The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) collects bus ridership data across all Muni lines to help improve transit service and understand travel patterns. This data is gathered through automatic passenger counters installed on select buses, which record how many people get on and off at each stop.

Our analysis of this data shows that Stockton Street stands out as the most heavily used corridor in the system. Most bus stops along Stockton see over 1,000 riders on a typical weekday, with the Stockton & Pacific Avenue stop serving more than 5,000 passengers daily.

Other busy stops include Rose Pak Station and Stockton & Washington Street, which average 4,600 and 3,700 weekday riders, respectively.

Even beyond Stockton Street, most bus stops in the area experience steady use. Nearly all stops see at least 200 weekday riders, with those along adjacent streets such as Kearny ranging from just under 200 to around 400–500 daily riders, depending on location.

Proof of Sufficient Ridership

Transit service in Chinatown is not just about moving people; it’s about ensuring that residents, workers, and visitors can rely on safe and frequent public transportation to connect them with the rest of the city. One of the main questions transit agencies ask is: Are enough people using these routes to justify keeping or even improving service?

To answer this, we partnered with UC Berkeley PATH researchers, who built a model that looks at how many people get on and off at each bus stop. The model compares the actual ridership data with average levels by location and time, giving us a clear picture of where demand is strong.

The findings show that many bus stops in Chinatown have higher-than-expected activity. In other words, people are using these buses, and they are using them a lot to get to Chinatown. This is especially important in a neighborhood like Chinatown, where many residents rely on transit as their primary way of getting around.

We’ve mapped every bus stop in Chinatown so that you can see this activity for yourself. By clicking on the bus icons, you can explore details for each stop, such as how busy it is and what routes it serves. To explore the model in greater depth, please read the technical report HERE (available in late November).