Local community groups will be rallying in front of City Hall next Tuesday morning prior to SFMTA’s board meeting in the afternoon when the board will make its final decision on Muni service cuts.
San Francisco residents have likely seen the eye-catching flyers around town with the headline Muni Now, Muni Forever! announcing a rally in front of City Hall next Tuesday morning. The aim of the rally is to persuade SFMTA to halt its plans to cut or reduce service along several bus lines and find other solutions for addressing the agency’s current $50 million deficit, which is projected to balloon to $320 million. Following the rally, participants are invited to join the group in providing public comments at the board meeting at City Hall on Tuesday afternoon before the board makes its final decision.
The Muni Now, Muni Forever! campaign was organized by several community groups and activists under the umbrella Transit Justice Coalition, including Senior Disability and Action, which mobilizes and educates seniors and people with disabilities, and Oakland-based Transform, a climate justice group that advocates for equitable affordable transportation and housing.
The coalition is suggesting that rather than cut bus service to cover the deficit, SFMTA extend metered parking into the evening hours — or implement metered parking on Sundays, a potential solution that SFMTA quietly took away in February due to political of opposition, according to Streetsblog SF and The Frisc, before giving the hundreds of thousands of San Francisco and greater Bay Area residents who take public transit a chance to weigh in [updated]. In September 2024, there were an average of 521,000 daily weekday trips on Muni — up from 484,000 in September 2023.
According to Transform, most of Muni’s funding shortfalls are due to external factors, such as inflation, decline in revenue from parking tickets, and reduced federal aid. Additionally, fares only make up a fraction of SFMTA’s revenue. Transform points out that Muni’s ridership is steadily rising, with recent numbers reaching 78% of pre-pandemic levels and weekend ridership reaching 92%. SFMTA reported in October that some bus lines have actually surpassed their pre-pandemic numbers, primarily lines that connect neighborhoods, including
- 49 Van Ness: 143% recovered
- 22 Fillmore: 122% recovered
- 14 Rapid Mission: 115% recovered
- 9 San Bruno: 120% recovered
- 19 Polk: 110% recovered
- 12 Folsom/Pacific: 106% recovered
As Lisa Platt, member of the Muni Now, Muni Forever! coalition, told the Examiner, “transit should not take the hit because people are driving personal vehicles less.”
Previously: SFMTA Announces More Proposed Muni Service Cuts, Chopping Parts of 5-Fulton, 9-San Bruno, and 31-Balboa
Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist
