Jess Losa Jitney 97

I’m saddened that Jess was forced to shut down due to low ridership and lack of funds.
Hopefully he will be back. While his rides were an adventure (zipping through traffic) it is better than the morning walk past Yerba Buena community guide trying to scurry away the homeless and strange smells of who knows what.

Just got off my first ever Jitney ride. Jes is the nicest guy! He’s been serving San Francisco for over 40 years. I’m impressed. He zipped down from Market to Caltrain in about 5 minutes and I made my train with time to spare. Thanks Jes!

Service is lacking a bit these days. Morning departures from 4^th and King/​Caltrain to SOMA are not consistent and do not correspond to his posted «pick up» times. Before you board at 4^th and King, ask what time the shuttle is departing from the train station, otherwise be prepared to wait until Jess thinks the shuttle is full enough to take off.
Aside from the AM schedule issues, he still offers a quick transport to SOMA from Caltrain and timely service in the afternoon. PM Pick up is at 4^th and Market or Mission (depending on traffic/​construction).
Fare has gone up t0 $ 2.25. Cash only.

I used to commute up and down 3^rd and 4^th street by bike to get to and from work everyday… The man driving this bus nearly killed me on several occasions.

This is a hidden gem, glad to find it. You can’t count on ANY Muni service (N-​Judah, #10 bus, #30 to run on a timely basis to catch your train — but you can count on Jess to get you there.
As other posters have mentioned, this does come with some white-​knuckle moments.

If you miss India (or another country with zero traffic laws) — then THIS is the bus for YOU. Seats that make Bart look shiny and new, the stench of whatever chemicals are in the bottles rolling around under the seats and enough newspapers for an episode of Hoarders.
The extra star is cuz it did get me to work much much faster than Muni from Caltrain — then again I got dropped off right in the middle of 3^rd street.
This thing can’t be legal.

Every morning Jess sits on Townsend honking at women; making kissing noises and obscene gestures. I’m embarrassed for anyone who supports this pig’s business.

For $ 2 still more fun than Great America. Bonus: nostalgic memories of riding the school bus

This one man show has been running by Jes for 40+ years since 1972 (at age of 22). He has given numerous rides to working people in San Francisco. I highly appreciate his dedication and consistency of this great service. It’d be difficult to get to work from the train station without him. I’m glad he does it.

Ok Jess you and your jitney bus. If you are a cal train rider like I am. Jess will get you from cal train to where you need to go. I would recommend anyone who loved the thrill to ride on this bus. Whether there is hard core traffic Jess will zoom by from point a to point b, not caring of who or what is in the way. If you are scared of fast driving I recommend not hopping on. Thanks Jess for always getting me to work on time with your awesome driving.

Love Jess! He always replies to my texts when my train is coming in late and waits! Always courteous and smiling :-)

This is a great service however, they need a driver who is safe. I drive the same route as this bus driver and watch him day after day drive like a maniac. When he turns onto 4^th street from market he consistently makes a left in front of the drivers making right turns onto 4^th. Remember this is area has a large amount of pedestrians crossing there. He doesn’t seem to notice them. Just barrels through making the pedestrians stop. Today he ran the light with pedestrians in the crosswalk at 4^th and Mina. NO BRAKES!!! He just blasted through the intersection. I can’t see how the police haven’t put a stop to this reckless driving. I have been watching this service for three years now and nothing has changed for the better. How many reviews of his crazy driving does it take before something is done?

I really wish I could give this guy negative stars.
I was riding my bike on 4^th Street between Howard & Folsom, following all bike laws. There was always ample space for me to safely proceed. I began to bike through the divider and the jitney. I had enough space to safely pass through but, once traffic began to move, the jerkface moved the jitney towards the divider and crushed me and my bike into the divider. I banged on the vehicle and yelled «STOP» but he did not stop. My bike became stuck under the vehicle and was dragged for a few feet. Fortunately, I am not physically hurt (minor cuts & bruises). I do not know the damage to my bicycle yet (the handlebars seem crooked). Some other drivers that witnessed the event got out of their car to help me. The jerk did not stop or get out of his vehicle to see check on the situation. I was fortunate enough to not be hurt but I am concerned that this driver will eventually harm someone, possibly fatally.
I reported this to the SFMTA. If you have a similar issue, you can fill out a complaint through this website:

Please don’t use this service. It may be fast, «fun», and cheap, but it’s supporting a reckless and inconsiderate human being.
PS Thanks to the person who took the pictures! I was able to report him because of them. :)

This human being is a risk to the safety of the people inside and outside of his shuttle. Is he trying to get charged for manslaughter? STAY ON THE ROAD. You’re going to hurt someone. Don’t support this dangerous driver.
Concerned biker

Sometimes dangerous and often times, a thrill… your commute is always something to remember. For $ 2 a ride, Jess is usually there every CalTrain Baby Bullet time (pick up is towards left of the station) and he’s way quicker than the MUNI. He really does his best to get you to where you need to be as fast as he can weave in and out of traffic, so hang on tight!
Thank you for your long years of service Jess. I don’t mind the silence or the vicissitudes of my ride to work. Nor do I mind the occasional shouting and lane splitting. I hope you continue to make it through traffic quickly and safely! And again, thank you thank you for making my commute an experience every time.

This man has no expression what so ever, but one thing he does very well is that he gets you where you need to go and faster than lousy SF city cab. 5 star for getting me to my destination on time, everytime. SMILE NEXT TIME =)

When he’s not trying to kill cyclists and pedestrians in SOMA, the driver enjoys leaning out the window and making lewd noises, comments, and gestures towards women. It’s repulsive. I can’t even imagine what he does to the women *on* the bus when the things he does to women outside the bus are so offensive.
Shame on him and shame on you if you continue to support his harassing behavior. I’d rather crawl on my hands and knees from CalTrain to downtown than get on this rolling jalopy of sexual harassment.

I honestly had no idea about Jess and his Jitney. It was actually my mom who used to take it to 4^th and Market every day for work over 20 years ago. So for that, even though I only took it once, I’m giving him 5 stars also on behalf of my mom.
My impressions: it’s just like the Philippines… quick, over-​sized vehicle moving way too fast and just barely staying with the law. You know it’s going to be a rough ride, but you also know you’re in safe hands. At $ 2, it’s cheap for a shared ride. Pick up is extremely convenient. You walk out of Caltrain to the left and there he is.
If you’re a commuter, you already know about him. If you’re a tourist looking for a thrill while trying a bit of a local, authentic SF experience, well… you have been warned.

I have not used this service and out of respect for everyone else who uses these roads, I will never use this service. I would rather be late to my appointment than endanger others around me.
I take the Caltrain every day and bike on both ends. I have seen plenty of examples of unsafe and unaware driving, but I have not encountered any class of vehicle that drives as aggressively and as blatantly illegally as this shuttle bus.
Within the last year, I’ve been pushed off the lane twice, cut off innumerable times, and almost T-​boned once. The latter occurred when I was turning left, in the correct lane, as part of a line of cars when the driver decided to go for the «gap» (eg. me on a bike) by driving up the wrong side of the street.
This driver will also turn from the wrong lane and try to squeeze into the properly queued line of vehicles by going for the «gap» which is often occupied by me. I honestly don’t know if the driver doesn’t check first or just doesn’t care.
I try to live my life by the rule «don’t be a jerk». I choose not to use this service because, clearly, this driver does not try to do the same.

I have no idea why this exists, but I’m not in the business of asking questions, I’m in the business of getting from point A (being the Ross Store on 4^th/​Market) to point B (the Caltrain depot) in a timely, yet inexpensive manner. And with Jitney, he’ll make your wish come true for just 120 pennies.
The funny thing about this Jitney carrier is that it makes MUNI look like a limo bus. It’s rundown, there are old newspapers strewn about the carriage, and when this guy puts the pedal to the metal, it seems as though the doors and wheels are going to fall off at any given moment. It’s as close to a roller coaster ride as you’ll have without leaving the ground. To call it rickety is about as inaccurate a statement as calling U2 an up-​and-​coming rock ‘n roll quartet.
There really isn’t an easy way to figure out what time the guy will be there, you just have to memorize what time you’ve seen him there previously, or take a photo like this one
to give yourself a general sense of what time you should be waiting for your ride.