CA: Long strange trip: Muni just unveiled new psychedelic buses in San Francisco

Did you just see a Muni bus that looks more like an acid flashback than a vessel of public transportation?

You're not tripping.

The transit agency this morning is unveiling three new complete vehicle wraps with a Summer of Love theme. Partially inspired by the upcoming Dead & Company shows at Golden Gate Park, the polychromatic buses and Muni Metro train will shuttle fans to the Aug. 1-3 concerts at the Polo Field.

The buses — called the "Psychedeli-bus" and the "Trippy Train" — are color overload, with peace signs, stars, flowers and a crayon box's worth of swirls that cover the roof, doors and windows. They will run on the 7 Haight/Noriega and 5 Fulton lines. The train, which is decked in tie-dye star bursts, will run on the N-Judah route.

Most transit wraps are paid sponsorships. Kraft Heinz in 2023 paid a reported $318,000 to create 30 "Lunchabuses" wrapped with stacks of crackers, cheese and turkey to look like Lunchables. Muni designed the new wraps to help people feel better about their public transit system and their city, and paid for them from the agency's marketing budget.

"It's the same concept with our holiday sweaters," said SFMTA spokesperson Michael Roccaforte. "We're trying to boost brand awareness. Any time somebody puts (the sweater) on, it turns them into a Muni ambassador."

Muni is currently at a dire crossroads, facing a severe budget shortfall and the likelihood of either deep cuts or a tax measure to help fund transit. At the same time, the system and its signature 1970s "worm" logo seem to be growing in popularity, especially among young transit fans.

A partnership with SF City FC soccer club has sold thousands of Muni-themed jerseys, while those Muni holiday sweaters quickly sold out. The agency recently opened a merch store with mugs, socks, throw pillows — and a new tie-dye Muni T-shirt.

SFMTA director Julie Kirschbaum said the themed buses are an opportunity to remind people that Muni has been connecting people to major San Francisco moments for generations.

"The Grateful Dead are iconic to San Francisco's history and vibrant culture, like the Muni worm logo is to the SFMTA," Kirschbaum said. "We have proudly served passengers for decades, getting them to and from where they want to be."

The colorful buses will likely run through the rest of the summer. But if you want to ride one to the Dead & Company concert, you'll need a miracle. The psychedelic buses and train will be three of dozens shuttling fans to the concert, including many added for the event.

"You'll have to get lucky," Roccaforte said on Monday. "But they'll be in service starting tomorrow."

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