S.F. Giants Celebratory Parade Causes Transit Surge - Records Broken

The Oct. 31 parade to honor the World Series-winning San Francisco Giants resulted in record-breaking numbers of riders taking BART, Caltrain, SF Muni and ferries to attend the parade who were accommodated by increased service. Why not continue it?

2 minute read

November 4, 2012, 5:00 AM PST

By Irvin Dawid


The parade drew over 1 million S.F. Giants admirers to Market Street in San Francisco. The Bay Area News Group's transportation reporter, Mike Rosenberg, asks and answers the question on continuing the increased transit service and reports on the ridership records broken.

  • "BART, which maxed out Wednesday by running rush-hour service all day and saw its rider count surge 40 percent to 568,061, a one-day record.
  • Caltrain added 14 trains and nearly doubled its daily rider count to about 90,000, breaking the previous record of 80,000.
  • San Francisco Muni light rail added six trains and traffic surged 55 percent, with more riders than during the city's Super Bowl and World Series parades in 1988, 1989 and 2010.
  • Two ferry lines into San Francisco, from Vallejo and Larkspur, added boats and broke records for most riders in a day."

Riders, tired of packed trains, ask why not continue the increased service.

"Public transit in the United States of America was not something that was started to make money," said Mary Currie, spokeswoman for the district that operates Golden Gate Transit. "And it doesn't."

"Trains and buses that are packed to the brim can break even financially...(b)ut adding more service every day would mean an even higher taxpayer subsidy."

Rosenberg did not ask riders, though, about the service on the day of the parade.

At least one rider was not happy with it, and let others know in her letter, "Trapped in Giants 'hysteria'", published in the Mercury News Peninsula edition on Nov. 02.

"Usually, taking Caltrain is a fairly expedient way to reach my office in a mere 45 minutes. But Wednesday's trip became a nightmare. I was shocked at the disrespect of these supposed Giants fans who were supposed to be celebrating the team's win", Caltrain rider Alyssa Jacobson of Los Altos wrote.

"The trains ended up running over an hour late. The second the conductors opened the doors, the crowd stampeded forward, almost crushing me in the process. Leaving my office at 3:50 p.m., I did not arrive home until almost 7 p.m. after standing for almost three hours waiting for a train I could ride on because all the seats were taken."

In addition to the one-day record for Caltrain ridership on Oct. 31, Bill Silverfarb reports in the (San Mateo County) Daily Journal that in September, the San Francisco to San Jose commuter railroad "had an average weekday ridership of 50,821, an all-time high. It was the 26th straight month Caltrain's ridership has increased."

Thanks to MTC Library

Friday, November 2, 2012 in San Jose Mercury News

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 25, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Western U.S. indicating public lands that would be for sale under a Senate plan in yellow and green.

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands

For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

June 19, 2025 - Outdoor Life

Person wearing mask walking through temporary outdoor dining setup lined with bistro lights at dusk in New York City.

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?

Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

June 19, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Close-up of full beer glass with purple train-themed design sitting on bar between two frosty tall cans.

Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?

TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.

June 30 - Cities Today

Vintage red Toronto streetcar passing in front of Rogers Arena in Toronto, Canada.

Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events

Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”

June 30 - blogTO

Map of Berlin with ring roads in green and red.

Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan

The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.

June 30 - Streetsblog USA

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.