A cable car ride is one of San Francisco's top-rated sights. Find out what the rest are.
See Them Now: Cable Car Photos
See the Routes: Cable Car Map
Find out how to use the cable car to take a self-guided Tour of San Francisco
The Routes
The San Francisco cable cars run on three routes. Use this guide to find out where they go, what they pass and how to make the most of the ride.Fares
Buy tickets for the San Francisco cable cars at the turnarounds or from the conductor as you board. Your payment is good for only one ride and if you get off and want to ride again, you'll pay again.As of mid-2012, tickets were $5.00 each way (reduced to $1 for seniors over 65 years old and disabled persons, non-busy hours only). Children under 5 years old ride for free.
If you plan to ride 3 or more times in the same day, or 4 times in 3 days, an unlimited-ride passport is more economical and they're also good for the Market Street F-Line streetcar and all the city-run buses.
You also get a 7-day MUNI passport when you buy a San Francisco CityPASS, a good deal if you're also going to visit some of the attractions they bundle together.
Hours
The cable cars run from about 6:00 a.m. to about 1:00 a.m.Accessibility
According to a friendly grip person who took time from eating his lunch to answer my question, people in wheelchairs ride the cable cars frequently. You just need someone along to help you get on and off.History of San Francisco Cable Cars
On August 2, 1873, the first person to ride a San Francisco cable car down Clay Street was Andrew Hallidie, its inventor. He got the idea after witnessing an accident. A horse-drawn carriage was going up a steep hill when the team faltered and the carriage rolled backward downhill, dragging the horses behind it.Hallidie's invention changed the way people in San Francisco lived, creating a vital link in the San Francisco transportation system and making it feasible for people to live on steep hills, which until then was impossible. The cable cars were an immediate success and by the 1890s, eight transit companies operated 600 cars on 21 routes covering over 50 miles.
Cable cars remained the primary mode of transportation until the 1906 earthquake, when most of system was destroyed. A municipal railway replaced most lines afterward. The iconic cars are the only vehicles of their kind still in operation and they are designated National Landmarks.
In 2010, the term "gripman" faded into history after being used for 137 years to describe the person who operates the cable car's brakes. When Willa Johnson became the second-ever woman cable car operator on April 12, 2010, the city officially changed the name of the job to "grip person." Johnson's predecessor Fannie Barnes, retired from active cable car duty in 2002.
To learn more, visit the Cable Car Barn Museum, which is located at Mason and Washington and can be reached on the Powell-Mason or Powell-Hyde lines.
Review
We rate San Francisco's cable cars 5 stars out of 5. They're an icon of the city, tourist-filled but fun. Stand outside for the best ride.POLL: What do you think of San Francisco's cable cars as a tourist attraction???
