B Geary
| Company type | Public transit service |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Predecessor | Geary Street, Park and Ocean Railway (cable car), Muni streetcar lines A Geary–10th Avenue, B Geary, C Geary–California |
| Founded | 1956 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco , United States |
Area served | San Francisco, California |
| Products | Bus transit service |
| Owner | San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni) |
| Website | www |
38 Geary represents a bus route managed by the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni). Together with its limited-stop counterparts — 38R Geary Rapid, 38AX Geary 'A' Express, and 38BX Geary 'B' Express — the transit corridor along Geary Boulevard stands as Muni's most heavily utilized.
Route overview
This line connects the Salesforce Transit Center with the Richmond District, predominantly following Geary Boulevard. To improve travel efficiency, it incorporates side-running bus lanes. Service is available around the clock, with reduced frequency during overnight hours under the All Nighter network as part of the Owl service.
38R Geary Rapid
The 38R Geary Rapid accelerates travel by bypassing multiple stops east of 33rd Avenue. Previously called the 38 Limited, it recorded 29,500 daily boardings in 2019, exceeding ridership levels of the standard local route.
38AX / 38BX Geary Express services
Weekday peak periods feature two express routes beginning near Embarcadero station at Davis and Pine Streets. The 38AX Geary 'A' Express operates nonstop to 25th Avenue before serving local stops through to 48th Avenue. Meanwhile, the 38BX Geary 'B' Express departs Pine at Presidio Avenue and covers local stops between Presidio and 25th Avenue. These express services were paused during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Historical background
Cable car operations on Geary started in 1880 under the Geary Street, Park and Ocean Railway. The San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni) took over this corridor as its inaugural streetcar line in 1912, initially running lines A Geary–10th Avenue, B Geary, and C Geary–California. By June 1913, line A was downgraded to shuttle service while B Geary extended from Downtown to the beach. Rail transit ceased on December 29, 1956, with buses replacing streetcars; the B Geary line transitioned into what is now known as the 38 Geary.
During construction of the Salesforce Transit Center, inbound buses were rerouted to the Temporary Transbay Terminal. Between 2019 and 2021, major elements of the Geary Bus Rapid Transit initiative were rolled out, with final plans shaped by emergency responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ridership figures
By 2014, daily trips along this corridor exceeded 54,000, outnumbering ridership on the entire Caltrain network. This volume places it among North America's busiest bus routes, second only to Vancouver's 99 B-Line, which holds the highest ridership in both the U.S. and Canada.
See also
External links
- 38 Geary — official SFMTA page