Building a Best-in-Class Public Transit System
Like most cities, San Francisco is undergoing a workforce shortage. The problem is not just that there are too few people to fill the vacancies. It’s been hard for many to get to work. Muni has never been reliable or efficient for riders—equipment is outdated, systems are in need of upgrades—and the pandemic has only exacerbated the problems.
Some cut routes have yet to be restored. Others continue to be run on reduced schedules. The system suffers from a lack of operators, and has challenges retaining those they have. And at a moment when we need to be investing in transit—from recruitment to street safety improvements—staffing is, as of spring 2022, still 20% diminished due to a hiring freeze implemented during the pandemic.
The average wait time on certain bus and train lines has ballooned. And when they finally do get on, ever more riders are concerned for their personal safety. The upshot: A huge, expensive, and inefficient public transit system that results in more cars pumping out greenhouse gasses on daily commutes.
The Way it is Now
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Leaving Riders on the Curb
Responding to a survey for the 2023-2024 budget year, more than 40% of Muni users responded that more frequent, more reliable, and speedier service was their top priority.
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Unsafe at Any Speed
In this same survey, more than 14% of all riders identified personal safety as their major area of need.
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Driver Drought
Muni’s chronic shortage of operators was supposed to end in 2015. Then the due date was shifted to 2021. And still there aren’t enough drivers and conductors at the switch.
3 Keys to a Future We Want to See
Riders Better Protected
A stronger law-enforcement presence in our public transit that shows zero tolerance for drug use and violence, and that promotes a sense of safety, cleanliness, and order for all passengers.
Riders Better Served
Increased funding and more effective resource allocation to ensure Muni takes many more passengers to where they need to be, reliably and efficiently.
New Riders Better Enticed
Raising public transit to such a high level of stress-free convenience and efficiency that daily drivers become Muni passengers by the thousands.
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