New express bus to downtown San Francisco coming soon

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The city announced Friday that a new bus line will take passengers directly from San Francisco’s west side to downtown.

The 1X California Express will start at 33rd Street and Geary Boulevard and end at Davis and Pine Streets, making several stops inside Richmond before driving through downtown right into downtown.

The new bus is being launched as a pilot program and will operate during weekday peak hours, with service scheduled to begin on February 21.

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As part of the pilot project, three morning express buses will depart from 33rd Avenue and Geary Boulevard at 8:00, 8:30, and 9:00.

1X will make stops along 33rd, 32nd, and California Streets to Argüello Boulevard, and then not stop until it reaches downtown.

Three day express buses back to Richmond will depart from Sacramento Street and Davis Street at 4:30 PM, 5:00 PM, and 5:30 PM.

The city has unveiled the new line as a move to revitalize downtown San Francisco as the pandemic sees the city face record high office vacancies and record low ridership.

“Reliable and efficient vehicles are essential to our work to reclaim downtown,” San Francisco Mayor London Breed said in a press release. “It’s good for workers who are returning to the office, and it’s good for our restaurants and stores when more customers can visit. We have a job, but this is a good step towards connecting the western part of our city with the center.”

“Buses heading downtown from Richmond are getting crowded as more passengers return to the office,” said public transit chief Jeffrey Tamlin. “Express service on 1X California [bus] help reduce crowding and allow passengers to get to the financial district faster.”

The San Francisco Public Transportation Agency said 1X California bus service was 11% faster with transit-only lanes installed at California, Clay and Sacramento streets.

The SFMTA will review the bus service and make adjustments as it progresses. Updated timetables and 1X stops are listed on the SFMTA 1X route page.

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