SFMTA to cut some Muni bus routes this summer
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Muni service will be cut this summer as SFMTA deals with a major budget gap. Photo: Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images
San Francisco's transit agency will cut Muni service by 4% this summer as it faces a $50 million budget shortfall.
Why it matters: Top officials at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) have said the current budget deficit — which could reach $320 million by July 2026 — is the worst financial crisis it's faced in its 108-year history and could lead to the elimination of Muni lines.
Driving the news: The current $50 million gap is driven primarily by lower-than-expected support from both the city's general fund and transit and parking revenues, according to SFMTA.
- As a result, SFMTA won't be able to afford to replace transit operators, maintenance personnel or cleaning staff beginning this summer.
- "We've cut spending, increased transit fare enforcement, become more efficient and paused most hiring. But it's still not enough to close the gap," Kate McCarthy, SFMTA public outreach and engagement manager, wrote in a blog post about the cuts.
What's next: SFMTA staff have proposed three approaches for service cuts and will formally present them at the next Board of Directors meeting on Tuesday, when the public will be invited to provide feedback.
The three options are:
- Suspend some lower-ridership routes that offer "parallel" transit options a few blocks away, such as 2-Sutter and 21-Hayes, to protect popular lines like the 5-Fulton and 14-Mission.
- Revise service on aforementioned popular lines by reducing how often buses come on "rapid" corridors (express versions of regular lines) and on shorter routes that serve hillside and outer neighborhoods.
- Preserve service on routes that serve lower-income areas more dependent on public transit by suspending routes and reducing bus frequency in other parts of the city, including 55-Dogpatch and 31-Balboa.
Reality check: Service cuts will save only about $15 million.
- The transit agency is considering raising parking fees, increasing fare compliance and extending time limits at parking spots to make up the remaining $35 million, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The big picture: Though bus and rail ridership has ticked up in recent years, it still hasn't returned to pre-pandemic levels, SFMTA data shows.
- COVID also affected parking fees, transit fares, tax revenue and grant funding, even as inflation continued to raise the cost of operations.
- In a bid to close the budget gap, the agency raised Muni fares on Jan. 1 and began cracking down on fare evasion.
- The proposed service cuts follow route changes announced in early January, including reducing weekday frequency of 38-Geary, 24-Divisadero and 43-Masonic.