For only $2, it is possible to travel to and all around from Sunnyvale to San Francisco. Although the SF Municipal Railway is free for anyone under 18, and both Caltrain and BART offer major youth discounts, many FHS students find public transportation in the large city daunting. However, traveling through San Francisco can be a fun, easy and affordable experience for anyone looking to have a day trip to the city.
The trip begins at the Sunnyvale Caltrain Station, located about two miles away from FHS. Caltrain tickets for riders 18 and under cost only $1 each way, and are the only travel expense required. After an approximately hour-long train ride which passes through the entire SF peninsula, riders can get off at the SF Caltrain station, which provides connections to the Muni Metro light rail, as well as several bus routes.
Former FHS student Taran Krishna often takes the muni around SF and spoke about his experience.
“The Muni is free if you’re under 18, I think, so that is pretty awesome,” Krishna said. “It’s also usually clean and comfortable, and I like staring out the window. It’s fairly connective in my opinion.”
Krishna usually takes the N, T or K metro lines, and has taken the Muni many times to various places in and around SF.
“The N is nice in my opinion, but that’s also because it goes through fancy areas,” Krishna said. “Sometimes it takes a long time because many of the lines wrap around the city.”
Although most buses run extremely frequently in SF, it is key to keep track of the schedule,most importantly how often a new bus will come, as well as when the route stops for the night.
“Be aware, and make sure your phone is charged because you’re going to need it,” FHS freshman Andrea Alvendia said.
Alvendia had previously taken the Muni to Pier 39, Chinatown and a few other destinations and shared advice on how to successfully use it. Riders can use Google Maps, which has a public transit tool which simplifies the process a lot, showing helpful information for your trips such as transit routes, departure times and the correct names of buses or train lines.
