30 Stockton
| Company type | Public transit route |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Predecessor | F Stockton streetcar |
| Founded | 1951 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco , United States |
Area served | San Francisco, California |
| Owner | San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) |
| Website | www |
30 Stockton is a trolleybus route managed by the San Francisco Municipal Railway. It holds the distinction of being the slowest trolleybus line in San Francisco, primarily because it traverses the heavily populated Chinatown district.
Route description
During daytime hours, buses operate between Townsend and 4th and Crissy Field. Evening services conclude outbound at Divisadero and Chestnut. A short-turn operation runs a modified path linking Van Ness Avenue at North Point with Townsend at 5th. This service mainly follows Stockton Street, Columbus Avenue, Chestnut Street, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Streets, with brief stretches along Van Ness Avenue, Divisadero Street, and Broderick. Beyond Divisadero and Chestnut, trolleybuses switch to battery power due to the absence of overhead wires.
30X Marina Express
The express service during rush hours connects the Marina District to the Financial District, circumventing most of Russian Hill. Inbound buses travel via Van Ness, North Point, Columbus, Montgomery, Clay before continuing local stops from Clay and Montgomery through Sansome, California, Davis, Beale, Howard to the Embarcadero. Outbound trips begin at Spear and Howard and proceed along Howard, Main, Market, Pine, Sansome (express via Broadway), Van Ness before halting on Chestnut.
F Stockton streetcar
The F Stockton streetcar operated between Market and Stockton streets to the Marina District, passing through Stockton, Columbus, North Point, Van Ness, and Chestnut up to Laguna. It was among four lines designed for the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition. The Stockton Street Tunnel, inaugurated in 1914, was constructed mainly for these streetcars. In 1916, the route extended from Chestnut and Laguna to Chestnut and Scott. Later in 1947, it was further lengthened from Market and Stockton along 4th Street reaching the Southern Pacific terminal at Townsend.
Trolleybus operation
On January 20, 1951, streetcar route F was replaced by trolleybus service and renumbered as route 30. (The F label was reassigned in 1995 for the unrelated historic streetcar line F Market & Wharves.) In 2002, overhead wires were added on Harrison and 5th Streets to facilitate detours during construction projects. From 2012 through 2019, the line was rerouted away from 4th Street due to work on the Central Subway.
On September 19, 2020, the route extended nearly northward to Crissy Field. However, overhead trolley wires were not added; instead, trolleybuses operate on this new segment using battery power—a feature available on the latest fleet allowing routine short-range battery use. A dedicated new outer terminal opened on September 6, 2024.
The 30X express service was halted in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Limited operations resumed on February 3, 2025 with two southbound morning peak trips. The SFMTA had planned to shorten the southern terminus of the 30S short-turn service to Sutter Street near Union Square starting February 1, 2025 but postponed this change in response to increased ridership driven by Lunar New Year festivities, NBA All-Star Weekend activities, and a Central Subway closure. On March 15, 2025, the 30S route was cut back to Mission Street with reduced frequency.
External links
- 30 Stockton — San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency