Public Transit Free On New Year's Eve

A few Bay Area public transit agencies will offer free rides on New Year's Eve to encourage people to take trains or buses to festivities around the region.

Rides on San Francisco Municipal Railway, Caltrain and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority will be free from the night of Dec. 31 to the early morning hours of Jan. 1.

Trips on Muni buses and light-rail vehicles will be complimentary from 8 p.m. on Dec. 31 to 6 a.m. on Jan. 1, agency officials announced.

Because of a city-sponsored fireworks show that starts at midnight on a barge off of The Embarcadero, San Francisco's waterfront will be crowded each New Year's Eve. For people leaving the fireworks show or other festivities in the city, special Muni Metro service will run until 2:15 a.m. between Fourth and King streets and the West Portal Station, and until 4 a.m. between West Portal and the Embarcadero stations. There will also be extra service on Muni's Owl overnight routes, the 5, 14, 22, 24, 38, 90, 91, L and N bus lines.

Caltrain will offer free train rides after 11 p.m. on New Year's Eve from San Francisco until 2:15 a.m. on Jan. 1. VTA bus and light-rail service will be free as well between 7 p.m. and 3:59 a.m., with extended hours offered for its light-rail service and an express bus line that takes customers to the Fremont BART station.

Trips on BART will not be free, but the agency will provide additional service on New Year's Eve, running trains until 3 a.m. After 8 p.m., to minimize crowding at the two stations closest to the San Francisco fireworks show, certain trains will not stop at the Embarcadero station, and others will not stop at the Montgomery station.

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