Tomorrow is Muni's centennial, barring any delays of course. Whether you want to observe the day with your own mental slogan: "Prompting patrons to glance at their watch and stare down the track with intense rage for 100 years!," or you're happy to go with the official story that the service is "a mode of choice to the city’s wealth of cultural, sporting, shopping and entertainment venues," the fact is on Friday you can ride for free. And who doesn't love that?
The gratis period runs from 5 a.m. to 5 a.m., Friday Dec. 28 to Saturday, Dec. 29, though the Examiner offers this warning:
(T)hough rides will be free Friday, passengers won’t exactly get the full Muni experience. Since holiday ridership levels are typically low, Muni is reducing its service to reflect the lack of passengers. Several bus lines will start later in the day and run less frequently Friday, although light-rail, cable car and historic streetcar service will not change.
Check out the schedule changes here.
In the meantime, Muni's put up a pretty good centennial site that includes a history of transit service in San Francisco, a gallery of historical holiday photos, and this special publication, which is labeled as advertising but has a timeline and some nice images.