Sound Of Clanging Cable Automobile Bells Returns To San Francisco Streets – CBS San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – After parking in a Muni yard for more than a year, the city’s iconic cable cars returned to the streets of San Francisco on Monday for test drives and free rides as the transit line made its return prepared for full operation in September.
The return of the cable car is just another sign that San Francisco is recovering after more than 15 months battling COVID-19.
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“I’ve been counting the days,” said William Kouzi, a North Beach resident who was lucky enough to catch one of the first free rides on the Van Ness-California route. “I asked them (when would they return to public service) and they were so nice. They said, ‘Come on, since you live here.’ It was amazing.”
The West family from New York were fortunate enough to be in the Embarcadero turnaround when the test runs began.
“We came here hoping we could get on the cable cars,” they said. “It’s a pleasant surprise.”
Last month, an upbeat Mayor of London Breed revealed plans for the return of the legendary cable cars.
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When the city closed in March 2020, the cable cars were parked in their service yard as public transport was practically suspended during the months of on-site protection. While Muni resumed operations in the following months, the cable cars remained silent.
Muni officials had told Breed that they would not be able to put the cable cars back into operation until the fall.
“I didn’t want to hear it,” she said. “But he (Muni boss Jeffrey Tumlin) found a creative solution. Even if we expected to bring the cable cars back in autumn, we will do something absolutely extraordinary. “
But their arrival on the streets for testing was a little earlier than even Breed expected. When announcing in June, Breed said testing and rides would begin in August.
“From the beginning of August, the mountain railways will be available to all drivers free of charge for the entire month of August. So let’s bring them back a little earlier, not as early as I would have liked, but early enough for you to catch them at the end of summer, just before you send your kid back to school when they open this fall, and they’d better be open this fall. “
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Tumlin said the cable cars will run near their normal timetables during the tests. You will return to the normal timetable at the full tariff on September 1st.
