Free Muni / Caltrain / AC Transit / VTA / SamTrans on New Year’s Eve 2025/2026
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 12/31/25
SF Muni
Confirmed for 12/31/25
Ride Muni for Free on New Year’s Eve from 8 p.m. Wednesday, December 31, 2025, to 5 a.m. Thursday, January 1, 2026.
New Year’s Eve Muni Service
During the complimentary service period from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.:Please do not tag your Clipper® card. If you tag it, you will be charged.
Please do not activate a MuniMobile ticket. Metro fare gates will be open.AC Transit
Not yet confirmed for 12/31/25. Here’s what happened in 2024:
2024 info: AC Transit continues to support your transit needs, including getting you where you need to go safely on New Year’s Eve. Ride FREE on all buses, including Transbay, from 8 PM on Dec. 31 to 5 AM on Jan. 1.
Buses will operate on Sunday schedules on January 1.SamTrans
Not yet confirmed for 12/31/25. Here’s what happened in 2024:
2024 info: The San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) is proud to once again offer free bus rides on New Year’s Eve and during the early morning hours of New Year’s Day.
New Year’s Eve (Tuesday, Dec. 31)
- Buses will operate on a regular weekday schedule.
- Free service begins at 8 p.m. and continues through 3 a.m. New Year’s Day (Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025)
- SamTrans buses will run on a Sunday schedule.
- Fare collection resumes at 3 a.m.
Caltrain
Not yet confirmed for 12/31/25. Here’s what happened in 2024:
2024 info: Caltrain is offering free service on New Year’s Eve so revelers can get home safely at the end of their evening. All rides will be free starting at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31, until the end of special late-night service, as it has in years past.
- New Year’s Eve – Tuesday, December 31, 2024 – Weekday Schedule
- FREE Fares after 8 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. Don’t drink and drive.
- NYE Specials San Francisco to San Jose Diridon – 1 a.m. (or when full), 1:30 a.m. (or when full), 2 a.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 31 – New Year’s Eve and Fireworks
Caltrain will be operating regular weekday schedule before the fireworks show begins. In addition to regularly scheduled service, additional southbound trains will depart from San Francisco at 1:00 a.m., 1:30 a.m. or when full, making all local stops to San Jose Diridon after the fireworks, with the last train leaving San Francisco at 2 a.m. SF MUNI will provide additional post-fireworks service connecting with Caltrain San Francisco Station at 4th and King streets.
Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025 – New Year’s Day
Caltrain will operate a weekend schedule. Caltrain will resume collecting fares when the service day begins with the first scheduled northbound train out of San Jose’s Tamien Station at 6:51 a.m.
Caltrain reminds customers that open alcoholic beverages are prohibited on the trains beginning at 9 p.m. on special events days and nights. Disruptive passengers will be asked to leave Caltrain property.
More information about Caltrain’s holiday schedules is available online at www.caltrain.com/holidays.
VTA
Not yet confirmed for 12/31/25. Here’s what happened in 2024:
2024 info: Continuing our annual tradition, VTA will offer free rides on all buses and light rail services from 8 p.m. on Tuesday, December 31, until 5 a.m. on Wednesday, January 1.
VTA will operate extended service on all three light rail lines and Bus Route Rapid 500 on New Year’s Eve to make your celebrations even easier. This ensures you can get where you need to go—and back home—comfortably and reliably.
VTA services operate on a regular weekday schedule on New Year’s Eve and Sunday/Holiday schedule for New Year’s Day. Plan your trip using VTA’s Trip Planner or the Transit app for the most up-to-date routes and schedules.
BART – Late Night Trains
Confirmed for 12/31/25
New Year’s Eve, Wednesday, December 31, 2025: Regular weekday service (5am opening) with extended late-night service, extra staffing, and additional event trains. BART will be providing extended service until 1am for late-night riders coming back from fireworks shows and celebrations. More on this below.
New Year’s Eve 1am Extended Service
Our 1am extended service will be as follows:
- 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 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 1:51am 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.
- Orange Line and Blue Line trains will be timed to meet at Bay Fair Station at 2:15am. 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 around 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.
Plan your trip with our Trip Planner or use BART’s New Year’s Eve extended service timetable.
Golden Gate Transit Bus
Not yet confirmed for 12/31/25. Here’s what happened in 2024:
2024 info: 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
Not yet confirmed for 12/31/25. Here’s what happened in 2024:
2024 info: No reduced or free fares. Operating a reduced service on New Year’s Eve and may be closed on New Year’s Day (but the 2025 information has not been confirmed, but it was closed for 2024 New Year’s Day)
Not Yet Confirmed for 2024
“Drink and Alive” Free Cab Program
Not yet confirmed for 12/31/25. Here’s what happened in 2021:
2021 info: 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
