The public transportation in San Francisco is facing problems.
Public transportation is a large part of our lives in SF. For our
cohort alone, over 80% of us commute daily by the SFMTA.
Let's take a look at what our bus system is
going through these years....
Learn more about the Bay Area Transit Ridership Trends Study
RIDERSHIP DECREASE
Studies reflects a decrease in SFMTA ridership, especially in recent years. From 2016 - 2018, ridership fell 5.2%. In the last 2 years, ridership on Muni has decreased significantly, an approximation being ~1/2 (347,000) of the prevous 2020 ridership.
THE PANDEMIC'S EFFECTS
Starting March 2020, only 17 core SFMTA lines remained open, and
financial losses were high.
Even after reopening, several lines -- such as Line 3,
47, and more -- remained temporarly suspended, and many routes are still in
the process of being restored in full. Wait times remain
longer, while routes are shorter.
People have also been increasingly opting for
individual travel options due to safty and health concerns.
The SFMTA FUNDING AND REVENUE
Due to economic fallout and shock of the ongoing Covid-19
pandemic, $119 million in cuts was made by the SFMTA.
Over the years, COST to maintain the transportation network
have INCREASED - while revenue has not kept up.
Unfortunely, SFMTA is in a long time budget deficit.
Conclusion
(Recap)
The SFMTA bus network is important to the community of SF. The
benefits span from improvements to community mobility, reductions
in SF traffic, and many more.
However, over the years, there has
been budget defecits, reputation decreases due to health concerns,
and the remaining economic shock of the ongoing COVID Pandemic.
We
hope that the service reamins, and becomes recognized for its
service.
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A Budget Defecit
-
Pandemic Recoil
-
Ridership Decrease