About 250 people showed up to last week’s Muni rally, and while the board made a preliminary vote in favor of service cuts, the public's involvement has motivated Muni to reduce the severity of proposed cuts while also gaining support from local politicians.

SFMTA made a preliminary vote of 3-2 on Tuesday to reduce service on five Muni bus lines this summer, but the Muni Forever campaign is asking the public to continue voicing its concerns before the board’s final vote on April 1.

An estimated 250 people attended last Tuesday’s rally with around 65 people making public comments at the board meeting on Tuesday afternoon. 5,000 emails were also sent.

The campaign announced on Instagram that thanks to Tuesday's large turnout, drastic cuts that were proposed for the summer, including line suspensions, 45-minute headways, and early shutdown on Muni Metro, have been taken off the table, and a few supervisors have signed on to support the campaign, including Jackie Fielder, Myrna Melga, and Bilal Mahmood.

Supervisor Fielder announced at the rally that she's introducing a resolution urging Governor Newsom and the state legislature to allocate $2 billion over two years to fund public transit in the state, including SFMTA:

There is no better way to fight climate change, support our economy and working families than investing in public transit. Also, there’s nothing more annoying than 3 waymo’s driving down the street in the space that a whole bus can be. We need to tax them, Uber, Lyft and all the TNCs being subsidized by our public roads. Onward!

Additionally the rally motivated Mayor Lurie to announce his plans for a potential 2026 ballot measure, and Lurie has reportedly made the step of forming a ballot fundraising committee: "A functional and robust transportation system is critical to improving conditions downtown and bringing foot traffic back to the area."

The Muni Forever folks created a reel illustrating how these proposed service cuts will impact Muni riders:

Here are Muni Forever's action items for Muni riders impacted by the proposed service cuts who want to make their voices heard:

  • March 25: Attend Board of Supervisors meeting and provide public comment, expressing support of a general fund transfer from the city to SFMTA to reduce service cuts, as well as Jackie Fielder’s resolution requesting $2 billion from the State.
  • March 29: Deadline for emailing and calling your supervisor urging them to support a general fund transfer to SFMTA.
  • March 31: Deadline for emailing the SFMTA Board of Directors (MTABoard@sfmta.com) asking them to use the agency's reserve funds to prevent service cuts.
  • April 1: Attend the SFMTA board meeting and provide public comment before the final vote is made.

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

Previously: Five Muni Bus Lines Will Likely See Changes, Turn Around at Market Street, Starting In June