One of the most historic, and significant landmarks the United States is the San Francisco cable system. It is the world's only, manually operated car system. It is run by the San Municipal Transportation Agency. The system dates back to , when the California Street line first opened. In , there are three lines currently operating in the , and boasts a fleet of 12 cable cars. used to be 23 lines in use throughout city connecting the diverse communities that make up Francisco. The open-air cars are a major tourist , and are still used by San Francisco commuters a daily basis.

The simple reason cable cars first used in the city was because of landscape. San Francisco is very hilly, which makes impossible for municipal buses to scale. The solution this problem was the cable car. These cars literally pulled by cable, up and down the hills of the city, making it easier for to get from one end of the city the other.

There are two types of cars use today. Single-ended cars and double-ended cars. The -ended cars have open-sided sections with seats that face to the street. The rear section of these is enclosed with seats facing the interior of car. These cars seat 29 passengers. They travel both directions by using a swivel-based turntable that the car at the end of the line. double-ended cars are a bit larger, and can up to 68 passengers. It has 34 seats, grips for an additional 34 standing passengers. The feature of these cars is the pure fun are to ride. People who ride the San cable cars are stepping into part of California's .