This description provides an overview of the San Francisco Cable Car System, a unique form of public transportation that has been in operation since 1873. The system consists of three lines, the Powell-Mason, Powell-Hyde, and California Street lines, which traverse the city's steep
The San Francisco cable car system is the world's last manually operated cable car system and an icon of the city of San Francisco. The system forms part of the intermodal urban transport network operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway, which also includes the separate E Embarcadero and F Market & Wharves heritage streetcar lines, and the Muni Metro modern light rail system. Of the 23 cable car lines established between 1873 and 1890, only three remain : two routes from downtown near Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf, and a third route along California Street.