21 Hayes

Last updated

21 Hayes
Muni worm logo.svg
Muni route 21 trolleybus at Ferry Plaza, July 2019.JPG
21 trolleybus at Ferry Plaza, July 2019
Overview
System Muni trolleybus network
Operator San Francisco Municipal Railway
Vehicle New Flyer XT40
New Flyer XDE40
Began service1860 (1860) (horsecar)
1906 (1906) (electric streetcar)
Ended serviceJune 20, 2025 (2025-06-20)
Route
Locale San Francisco, California
StartFulton and Stanyan
Fulton and 8th Avenue (nights and weekends)
ViaHayes Street
EndHyde and Grove
Length3.2 mi (5.1 km)
Service
LevelDaily
Daily ridership6,600 (2019) [1]
Map 21 Hayes Map
  19 Polk   List of San Francisco Municipal Railway lines   22 Fillmore  

21 Hayes was a trolleybus line operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni). It connected the Civic Center to the neighborhoods northeast of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. On June 21, 2025, the 21 Hayes merged with the 6 Haight/Parnassus.

Contents

History

Horsecar service was established on Hayes Street in 1860 by Thomas Hayes. [2] By the time the Market Street Railway was incorporated in 1883, the Hayes line had been rebuilt to run cable cars and terminated at the Ferry Building.

The 1906 San Francisco earthquake crippled the line. [2] Though it was back in operation as an electrified streetcar less than two months after the disaster, the steep grade between Pierce and Scott was unsuitable for electric traction. [2] United Railroads (successor to the Market Street Railway) compensated for this by establishing two new routes; the new "Hayes and Ellis" line ran from Ellis and Market outbound on Ellis, Divisadero, Hayes, and Stanyan to terminate at Fulton. [2] This line was assigned the number 21 in 1911. [2] A cutting to ease the grade between Pierce and Scott was cleared in 1914, [3] allowing through-running the whole length of Hayes. [2] In the 1930s, the line was extended west and north to terminate at 8th and Clement in the Inner Richmond. [2] [4] Streetcar service ended on June 5, 1948 and the line was converted to trolleybus operations the following year. [3] [5]

Service was discontinued in March 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The line returned to operation in July 2022, though with motor coaches and the inbound terminal truncated to Market Street. [2] [6] Due to a budget crisis as part of the Summer 2025 Muni Service Cuts, the 6 Haight/Parnassus and 21 were merged together on June 21, 2025. [7]

References

  1. "Short Range Transit Plan" (PDF). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. December 3, 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Laubscher, Rick (July 12, 2022). "Hayes Street: transit since 1860". Market Street Railway. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Vielbaum, Walt; Hoffman, Philip; Ute, Grant; Townley, Robert (2005). San Francisco's Market Street Railway. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 4, 41–42. ISBN   9780738529677.
  4. Trimble, Paul C. (2004). Railways of San Francisco. Arcadia Publishing. p. 94. ISBN   9780738528878.
  5. Nolan, Dick (July 3, 1949). "5 Muni lines switch to new coaches today". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved November 3, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Residents Celebrate Return Of Muni 21-Hayes Bus Service To Golden Gate Park". San Francisco Gate. Bay City News. July 9, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  7. "Summer 2025 Muni Service Cuts" (Press release). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.