San Francisco Bus Accident Lawyers
Reviewed by Dawn L. Hassell, Attorney · Last reviewed November 2026
If you were hurt on or by a bus in San Francisco, California law holds bus operators to the highest duty of care owed to anyone on the road, and you may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, lost income and pain. The Hassell Law Group represents passengers, pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers injured in Muni, tour bus, shuttle and private bus crashes, and you pay no attorney’s fees unless we recover money for you.
Call (415) 334-4111 for a free, confidential consultation, or tell us about your case online. Se habla español: ask for Alejandra Cueto.
See all of our awards and recognitions
Act quickly if a city bus was involved. Claims against Muni and other public transit agencies must be filed within six months of the crash. Missing that deadline could potentially end your case before it starts.
Quick Contact FormNew Case Intake Form
How Our San Francisco Bus Accident Lawyers Can Help
Bus cases often turn on evidence the bus company controls: onboard video, GPS and speed data, driver logs, maintenance records and dispatch calls. Much of it is kept for a limited time. When you hire us, we move quickly to:
- Send preservation letters demanding that the operator keep the bus video, electronic data and records.
- File the government claim on time, with the right agency, if a public transit system is involved.
- Get the police report, 911 audio, witness statements and nearby business or traffic camera footage.
- Work with accident reconstruction experts and your doctors to prove what happened and what your recovery requires.
- Identify every responsible party and every insurance policy, including the bus operator’s commercial coverage.
Our attorneys have more than 75 years of combined personal injury experience. In a recent case, we obtained a $925,000 settlement for the daughter of an elderly woman struck in a crosswalk by a public transit bus in a disputed liability claim. See more of our results and meet our attorneys.
Bus Crashes and Street Safety in San Francisco
San Francisco’s streets are some of the busiest in California, and buses share them with heavy foot, bike and car traffic. According to SFMTA, the city recorded 25 traffic deaths in 2025, down from 43 in 2024. That is real progress, but pedestrians remain especially at risk: they account for about 53% of the city’s traffic deaths, the highest share of any city tracked by federal regulators, according to the San Francisco Standard. The city also publishes a Muni collision rate dashboard that tracks bus and train crashes per 100,000 miles.
A bus weighs many times more than a car, and most passengers ride without seat belts, often standing. Even a sudden stop can throw riders into poles, seats or the floor.
Quick Contact FormNew Case Intake Form
Bus Operators Owe Passengers the Highest Duty of Care
In California, a bus company that carries passengers for a fare is a “common carrier.” Under Civil Code § 2100, common carriers must use the utmost care and diligence for their passengers’ safety. That is a higher standard than the ordinary care every driver owes, and California juries are instructed on it (CACI 902).
In practice, the higher duty can make a bus operator responsible for injuries such as:
- Falls caused by sudden braking, sharp turns or pulling away before a rider is seated or holding on
- Doors closing on a passenger, or a bus moving while someone is boarding or exiting
- Unsecured wheelchairs, or ramps and lifts that malfunction
- Assaults by other passengers that the operator should have anticipated and prevented
- Crashes caused by a distracted, fatigued or speeding bus driver
The common-carrier duty protects passengers. If you were a pedestrian, cyclist or driver hit by a bus, ordinary negligence rules apply, but you may still have a strong claim. See our pages for pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents and car accidents.
Types of Bus Accidents We Handle
- Muni buses and trolleys operated by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA)
- Regional transit buses, including Golden Gate Transit, AC Transit, SamTrans and BART bus bridges
- Tour and sightseeing buses around Fisherman’s Wharf, Union Square and the Golden Gate Bridge. Visitors hurt on a tour can see our tourist accident page.
- Tech company, hotel, airport and hospital shuttles
- Charter and intercity buses, such as Greyhound and FlixBus
- School buses and youth activity buses
- Falls while boarding or exiting buses, and injuries at bus stops caused by broken pavement or other hazards, which may give rise to a slip and fall or premises liability or other type of claim
Who Is Liable for a Bus Accident?
Depending on what happened, responsibility may fall on:
- The bus driver, for distraction, speeding, fatigue, impairment or unsafe maneuvers
- The transit agency or bus company, which is generally responsible for its drivers’ conduct on the job. For public agencies, this rule is written into Government Code § 815.2.
- Other drivers who cut off, sideswiped or rear-ended the bus. If the driver who caused the crash is not insured, your own uninsured motorist coverage may apply even though you were on a bus.
- Maintenance contractors who failed to fix brakes, tires, doors or lifts
- Bus and parts manufacturers, for defective brakes, steering, doors or ramps
- Government agencies responsible for dangerous road conditions or poorly designed stops
Private and charter bus companies
Private bus companies very often carry commercial insurance. Interstate passenger carriers must carry at least $5 million in liability coverage for vehicles seating 16 or more people, and $1.5 million for smaller vehicles (49 CFR § 387.33T). In California, charter and sightseeing operators must also hold authority from the California Public Utilities Commission, including proof of insurance.
If you were partly at fault
California follows pure comparative fault rules: even if you were partly to blame, you can still recover, reduced by your percentage of fault (CACI 405). When several defendants share the blame, each pays its share of non-economic damages such as pain and suffering (Civil Code § 1431.2), which is why we identify every responsible party.
Quick Contact FormNew Case Intake Form
Common Bus Accident Injuries
Because passengers are rarely seat belted and buses are so heavy, bus crashes often cause serious injuries, including:
- Traumatic brain injuries and concussions
- Spinal cord injuries, herniated discs and whiplash
- Broken hips, wrists, shoulders and legs, especially for older riders who fall
- Internal injuries and deep cuts
- PTSD and anxiety about riding transit again
For life-changing injuries, see our catastrophic injury page, or browse all the types of injuries we handle. If a loved one was killed, your family may have a wrongful death claim.
Compensation in a California Bus Accident Case
A bus accident claim can include:
- Emergency care, hospital stays, surgery and future medical treatment
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation
- Lost wages and reduced future earning capacity
- Pain, suffering and emotional distress
- Permanent disability or disfigurement
- Damaged personal property, such as phones, bikes or mobility devices
- Loss of consortium for a spouse or partner
What to Do After a Bus Accident
- Get medical care. Call 911 if anyone is seriously hurt. See a doctor even if you feel fine; some injuries can appear hours or even days later.
- Write down the bus details: route number, bus or vehicle number (painted on the bus), direction, time and stop.
- Report it. Tell the driver, make sure police come for any crash with injuries, and report Muni incidents to SFMTA through 311. Ask for the report number.
- Photograph the scene, your injuries, the bus and any hazard. Our guide on the value of photographs explains what to capture.
- Get witness names and phone numbers, including other passengers.
- Don’t give a recorded statement to a transit agency or insurance adjuster acting on behalf of the bus driver before talking to a lawyer. Read more about your rights in a personal injury claim.
- Call a bus accident lawyer quickly, especially if a public agency is involved, so the six-month claim deadline is not missed.
Quick Contact FormNew Case Intake Form
How Long Do You Have to File a Bus Accident Claim in California?
The deadline depends on who operated the bus.
| Bus operator | Deadline | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Muni (SFMTA) or another City and County of San Francisco vehicle | Government claim within 6 months (Gov. Code § 911.2) | City Attorney’s claim process |
| Other public agencies (BART, Golden Gate Transit, AC Transit, SamTrans, school districts) | Government claim within 6 months | That agency’s own claims office |
| Private, tour, charter or shuttle bus company | Lawsuit within 2 years (Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1) | Usually San Francisco Superior Court, 400 McAllister Street |
If a public agency denies your claim, you generally have six months from the date of the denial notice to file a lawsuit (Gov. Code § 945.6). A late-claim application is possible in limited situations, but it is never something to count on. Different rules can apply to children and to claims discovered later.
Why Choose The Hassell Law Group
- Local: we are a local firm with our main office at 4079 19th Avenue in San Francisco, with additional offices in Pinole and Aptos.
- Experienced with public entities: we know the government claim process and the deadlines that trip people up.
- No fee unless we recover: we work on contingency, so there is no upfront cost to hire us, we are paid when your claim is paid.
- Trial-ready: we prepare every case as if it will go to trial, which is how we get insurers and government agencies to take a claim seriously.
- Personal attention: you will work directly with our attorneys.
Read what clients say in our reviews, browse our personal injury FAQ, or read The Ultimate San Francisco Bay Area Personal Injury Guide.
Quick Contact FormNew Case Intake Form
Bus Accident FAQ
Can I sue Muni for a bus accident?
Yes, but you must first file a written government claim with the City and County of San Francisco within six months of the accident. If the city denies the claim, you can then file a lawsuit, generally within six months of the denial.
I fell on a bus when the driver braked suddenly. Do I have a case?
Possibly. Bus operators must use the utmost care for passenger safety, so a sudden stop, sharp turn or pulling away before you were seated can be negligence. The key questions are why the driver braked and whether it could have been avoided, which is why bus video matters.
I was hit by a bus while walking or biking. What are my rights?
You can bring a claim against the bus operator and owner and anyone else at fault. Ordinary negligence rules apply rather than the common-carrier duty, but bus drivers must still yield to pedestrians and drive safely around cyclists.
What if I was hurt on a tech shuttle or tour bus?
Private shuttle and tour companies are generally common carriers too. Such claims are against the company and its insurer, and the two-year lawsuit deadline usually applies instead of the six-month government claim rule.
How long do bus accident cases take?
Some resolve within one year. Some may take one to two years or longer if litigation is required. Cases against public agencies can sometimes take longer because of the claim process and litigation is often required.
What does it cost to hire you?
Nothing upfront. We work on contingency, and our fee comes from what we recover. If we don’t recover money for you, you owe no attorney’s fees.
Talk to a San Francisco Bus Accident Lawyer Today
The six-month clock on Muni and other public transit claims starts the day of the crash. Call (415) 334-4111 for a free consultation or use our case intake form.
- San Francisco (main office): (415) 334-4111
- Pinole / East Bay: (510) 849-6410
The general information on this page is not legal advice. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship; we can act as your attorney only after we are hired under a written agreement. Past results depend on the facts of each case and do not guarantee a similar outcomes.