The 8AX/BX lines are special express lines within the 8 Bayshore route. They both skip certain stops within the 8 line as it is a long route with a total of 52 stops; however, they both start and end at different points and have a different number of stops. These are the inbound Chinatown stops for both lines, listed with their average daily weekday ridership (boarding and departing combined):

8AX (24 stops) [starts at Visitacion Valley]

• Kearny St & Bush St - 39

• Kearny St & California St - 129

• Kearny St & Clay St - 194

• Kearny St & Jackson St - 104

• (last stop) Kearny St & Pacific Ave - 199

8BX (41 stops) [same start and end as 8 line]

• Kearny St & Bush St - 33

• Kearny St & California St - 97

• Kearny St & Clay St - 157

• Kearny St & Jackson St - 86

• Columbus Ave & Kearny St - 94

• Columbus Ave & Broadway - 66

Overall, much like the 8-Bayshore line, the most popular stop is the Kearny St & Clay St stop for both AX and BX lines.

Similarly, the stop with the least activity is the Kearny St & Bush St stop for both lines.

Overall numbers are quite low compared to the 8-line; however, it is important to know that these numbers are taken from a period of 6 am to 9 am rather than the 6 am to 11 pm that all other lines are recorded with.

These express lines both serve in specific times of the day, typically used to help provide additional capacity to the 8 line during the busy hours of the day, hence the special schedule stated above. Because the 8 runs such a long route, from one end of the city to the other end, express buses are needed to help alleviate pressure from the line and accelerate commute times for many commuters along the route, especially for those who need to commute for school and work.

The baseline distribution model below only contains inbound stops that show the expected hourly departing weekday ridership (blue) versus the actual departing ridership observed (red) at each stop using SFMTA data. The Chinatown stops (21-24) stand out with the deepest colors, reflecting higher levels of activity relative to other points along the line.

Additionally, they run on a special schedule for both inbound and outbound routes.

• Inbound:

  • 6:30 am to 9:30 am for both lines

• Outbound:

  • 3:30 pm to 7 pm for the 8AX

  • 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm for the 8BX