MuniAccess is a mobile-first accessibility map for SF Muni rail — the Muni Metro lines (J, K, L, M, N, T) and the F Market & Wharves streetcar. It shows step-free access, mini-high platforms, wheelchair lifts, station entrances, photos, and live elevator status, so riders who need an accessible path can plan ahead.
A practical, step-by-step guide for wheelchair and mobility-device users — accessibility details in this app are checked by hand, not verified on site, so always confirm a critical trip against the station's own page and with SFMTA before you travel.
On the J, K, L, M, and N lines, surface (street-level) stops have a short raised mini-high platform that lines up with only the front door of the first car. So when you're heading out of the subway toward a street-level stop, you must board the first door of the first car — otherwise you won't be able to get off at your stop.
You don't need to worry about this when your whole trip stays at full-level stations:
When in doubt, open the station in this app: stops where this matters show a warning spelling out the exception.
Stops here are labelled with the destination on the front of the train — "Embarcadero Bound", "S.F. Zoo Bound", "Fisherman's Wharf Bound" — so what you read matches the sign on the platform and the predictions in other apps. At the last stop on a line, it reads End of line instead.
Where two lines share a platform and head for different places, both are named, so you know which train is which: Balboa Park Bound (K, M) · S.F. Zoo Bound (L).
Muni's own signs and other apps often say "Inbound" and "Outbound" instead. On the Metro lines those mean toward downtown and away from it. On the F they do not: it runs through downtown and out the other side, so an "Inbound" F keeps that label even while it is heading away from downtown up The Embarcadero. That is exactly why this app names the destination — there is nothing to work out.
In the subway, elevator names still say Eastbound and Westbound. Those are SFMTA's own labels for the equipment, and this app reports them exactly as SFMTA does so they match the signs at the station.
Underground (subway) stations. Every underground station has elevators: street → concourse → platform, with level boarding at all train doors. Street elevator entrances vary station by station — open the station in this app to see exactly where its entrance is, and a photo of it. Signs at the concourse point you to the platform elevator. Elevators do break down — check the live elevator status in this app (or call 311) before you rely on one.
Surface (street-level) stops. Accessible stops are low-level islands with a ramp up to a mini-high platform, or full-length high platforms. Not every surface stop is accessible. Use this app's filters (Fully / Functionally Accessible) and the map to find the nearest one that works for your direction of travel.
Finding the elevator from the street to the mezzanine is relatively easy — especially with the help of this app. Icons for underground stations sit exactly where the elevator is in the real world, and most stations also carry a photo of the street-level entrance. Finding the elevator between the platform and the mezzanine can be harder. The signage is generally good, and you should never be afraid to ask an employee. At some Market St stations you have to go down corridors right beside the Muni tracks. It feels like you shouldn't be going that way — but you should.
A few stops board via an operator-deployed wheelchair lift instead of a platform — flagged with a lift icon in this app. Heads-up: lifts are frequently out of service, especially on the historic F Market & Wharves streetcars — have an accessible backup stop in mind.
The F is a tourist-oriented historic streetcar line, but it is still genuinely useful transit. Nearly all of its streetcars are wheelchair accessible, including every PCC — the rolling stock in regular service. On some summer weekends, at Muni Heritage Day in the fall, and sometimes at random, Muni also runs vintage trolleys from San Francisco and around the world. Most of those have been made accessible too, thanks to the work of the Market Street Railway; one or two are simply too small to convert. A non-PCC is almost always a supplemental trip rather than a replacement for a scheduled one, so if an inaccessible vintage car comes by, an accessible one should be along soon. To see what is running right now, visit streetcar.live.
Muni, along with every other agency in the Bay Area, operates a completely accessible bus fleet. Boarding and taking the bus as a wheelchair user is generally easy and convenient — except when it gets really busy. All you have to do is signal to the bus driver that you'd like to board and they will lower the ramp. Often fellow passengers will lift the seat up for the wheelchair spot; if not, the driver will. If you want to be strapped in, tell the driver — they generally will not do it unless asked. When you board, tell the driver where you want to get off, but you should still press the wheelchair stop request button to your side in case they forget.
Both sadly and reasonably, the cable cars are not wheelchair accessible and almost certainly never will be. While this is a bummer for tourists and transit nerds, their routes are replicated — often more efficiently — by buses.
People with disabilities ride at a reduced fare with a Clipper Access card (formerly the RTC Discount Card). Low- and moderate-income SF residents with qualifying disabilities may also qualify for Free Muni. Apply at the SFMTA RTC office, 27A Van Ness Ave (at Market St), or start at sfmta.com.
A photo of the ramp, the mini-high, or the elevator entrance often tells a rider more than any description can. Open a station and tap Add a photo of this stop — you can attach it to the specific entrance, platform, or elevator it shows, so it lands in the right place.
Every photo is reviewed before it appears, so nothing goes on the map straight away. Please only send photos you took yourself, and avoid faces and anything identifying. Your phone shrinks the photo before it is sent, which also strips the location and camera details it would otherwise carry.
There is a box for describing what the photo shows. That description is what blind riders hear in place of the picture, so it is worth a sentence — but if you leave it blank, one is written for you and checked during review.
Each elevator marker sits at the elevator's actual location — its color shows the live elevator status.
Subway stations use the underground markers; surface stops show their platforms directly. Tap Key on the map to reopen the Map Key — on a phone it is inside the settings icon (top-left).
Each line is drawn in its own color along its route. Where several lines share the same tracks — like the Market Street subway or the Twin Peaks tunnel — their colors are drawn as interleaved dashes along that shared stretch, so you can see every line that runs there instead of one color hiding the rest.
The Outages filter shows only stations with a current elevator outage.
The dot beside "Live elevator data" in the header shows the data connection, and underground stations are colored by their current elevator status (see Map markers). Status comes from SFMTA's own equipment status, falling back to the 511 SF Bay feed if that is unavailable, and refreshes automatically every 3 minutes; tap Refresh to update now. Either feed can lag real conditions, so treat status as a strong hint, not a guarantee.
On a phone, Nearest (jump to the closest accessible station) is always visible in the top-right corner, opposite the settings icon. Tap the settings icon (top-left, below the header) to reveal the rest of the map controls: Location (center the map on you), Key (the Map Key), zoom in/out, fit the whole system, and the Dark / Light / Satellite map style picker. Tap the settings icon again to collapse them.
On desktop, those controls are always visible in the top-right corner. The ‹ button collapses the station list to reveal more of the map.
For the purposes of MuniAccess, accessible exclusively means accessible to wheelchair users. I do not feel equipped to make that judgment for people with other disabilities. Accessible also does not mean perfect — it means usable without excessive burden or humiliation.
Station & route data: SFMTA GTFS. Elevator status: SFMTA, with 511 SF Bay as a fallback. Wheelchair guide content: SFMTA Muni Access Guide. Base map: © CARTO, © Esri, © OpenStreetMap. Accessibility details are checked by hand against transit agency data, not verified on site, and may be incomplete or out of date.
MuniAccess has no accounts and does not track you. Location is only used if you tap Location or Nearest, and it stays on your device — it is never sent anywhere or stored.
The only information collected is what you choose to submit: a report through Report an issue, or a photo through Add a photo. Photos are reviewed before they appear on the map, and submitting one gives permission to show it publicly with your description — or one written for you, if you leave that blank. Your phone's location data is stripped from the photo automatically before it uploads. An email address is required with a report, so a correction can be followed up, and optional with a photo. Either way it is only used to reply about what you sent — never shared, never used for anything else.
This app and its information are provided "as is," for general informational purposes only, with no warranty of any kind, express or implied, including accuracy, completeness, or fitness for a particular purpose. MuniAccess is an unofficial, volunteer community project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or speaking for SFMTA, 511, or any transit agency. You use this information entirely at your own risk. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the creators and contributors of MuniAccess accept no liability for any loss, injury, or damage of any kind arising from your use of, or reliance on, this app. Always confirm conditions in person and with official sources, and follow the directions of transit staff.
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