Muni was long and winding ride for McCartney fans

Thousands of concert goers descended on Candlestick Park one last time to see Sir Paul McCartney Thursday night.

But getting home on Muni was not as fun.

If you had problems trying to get home using public transit last night, you were not the only one.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency said it would run special service before and after the concert.

The transit agency provided a 75X-Candlestick Park Express bus from Balboa Park BART Station to and from Candlestick and a 87-Candlestick Park Shuttle to and from Gilman Avenue and Third Street to Candlestick.

There was also a Muni Metro Shuttle from the Embarcadero Station to the 87 shuttle bus.

Service to and from Candlestick at the McCartney concert was not the same as when the 49ers were playing at home. Muni usually ran six lines, including four express routes before and after 49ers games.

Getting to the show was a traffic nightmare for those who drove and took Muni, which many expected:

https://twitter.com/ryanmoore/status/500101840537542657

I've been on the @sfmta_muni shuttle from BART to Candlestick for 1 hour now! Not driver's fault, traffic is horrendous. #McCartney

— Nina Thorsen (@nlthorsen) August 15, 2014

After the show was over, riders took to Twitter to complain about the long wait for Muni service. It did not help that McCartney started the show about an hour late but major concerts like these never start on time:

8:45 and still no #paulmccartney. It’s gonna be a late night for me. #farewelltocandlestick

— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) August 15, 2014

@sfmta_muni using this public forum to tell you I’ve had nothing but horrible experiences with your service to and from Candlestick — Jason Berk (@guitarmanjb) August 15, 2014

@sfmta_muni waiting 45 minutes for a bus back to our car. WTF

— Cindy Berk (@CJByogini) August 15, 2014

@popeandmarla I just got back to Santa Clara from the show. Got in line for muni shuttle to BART and it took so long, missed the last train. — Frances deLeón (@Frances_deLeon) August 15, 2014

@sfmta_muni now we have been waiting 45 minutes for a bus we don’t believe is actually going to come. Your service is a stain on SF’s legacy

— Jason Berk (@guitarmanjb) August 15, 2014

The result of starting an hour late is about 60 people stranded at the caltrain station #Candlestick #PaulMcCartney — Andrea Ortiz (@andrea6655321) August 15, 2014

@sfmta_muni hundreds of people have missed their BART trains tonight because of you. People are near rioting.

— Jason Berk (@guitarmanjb) August 15, 2014

So @sfmta_muni is only bothering to tell people stuck at Candlestick when last Bart trains leave, but not send buses to get them there? — Michael Bigelow (@MikeBiggles) August 15, 2014

@sfmta_muni You need more 75x buses at Candlestick. There are more people than buses and I fear missing my BART connection.

— Hayley Green (@GreenHay) August 15, 2014

@ABC @sfmta_muni lines of angry people lined up for 90 minutes waiting for buses pic.twitter.com/IwSk1VYOaY — Cindy Berk (@CJByogini) August 15, 2014

The show ended around 11:30 p.m., which did not give much time for some Muni riders who needed to take BART home. BART was not running any extra service, and the last trains left the Balboa BART station around midnight.

One thing is for sure — Muni riders will not have to ever make the trek to Candlestick ever again.

A Muni spokeswoman is checking SF 311 for any complaints made through the system last night.

Jerold Chinn

Jerold serves as a reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief for SFBay covering transportation and occasionally City Hall and the Mayor's Office in San Francisco. His work on transportation has been recognized by the San Francisco Press Club. Born and raised in San Francisco, he graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in journalism. Jerold previously wrote for the San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization. When not reporting, you can find Jerold taking Muni to check out new places to eat in the city.