Why is the fare so expensive to ride the cable cars of San Francisco?

Because the cable cars are very expensive to maintain. The technology is very old, and not a lot of people still know how to fix them. All the parts must be manufactured locally - nobody makes cable car parts anymore. It is also an attraction kept basically for tourists - locals don't use the cable cars because they take too long to get anywhere.

San Francisco Cable Car Fare

Because the SF residents don't generally ride the things, mostly just tourists. They are tourist attractions. I can't even remember the last time I rode a cable car--oh, wait, I think it was like 10 years ago when I wanted to see where the new Whole Foods was on California St, just jumped on the cable car during my lunch break--but back then, if you had a Fast Pass you could ride at the same price as a bus or Metro.

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The cable cars are not really for transportation. They are mainly used by tourists. I think $6 is a good fare. Again, it's more of an attraction than an actual transportation route.

At a guess, I'd say that the cable car mechanism is expensive to maintain. They were ready to junk it all some years ago but after a public outcry they spent millions of dollars to fix it. The money has to come from somewhere.

All tourists coming to SF want to take a ride on the cable car.

High demand = high fares

Because the buses and street cars are subsidized for locals, the cable cars are for the tourists

It costs that much, because people will pay that much. The parts are not that hard to replace, and the operator of the car, can get by with a high school diploma... it is not rocket science, it is fools willing to pay more for less.

Because that is the price people are paying.