MUNI – 38AX Geary ‘A’ Express

*I* am actually NOT a fan at all-​38, 38R, and 38AX all came to my stop just as I was getting there and I had to jump on one before they took off-​I really thought I’d gotten on the rapid as it gets me to work in about ten minutes but as we passed my work’s stop my heart sank and I realised I’d accidentally gotten on an AX:/…it did indeed get to Sutter pretty quick though. And I turned around and had three minutes to grab a cup of coffee before jumping on 38R and made it to my school less then an hour late! If you think about it; being able to get from the ocean to downtown and back in less then an hour during rush hour tells you the bus drivers have got to be doing something right:)…
Also-​I disagree with Kirien. I can always find a seat on the R & I stood sandwiched between other standers going from 25^th Ave to Sutter. Just sayin

Commuting from one end of the city to the other every day is made bearable because of you. Well okay, minus the random bad passenger or bus driver, but there are significantly less of those than on the regular bus lines. The crowd is quiet, civilized, and there is breathing room, which could be very hard to come by on the 38/​38L.
However, the last run outbound is almost always late, and/​or just doesn’t show at all. So I end up taking the 38L more often than I’d like anyways.

If I were able to give more stars, I would.
One of the very few lines provided by MUNI that is actually a pleasant ride where you can rest your eyes and not be harassed. When taking the bus Outbound from the terminal, there is a civilized line to board. Definitely not a bus for the commoner.
Roger usually drives the 7:30am inbound and the 6:55pm outbound. He usually keeps to schedule and cuts lanes when necessary to make the stop on time.

I usually take the 38BX to work in the morning, but today the little arrival predictor sign was going the wrong way… 4 minutes until the 38BX… then 6 minutes til the BX, then 9 minutes til the BX, then 16 minutes. Ummm… WTF. A growing crowd of very confused financial district workers stood watching the time estimate get longer and longer. Me and one other guy ran up the street a block or two, just in time to catch the AX. Which was full bc we were her last stop before downtown.
So yes, I was thrilled to finally be on my way to work this morning. But I always get a seat on the BX, and she gets me to the office fast enough. This was her first failing for me, I’ll remain loyal.
So, no, the AX won’t be my regular bus. But I’ll sure keep her in my back pocket.

Take your pick:
Stand from 28^th to the fidi or pay 300 per month. No wonder why companies have staffing issues in the city, no one wants to commute. We pay how much in parking tickets to convince us that public transit is the way to go, then are forced to ride on overcrowded buses to work? Tax me and ticket me and see how long I stick around to help this dirty ass city out.

My direct route to the FiDi (and downtown) from home, and vice versa. Usually, I just take this bus home in the afternoon. I love the fact that the bus just doesn’t stop at most of the familiar 38L stops. Sometimes it can be slow and crowded but that’s not much of a bother. MUNI should run several more elongated buses when it’s busy so the ride can be a bit more comfortable for some other passengers.
Waiting can be a real hit. Yes, I can check nextMUNI for arrival times but it annoys me that a lot of the GPS systems on the buses aren’t working and throw off the arrival times when I am debating to take the 31AX or 38AX. Anyhow, I would hope that the service is more frequent in the future but that might be asking for too much in this decade. Excellent that it runs the latest after all the other express routes have finished service for the night.

When I lived at 37^th at Geary, this bus got me to work on time, every time.
I used to bitch and moan about MUNI until I discovered the 38AX. From the Outer Richmond to Bush at Montgomery in 15 minutes flat.
The regular 38 (a.k.a. «The Dirty Eight» a.k.a. «The Milk Run») takes forever, but runs all night AND has an owl service.
The 38L (Geary Limited) is slightly better but only runs certain times during the business week.
The 38AX though, is one fast mofo.
It got me to work fast. It got me home fast. If I missed the AX to go home, I had to hit a bar, drink a few strong shots, enough to pass out on the milk run so that I didn’t have to experience the horror that is The Dirty Eight.
Express is the best! :)

This is by far the best of the 38 family. No crazy homeless, no annoying high school kids, no old people, no kids tagging, no boom boxes and its fast as hell. Also I liked going to the unmarked bus stops in FiDi, felt like I was part of a secret society. Even though I don’t work in the FiDi anymore I still sometimes take this bus if I’m downtown and don’t want to deal with the ³⁸⁄₃₈ L.

I DREADED the thought of taking MUNI to work in the morning. I mean, really now, who wants to stand outside at a bus stop at 7:30am every morning, in the misting fog to get into a crammed bus– yuck!
But after weighing the options of paying $ 45 a month for a MUNI pass or upwards of $ 300 a month for parking in the FiDi, I opted to try the 38ax, and boy was I pleasantly surprised!
I get on at 45^th and Geary, and I always get a seat. Granted it gets pretty packed by the time we hit the last stop, 25^th, but I’m sitting so whateves :)
3 stars for the convenience and ease factor
–2 stars for the slight nausea I feel after getting to my destination and the fact that it still takes like 35mins to get all the way out to 45^th.
Oh, and its always a little added entertainment when passengers don’t realized they’re on the express bus and request to stop places where the 38ax does not stop– READ the bus number before getting on people! geeeezeeee!

4 stars for Outbound, 2 stars for Inbound. Why?
Outbound:
1) Plenty of Seats where I get on (Davis & Sansome, next to Embarcadero BART)
2) 25 minutes to 25^th. Just a bit faster than the 38L
3) No stopping every 2 minutes between FiDi and Van Ness
4) Ride is like a roller coaster, but not jerky
Inbound:
1) No seats when I get on at 25^th
2) Herky Jerky Ride that makes me start feeling sick
3) Roasting heat which doesn’t help the above
4) 30+ minutes to FiDi? That’s slower than the regular 38!

MUNI’s 38AX is an awesome way to get to and from work if you live out in the outer richmond (25^th Ave and beyond). Depending on when I get up, I get on the 28^th Ave or 30^th Ave stop, and I get to work in about 20 minutes in the mornings. Going back home, I get home in about 25minutes. Both ways, I get to just relax and read my Wallstreet Journal, study for the GMAT, or just take a needed nap without ever having to worry about fighting with the commuter traffic. I have the MUNI fastpass, so it’s only $ 45/​month for my daily commute to work, which is just awesome.
The fact that the express line doesn’t make any stops between the Financial District and 25^th Ave is just awesome and a time saver. Occasionally, depending on the time you catch the bus, it will be crowded, but most of the times when I get on the bus (I’m in the office around 7am, and out of the office around 4:30pm), I’ve always gotten a seat and no one is standing. Oh yea, and there’s no lil’ punks, only young professionals and other people going downtown, that ride these buses — just icing on the cake.

I mostly work in the peninsula but for a few days of the month, I’m lucky enough to stay in the city on the bay and commute to our office in the Financial District. After much research on
, I discovered that the 38AX makes its last stop close to my home (Geary & 25^th) and doesn’t stop until Sansome and Bush.
How much better could it get? I get on at the last stop, I get off at the first stop. The bus is usually full by the time I get on, but I don’t mind standing as I jam out to some Tiffany or New Kids on the Block. I make sure to do some air-​microphone in the aisle. I’m pretty amazing.
If you’re facing the right side of the bus, you get one of the best views of the downtown skyline as the bus travels across Masonic from Geary to Bush. If you’re facing the left side, you can watch cars line up outside Trader Joe’s.

EDIT added 1÷3÷07:
Today the Driver of the 8:30am bus decided to shut off his bus in a melodramatic way and not move it because it was too full. I understand there are procedures to follow… but stop the drama please! Thanks for making me late!
Yeah… thanks for getting me here! Why can’t I have a parking spot downtown!!! :(
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why is taking the 38AX so scary?! It shouldn’t be. I am very grateful that I have a bus that can get me from point a to point b so quickly. But every time I get on this bus I make the sign of the cross and hope we don’t hit anyone or anything on the way home. For some reason this isn’t the story in the AM. Maybe I get lucky and get the cool drivers. My 8:30am driver rocks! I just wish MUNI took the time to pass out surveys or something asking people how the service is on the bus. I see peoples faces fill with horror when they almost flew to the other end of the bus. And then you get these drivers who break every 15 seconds jerking the bus. I know there has got to be a way to make this ride more smooth… perhaps nit tailing other cars would help. I know this sounds like a rant, but I am hopeful that someone at MUNI will one day take these things seriously… It’s not good for them, not good for the people riding… and certainly not safe for anyone.
But again… I am grateful that there is a bus that will take you from the outer… way out there outer Richmond District to the Financial Dist. and then back.
3 stars for that… but lets work on some driving skills… PLEASE! I have been on express buses hat have hit other cars on the busy stretch from 17^th ave to 25^th Ave.
Service: Depending on driver — varies.
Cost/​value: Good deal considering it could be so much more to drive (gas & parking)
Overall: MUNI takes you thee, but it could definitely work on improving service and safety.

The Express has saved my job, my weekday socializing, and my life. Well, a bit too dramatic perhaps, but seriously, I was getting pretty damn sick of 45 min. commutes on the bus each morning when someone showed me the way. Now I take the 38 AX – practically like a shuttle from the Outer Richmond to the Financial District. Takes 25 minutes. Beautiful.

I now have to take public transportation from Outer Richmond (33^rd Avenue) to Financial District (Bush and Montgomery) Monday-​Friday every morning because of my new job. I personally do not like the 38 Geary bus because it’s not very clean, the trip takes about 40 – 45 minutes and seem to always be crowded.
My prayers were answered when I found out from
that I can take 38AX to work every morning. The bus is filled with working professionals and not very crowded considering it’s not a double bus. My morning commute from point A (33^rd Ave) to B (Montgomery/​Bush) only takes 20 – 25 minutes because after stopping at 25^th Avenue, the bus cruises down Geary, turns left of Masonic and right on Bush and doesn’t stop until my final destination. The 38AX is so quick and convenient that I wished it ran more often than just during rush hours. The best part about 38AX is that you can sit in the front seats and do not have to worry about giving up your seat to seniors and persons with disability.
I would never take the regular 38 bus or 38L when I have a choice of taking the 38AX :-)! If you do end up standing up because of no empty seat, make sure to hold on tight because the bus speeds down Bush street and breaks abruptly at times.