Muni motor coaches from 1938, 1947, 1956 and 1970, plus trolley coaches from 1950 and 1975. On Saturday only, a Historic Bus Promenade brings vintage buses from private collectors and other Northern California transit agencies.

Cable cars are the exception to the free rides. Market Street Railway says special cable cars will run in regular service on the California Street line at the regular $9 fare, departing from the foot of California Street at Market, two blocks from the museum. Two are expected: “Big 19,” built in 1883, which ran on Market Street until the 1906 earthquake and fire and on Sacramento and Clay until 1942; and car 42, the only surviving cable car from the O’Farrell, Jones and Hyde line, restored to its 1907 condition. Cable car fares change in January 2027.

What else is on

The San Francisco Railway Museum is free to enter that weekend. The SFMTA lists a photo opportunity with California Street Cable Car No. 53, dedicated to Tony Bennett, at California and Drumm streets, plus an activities area with coloring, button-making and scavenger hunts, and a Muni Store pop-up. Muni Diaries hosts Kat Siegal and Sarah Katz-Hyman broadcast live from the event on Saturday.

On Sunday at noon and 1pm, SFMTA photographer Jeremy Menzies leads a photo walking tour tied to the archive exhibit “Moving San Francisco: Views from the SFMTA Photo Archive 1903-Now.” It covers about a mile and takes around 30 minutes. San Francisco City Guides runs a separate Nob Hill cable car walking tour that weekend, with advance registration required.

Getting there

The museum sits at the Steuart Street stop on the F Market and Wharves line. Embarcadero station, served by BART and Muni Metro, is a short walk up Market Street.

September is Transit Month in the Bay Area. For the rest of the month, see our guide to San Francisco in September 2026.

Photo: Evan0512, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.