Free Muni for S.F. Chinese New Year Parade
Going to the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco to celebrate the Year of the Dragon? Take Muni for free.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will offer free rides Saturday on Muni throughout the city except for cable car service. Anyone headed to the parade or wanting to spend the day exploring the city for free can do so without paying.
“It is a fantastic day for anyone out of town into San Francisco not only for the parade but to also explore San Francisco’s extraordinary neighborhoods and neighborhood commercial districts free on Muni all day long before the parade,” SFMTA Director of Transportation Jeffrey Tumlin said Tuesday at the agency’s board meeting.
Funding for free Muni rides will come from a proposed ordinance introduced by District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan. The proposal includes spending $500,000 to provide the free service. Additionally, the funding will support providing free parking at the Portsmouth Square Parking Garage for the first two hours throughout the entire month of February.
“We know that this is not just going to bring visitors and tourists to Chinatown, we’re all going to bring our families and friends back to Chinatown, to shop Chinatown and love Chinatown,” Chan said last month at a press conference in Chinatown.
Additionally, the $500,000 will help fund for additional ambassadors from the Community Youth Center of San Francisco. The SFMTA will be increasing staff on transit lines and at stations to ensure the safety of passengers headed to the parade and other Lunar New Year festivities.
Motorists and Muni passengers can expect street closures and rerouting of Muni buses around the parade route on Saturday.
The Chinese New Year Community Street Fair will also take place this weekend in Chinatown.
The parade has been known to be rained on, but the National Weather Service as of Thursday afternoon is reporting no rain on Saturday.
