Public transit is your New Year’s date

As usual, there is no reason to drive drunk on New Year’s Eve.

As usual, people in the Bay Area will die ignoring that fact.

Public transit is a great way to stay safe and not have to worry about driving on a night when you really shouldn’t. But if you ride BART, be sure to stay sober enough to remember which station will get you back home.

Both Muni and Caltrain are offering free rides to passengers on New Year’s Eve and into New Year’s Day. Muni is gratis from 8 p.m. on Saturday night until 6 a.m. on Sunday, while Caltrain is offering free rides after 11 p.m.

Muni will run special subway service along the Embarcadero until 2:15 a.m., and under Market Street to West Portal until 4. Caltrain will run late (and free) trains leaving San Francisco until 2:15 a.m.

BART’s famously not-all-night service will be stretched until 3 a.m. New Year’s morning, but patrons will need to cough up full fare. In addition, BART is staggering trains between Montgomery and Embarcadero stations, to avoid “overcrowding” those stations.

Pittsburg/Bay Point and Richmond trains will pick up and let passengers off only at Montgomery Station. Dublin/Pleasanton and Fremong trains will pick up and let passengers off only at Embarcadero Station.

Cut out the previous paragraph and pin it to the inside of your jacket if you think you it might help you remember. Lots won’t.