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Free Muni / Caltrain / AC Transit / VTA / SamTrans on New Year’s Eve 2023/2024

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Sunday, December 31, 2023 - 8:00 pm to 5:00 am | Cost: FREE
San Francisco Bay Area |

Event Details

In order to ensure those who need a safe ride home New Year’s Eve have one, many Bay Area transit agencies are offering free rides, but not having any extended service.

Confirmed Free Rides for 12/31/23


 

SF Muni

Confirmed for 12/31/23

Ride Muni for free on New Year’s Eve from 8 p.m. Sunday, December 31, 2023 to 5 a.m. Monday, January 1, 2024

Please do not tag your Clipper® card or activate a MuniMobile ticket during the free service period.

AC Transit

Confirmed for 12/31/23

AC Transit continues to support your transit needs, including getting you where you need to go safely on New Year’s Eve. Riders will be able to ride all AC Transit buses free of charge, including Transbay and Tempo lines, beginning on 8 pm on December 31, 2023 until 5 am on January 1, 2024.

All AC Transit local and Transbay lines will operate on Sunday schedules on Monday, December 25, 2023 and January 1, 2024.

SamTrans

Confirmed for 12/31/23

To ensure that everyone who needs a safe ride home at the end of their evening will have one, SamTrans will provide free rides, including paratransit, starting at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023 until 3 a.m. Monday, Jan. 1, 2024.

On New Year’s Day, SamTrans will operate a Sunday schedule as well in observance of the New Year’s Holiday.

Caltrain

Confirmed for 12/31/23

Caltrain is running free service for New Year’s so revelers can get a safe ride home at the end of their evening. Download the NYE 12/31/23 Caltrain Schedule.


FREE Fares — Beginning at 8 PM Caltrain will be free to all passengers until the last post-fireworks southbound train.

  • San Francisco to San Jose Diridon departing 1 AM1:30 AM, or when full. The final train departs from San Francisco 4th and King station at 2 AM, making all stops.
  • Do NOT tap on! Passengers should not tap on with Clipper between 8 PM and 3:30 AM.

San Francisco Fireworks — Caltrain will run two extra northbound local-service trains that will depart San Jose Diridon at 7:42 PM and 8:42 PM. 

Monday, January 1, 2024 — New Year’s Day – weekend schedule. Caltrain will resume collecting fares when service begins at 7 AM, Jan. 1.

Caltrain reminds customers that open beverages are prohibited in the trains beginning at 9 PM on special event days and nights

VTA

Confirmed for 12/31/23

VTA will continue the tradition of providing free bus (Route 500) and light rail service (Blue LineGreen Line, and Orange Line) in collaboration with other regional transit partners.

All Light Rail and Bus service will be free from 8 p.m. on Sunday, December 31st, 2023, through 5 a.m. on Monday, January 1st, 2024. VTA will operate on a Sunday/Holiday schedule with extended hours on New Year’s Day, Monday, January 1st, 2024.

New Year’s Eve Service Changes:

Route 500 will operate extended hours between San Jose Diridon, downtown San Jose, and Berryessa BART. The last northbound bus will leave San Jose Diridon at 12:20 a.m., and the last southbound bus will leave Berryessa BART at 3:01 a.m.

We are extending service on the Blue Line to offer later service. The last northbound train departs Santa Teresa at 1:52 a.m. The last southbound train departs Baypointe at 1:57 a.m.

The Green Line will offer later service between Winchester and Old Ironsides. The last northbound train departs Winchester at 1:40 a.m. and will terminate at Civic Center. The northbound trains that depart Winchester at 11:22 p.m. and 11:51 p.m. respectively and end at Civic Center will continue in-service to Old Ironsides. The last southbound train departs Old Ironsides at 1:22 a.m.

Extended service will be offered on the Orange Line between Baypointe and Alum Rock. The last eastbound train departs Baypointe at 2:43 a.m. The last westbound train departs Alum Rock at 1:36 a.m.

No Free Rides for 12/31/23


BART – Late Night Trains

Confirmed for 12/31/23 via Twitter

For New Year’s Eve, Sunday, December 31, 2023 BART will run standard Sunday service (starting at 8am) but with an extended closing time and extra event trains. BART will run a normal weekday evening service schedule which will extend until 3 am.   Trains will run every 20 minutes after midnight with extra trains standing by in downtown San Francisco after the fireworks show.

  • Last East Bay bound train running through downtown San Francisco will be at around 1:30am.
  • Last southbound train heading toward Millbrae will run through downtown San Francisco at 2:10am (it will not stop at SFO).

Our 1am Extended Service will be as listed:

  • Three-line special service (Yellow, Blue and Orange only in both directions, for total of six trains for 1am Extended Service). Yellow Line will be the only line running in San Francisco and Peninsula. Blue Line will run between Bay Fair and Dublin/Pleasanton.
  • Trains will be waiting at 12th St Oakland, MacArthur and Bay Fair to complete timed transfers.
    • Yellow Line and Orange Line trains in all directions will be timed to meet at MacArthur Station at 1:47am in a “Grand Meet”. This is the transfer point for riders coming from San Francisco heading toward Richmond or Berryessa or riders coming from the East Bay heading toward San Francisco.
    • Yellow Line and Orange Line trains will be timed to meet at 12th St Oakland.
      • Riders boarding a Berryessa-bound Orange Line train heading to San Francisco can exit their train and wait for the Millbrae-bound Yellow Line at 1:55am on the same Platform 2 (Lower Level).
      • There will be a timed transfer at 1:43 am on Platform 1 and 3 (Upper Level) between Antioch-bound Yellow Line train and Richmond-bound Orange Line train.
    • Orange Line and Blue Line trains will be timed to meet at Bay Fair Station at 2:16am. Dublin-bound riders can take the Berryessa-bound Orange Line train and transfer at Bay Fair Station.
  • SFO and OAK airport stations will NOT be served.
  • Last East Bay bound train running through downtown San Francisco will be at around 1:30am.
  • Last southbound train heading toward Millbrae will run through downtown San Francisco at 2:10am.

The regular last trains of the evening (Yellow, Blue, and Orange lines) will be dispatched from the end of their lines at midnight and then at 1:00am, we will run another set of last trains of the evening to serve 48 out of our 50 stations. The 1am trains will not serve SFO and OAK airport stations.

Station “Skip-Stop” Plan beginning at 8 pm: 

  • Pittsburg/Bay Point and Richmond lines will stop at Montgomery Station both arriving and departing SF; trains skip Embarcadero Station
  • Dublin/Pleasanton and Fremont trains will stop at Embarcadero Station both arriving and departing SF; trains skip Montgomery Station
  • Post event, the first East Bay stop for Dublin/Pleasanton and Fremont trains will be at Lake Merritt Station; trains skip West Oakland
  • Millbrae and Daly City trains will make all stops in SF, but customers will board/alight at Montgomery Station after the fireworks

Last trains from Embarcadero: To Dublin/Pleasanton at 3:16 am.

Last trains from Montgomery:  To Pittsburg/Baypoint at 3:24 am.; To Millbrae at 3:32 am.; To SF Airport at 4:04 am.

Golden Gate Transit Bus

Confirmed for 12/31/23

No reduced or free fares and no special late night service. Operating limited holiday service on New Year’s Eve and on New Year’s Day.

Golden Gate Ferry

Confirmed for 12/31/23

No reduced or free fares. Operating a reduced service on New Year’s Eve and will be closed on New Year’s Day.

Not Yet Confirmed for 2023


“Drink and Alive” Free Cab Program

Confirmed for 12/31/21

GJEL Accident Attorneys pay for a safe ride home up to $15 on Lyft/Uber/Cabs on many major holidays including New Year’s Eve. This is valid in the entire Bay Area, Sacramento and Tri-Valley area. Confirmed for 12/31/21.

 

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.


Cost: FREE
Categories: **Annual Event**, *Top Pick*, East Bay, In Person, New Year's Day, New Year's Eve, Peninsula, San Francisco, South Bay, Weekend Events Guide - December 29, 2023-January 1, 2024