UCSF Shuttle Service

I have taken the UCSF free shuttle service the past few months to hop around to the various UCSF campuses for medical appointments: Mission Bay, Parnassus Heights, and Mt. Zion. San Francisco is a hard place to find parking, unless you are willing to pay big time, and it is also difficult to drive in, so this free shuttle service is a Godsend. Both employees and patients can use it.

I have always found the shuttle drivers to be be super friendly and helpful, and obey all traffic laws, which is not common among bus drivers. They have been trained well by UCSF. They even called the UCSF Jitney (local UCSF shuttle for Mission Bay campus) to transport me from the shuttle stop there to the main medical building at 1825 4th Street.

One even sat with me during her break at the shuttle stop cheerfully talking while I waited for the Jitney to arrive.

The have all sort of routes, designated by color, such as Blue, Gold, Green, Grey, etc. They stop at all the UCSF locations around San Francisco, so you never have to drive there. They also start early in the morning, around 5:30 AM. It is popular among employees, students, and residents, as they make their way to work at the various campuses. Their mobile app is also very organized and fast as well. It has all the timetables, and well as way to track to shuttles in real time, so I know exactly when they are coming. They run every 20 minutes or so.

If my review sounds glowing, it is because it is true. The only negative thing I have to say is the Grey route between Parnassus Heights and Mission Bay does tend to get crowded, so there is standing room only if you board late. But you can sit down on most of the other routes. I also wish the shuttle stop at Mission Bay was a little closer to the main medical building, but they are doing construction, so they had to move it a little farther away.

Was riding my bike and shuttle bus passenger side mirror almost hit my head. Shuttle driver didn't follow the three foot rule when passing a bicycle rider. This happened near a busy intersection by Irving St. because there was a truck double parked on the other side of the road. There were cars parked on both sides of the street and the shuttle did not have room to pass me, didn't want to wait the length of the double parked truck even though I was ahead of him - dangerous, rude driver.

I contacted UCSF's transportation department four times and they would not respond at all.

What do I love about being a UCSF student? Their free shuttle service that connects Parnassus campus (Inner Sunset) with many areas around the city, including Inner Richmond/NOPA, Mission/SOMA, Mission Bay, the Castro for FREE. This means it allows UCSF students, faculty, and employees to get to different destinations without having to pay $2 for MUNI. SCORE!!

Most of the shuttles come every 15 minutes, and for those that come less often, about every half hour. What I love about riding the shuttle is that it's really quiet--no loud passengers on the bus. A lot of times, my friends and I take the shuttles to the Mission to eat out, which is really nice because we don't have to worry about parking. Everyone's really respectful on the bus too, so there aren't rude passengers or anything. Even though taking the shuttle takes 5-10 minutes longer than driving or taking the bus, it's worth it since you avoid the extra stops, noise, and congestion on the Muni.

The shuttles are remarkably very on time, and even better, UCSF's website has a real-time bus tracker to see when the next shuttle is. Certainly, a lot of my tuition (and alumni) money is going into the shuttle service, but it's well worth it because it's really a great service for the UCSF community.

Thank you UCSF Shuttle Service for saving me and my friends money and for being very convenient! :)

Very reliable! They always arrive either early or on time and always leave on time. The shuttles start running between 5am-7am and go until the evening. They arrive at the stops every 20-35 minutes, which is convenient. There are routes that go to every campus, and the buses are very clean. The workers are also friendly!

It isn't perfect and I have had some problems with it but overall it is amazing. It is almost always on time and the drivers are friendly. It doesn't smell bad like the bart or Muni. The people are very cordial. It is fast and efficient.

Really the only bas thing to say is that sometimes the shuttle doesn't show up when it is supposed to... but it doesn't happen often.

In a city where finding parking feels like a scene from the Hunger Games, it's always a pleasant perk to work in an institution that has a shuttle service. UCSF, in all its top ten glory, has an excellent shuttle system.

It's free for employees and all UCSF patrons, the drivers are generally friendly in nature, and most importantly -- always on time! This is important for those of us who rely on getting to work on right before the timecard hits 7am.

The struggle is real.

Thanks for always being so dependable Purple shuttle. :)

The UCSF shuttle is a life saver. I have a horrible sense of direction and being that I'm not from San Fransisco getting lost is just inevitable.

The shuttles goes to all UCSF locations, including Mt. Zion, Parnassus, Laurel Heights, SF General Hospital, basically all over the city. And there is now an app for phones that will tell you where and when the shuttles are coming. Oh and get this, it's FREE for all UCSF students, staff and members, no 2 dollar Muni fee for me.

If it wasn't for the UCSF shuttle, I would be a sad, poor, lost girl in the city.

Love that's it's free but the routes they take are indirect and slow and the gas-brake-gas-brake of most drivers is absolutely nauseating.

The shuttle is awesome!! I like so many things about it.
Firstly, it's pretty dang convenient! I can get from Parnassus to my grandpa's house near Mission bay in like 10 mins and for FREE :D I've also taken it from Parnassus to Mt. Zion and it's so quick and convenient. It runs on a secudule so planning a trip is pain-free. There's even an app for the shuttle times and routes!!

I really like that it's quiet and clean inside! One of the reasons I don't like public transit is because people can be so dang loud. No consideration. The people on the shuttle speak in a normal volume. And it never smells like urine or vomit!

Good job UCSF.

If the MUNI system could be anywhere near UCSF's shuttle service, I would:
1- be overjoyed
2- crap in my pants

1 is self-explanatory, 2 is becoz I use Muni everyday and have become accustomed to non-existing schedules.