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Improved Muni Transit Information By Kharima Mohamed As part of the larger effort to provide improved transit information to Muni riders, we have significantly improved the SFMTA.com stop webpages with a focus on improved accessibility.  Each of the over six thousand stops throughout the Muni Service Network has a unique webpage that displays multiple features. These improved features on the stop webpage help to improve the customer experience for riders to easily get all the information they need to get where they need to be.   Features include:   A mobile-first designed web app view for succinct on-the-go real-time vehicle predictions at the top of the page.  Detailed route information served at each location.  Alerts specific to both that specific stop and all of the routes served.  A real-time vehicle-tracking map and a vicinity map for each stop.  Nearby stops to provide stop options if an alternative is needed.  To visit the new stop page of your choice, s

We Want To Hear From You By Andrea Buffa It’s budget season!  Every two years, the SFMTA develops a consolidated budget to guide the agency’s decisions about where to focus our funding to best meet the transportation needs of all San Franciscans. We’re developing a budget that’s designed to support San Francisco’s economic recovery, increase transportation equity, protect the environment and keep the agency on sound financial footing.   We presented the base budget (projected revenues and expenditures for the next two years if we made no changes and continued our current policies) to our Board of Directors in early February to get their feedback and are now seeking input from the public. Your feedback will help us understand what to change in our base budget: which investments are most important to San Franciscans and which new revenue sources you think we should pursue. We’re considering both fare increases and decreases as well as changes to parking fees.  The City Charter requ

MTA Board of Directors Welcomes Stephanie Cajina By Lori Phelan Stephanie Cajina, an advocate for equitable communities and a San Francisco native, joins the SFMTA's Board of Directors as the only Latina member. With her confirmation from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and subsequent swearing in, she fills the seventh position on the board vacated by former board member Cheryl Brinkman.  Cajina currently serves as a Senior Economic Development Specialist for the City of Napa, a position she's held since 2019. There she shapes and implements economic development strategies and manages the Economic Development Division budget. Additionally, Cajina is the co-project lead for the City of Napa's National League of Cities Initiative together with the City of Napa's Housing and Planning Division.  Before that, she served as Executive Director for the nonprofit Excelsior Action Group during, which time, she also served as a member of the SFMTA Small Business Workin

Bob Planthold Tribute By Stephen Chun San Francisco lost a dedicated advocate for pedestrian safety and accessible public transportation with the recent passing of Bob Planthold. Having contracted polio at an early age, Bob used bright yellow Canadian crutches to help him move around. Firsthand experience of the obstacles people with disabilities may face in getting from place to place and accessing services made Bob a tenacious and persistent champion for pedestrian safety and accessible transit.   Bob’s activism contributed to real change that benefited people with disabilities in San Francisco. He was a member of the steering committee for the San Francisco Accessible Parking Policy Advisory Committee, which was established by the Mayor’s Office on Disability and SFMTA in 2012 to look into ways that SFMTA blue zone policy and the State Department of Motor Vehicles’ disabled placard policies could be improved to ensure greater availability of accessible parking in the City. As a r

Free Muni and Cable Car Rides for the Lunar New Year Weekend By Stephen Chun In partnership with Supervisors Chan, Peskin and Preston, the SFMTA will be offering free Muni rides for the Lunar New Year weekend and festivities. Complimentary service begins Saturday, Feb. 19 at 5 a.m. to Monday, Feb. 21 at 5 a.m. This includes free rides on our historic cable cars, a beloved attraction for regional visitors providing them direct access to the Chinatown community and the weekend’s Lunar New Year festivities.   Additionally, for the remainder of February, thanks to the leadership of Supervisors Chan and Peskin and their generous funding allocation, the SFMTA, Rec/Park and the Portsmouth Square Garage Authority will be providing validation for two hours of free parking at the Portsmouth Square Garage.   The SFMTA is excited to be rolling out both programs to support the city’s economic recovery including for the Chinatown neighborhood and businesses’ vibrant culture and vitality.    As

SFMTA Rolls Out Battery Electric Bus Pilot Program By Stephen Chun The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) announced the first of three battery electric buses have entered revenue service achieving a major milestone in the agency’s greater goal of an all-electric fleet and a carbon-neutral San Francisco by 2040, as explained in the SFMTA’s  Sustainability and Climate Action Program .   As part of the program, Muni had initially ordered nine battery-electric buses, three each from three manufacturers, New Flyer, BYD USA and Proterra, for an 18-month tryout. As the program evolved, a fourth manufacturer, Nova Bus, was added to the program who would bring in three additional e-buses for the extensive testing. Currently five e-buses have arrived. The rest of seven will be delivered by the end of 2022.    Prior to the launch, the e-buses were tested on some of our most challenging routes. The new coaches will be serving the 9 San Bruno, 22 Fillmore, 29 Sunset and 44 O&

2022 Muni Service Gradually Phasing Back By Mariana Maguire The 8AX Bayshore Express A is one of the Muni bus routes temporarily suspended since March 2020 that will be brought back into service in April 2022.  Starting Saturday February 19, we will begin implementing the  2022 Muni Service Network plan.  Changes include long-awaited Muni service restorations set to return in phases over the course of the year based on available resources.   While we look forward to continuing implementation of the approved 2022 Muni Service Network as quickly as possible, Muni service since the beginning of the year has been significantly impacted by the Omicron surge. Currently, we are missing between 20 and 25% of scheduled Muni service, which means that riders are waiting longer than usual for their bus or train, and they are experiencing more crowding while onboard.  The staffing shortages the SFMTA is experiencing will not impact the February 19 service changes because they are relatively r

AT&T 3G Decommissioning Impacts on NextMuni Electronic Displays at Transit Shelters By Kharima Mohamed Due to the nationwide AT&T 3G shutdown on February 22, 2022, over 650 NextMuni displays that are currently utilizing AT&T 3G modems will no longer be able to display real-time Muni vehicle arrival predictions or other information. The push-to-talk buttons at shelters using 3G modems will also be inoperable. This outage will NOT impact online real-time information provided on mobile and web formats.   To address this situation, the SFMTA is :   Expediting delivery and installation of new replacement displays procured under the  Next Generation Customer Information System (CIS) project .    Upgrading modems in existing displays from 3G to 4G to maintain predictions while awaiting the new replacement displays.    Providing physical static signage at affected stops and platforms indicating how riders can obtain real-time information in other formats, including by w

POTUS Appoints SFMTA Planner to U.S. Access Board By Stephen Chun A big shout out to Maddy Ruvolo, Streets Accessibility Planner in the Taxi, Access and Mobility (TAMS) Division!  On Monday, the President of the United States announced his intent to appoint our very own Maddy Ruvolo to serve on the  U.S. Access Board  as an Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board Member. The U.S. Access Board is an independent federal agency that promotes equality for people with disabilities through leadership in accessible design and the development of accessibility guidelines and standards. This role is a very important, critical and prestigious position and it is no secret that Maddy Ruvolo is the perfect individual to serve on the U.S. Access Board and represent San Francisco.   Ruvolo has been widely recognized for her commitment in the accessibility of transportation for persons with disabilities. At the SFMTA, she has been instrumental in the agency’s efforts to e

Creating Sustainable Change in Downtown San Francisco By Rendering of 6th Street between Market and Howard Streets. When planning for new projects in Downtown San Francisco, the SFMTA must look at potential sites through multiple lenses:    How did previous planning decisions that funnel traffic through the Tenderloin to freeway onramps in SoMa influence existing street conditions?    How can we leverage quick-builds and capital streetscape projects now to make the streets safer not only today, but far into the future as well?   This dual-pronged approach allowed the SFMTA to address immediate safety issues along 6th and Taylor streets while collaborating with San Francisco Public Works to bring capital improvements to these corridors. We’re excited to share that capital construction is beginning on 6th Street in February, and work will begin on Taylor this spring!  6th and Taylor streets are among the 13%  of city streets that account for 75% of severe traffic injuries an

Plan Your Next Golden Gate Park Trip with Muni By Eillie Anzilotti   A map of San Francisco showing Muni lines that offer direct service to Golden Gate Park, including: The 18 46th Avenue, the 29 Sunset, the 5 Fulton and 5R Fulton Rapid, the N Judah, the 44 O’Shaughnessy, the 33 Ashbury/18th Street, the 7 Haight/Noriega, the 43 Masonic and the 28 19th Avenue. Around each bus route shown on the map, a red zone shows the range within 1,000 feet of a stop, orange shows within 2,000 feet of a stop, and yellow shows within 3,000 feet. Here’s a fun fact: 70% of San Franciscans are within a 15-minute walk of a transfer-free Muni ride to the largest public space in our city: Golden Gate Park.   Especially as COVID-19 has heightened the importance of outdoor recreation and park access, SFMTA has made efforts to update Muni service to get people to Golden Gate Park. As of now, there are nine Muni lines that provide direct access to the park. (Check out  the map  above that Muni operator Mc

Benefits of Temporary Transit Lanes Made Permanent By Erin McMillan Map of nearly 10 miles of permanently approved and 13 miles of installed transit lanes as part of the Temporary Emergency Transit Lanes program.   The SFMTA Board of Directors voted to make most of the remaining  Temporary Emergency Transit Lane (TETL) projects  permanent at its January 18 meeting. This move is part of the SFMTA’s efforts to continue the successful temporary improvements in response to the pandemic to preserve those benefits longer term.  During the early months of the pandemic, with traffic at an all-time low, Muni routes saw a  15% reduction in travel time  on average. This allowed us to provide more frequent and less crowded service at a time when resources were very limited. We launched the Temporary Emergency Transit Lane program to preserve this time savings even as traffic returned, so people making essential trips on Muni wouldn’t get stuck on slow and crowded buses.   The Temporary Emerge

Honoring the Achievements of African Americans  By Pamela Johnson Carter G. Woodson (pictured circa 1948) is recognized as the “Father of Black History Month.”  Black History Month, also known as African American History Month, is an annual observance during February in the United States that acknowledges and honors Blacks' contributions to U.S. history. These Blacks are the descendants of enslaved Africans shipped to the Americas via the Atlantic slave trade between the 16th and 19th centuries. During this time, Black people often reflect on their history, obstacles overcome and the challenges and progress still to be made.  From the arts to medicine, education, music, cultural inventions, entrepreneurship, civil rights leaders, noble laureates, etcetera, Blacks have played an influential role in shaping America and are paid tribute to throughout the month.  There are several  SFMTA Black History Month events,  including the  virtual event,  Recognizing and Honoring the late

Bonds, Strikes and Natural Disasters: The Origins of Muni By Jeremy Menzies The first San Francisco Municipal Railway streetcars rolled into service 109 years ago on December 28, 1912. Muni was not the first transit provider in the city, nor the first publicly run railway in the country. However, it was the first to be established in a major US city, giving it widespread recognition. Muni’s immediate success  set an example that many cities across the country would come to follow.  Reflecting on this recently passed anniversary, we took a look at some of the key events that led to the creation of Muni. What we found was a unique political, economic and social climate in San Francisco around the turn of the 20th century, all leading to the establishment of “the people’s railway”..  Monopolies Control Transit  In the late 1800s, San Francisco’s transportation system wasn’t fit for the needs of the booming city. Service was provided by more than a dozen separate companies using a mix