Many people nowadays use public transportation to travel around the city and get to there destinations but this can also be a struggle because some people may not feel safe using it.
There are many concerns such as other passengers can’t be trusted to follow ‘the rules’ on wearing face coverings and social distancing and not enough is being done to ensure compliance. Some people may also deal with anxiety on public transportation and passengers have no control once onboard a bus or train, being ‘trapped’ in an enclosed space with limited ventilation or a realistic opportunity to leave if they feel unsafe, and hygienically, public transport just isn’t clean enough, contrasted unfavorably with places such as restaurants where they see visible, frequent cleaning by staff.
According to the San Francisco chronicle's article, here is what some people part of the San Francisco community had to say, “I do not feel safe using public transport because there are still people not wearing masks, and not being told to.” “Public transport usually isn’t very clean and I feel it is a place that I would be most likely to catch the coronavirus.” “People…are in a very enclosed space without fresh air and often can’t maintain a good distance. Ventilation on public transport is poor and vehicles are not cleaned regularly/properly.” “Because there’s no escaping public transport once you’re on and it’s moving. In shops, restaurants and pubs you can assess the risk according to how busy it is and how many are breaching the rules by not wearing a face covering & you are then able to walk away if the risk feels high.” These are people's opinions corresponding to the safety reasons on why they don’t feel safe using public transportation. According to the New York Times there has been a +8% increase in cases, changing every 14 days in the city.
A very good portion of students use public transportation as their way of getting to and from where they need to go. I myself, along with my friends and peers, have utilized the city’s public transportation as a way to get to school and work. On August 15th, 2021 the SFMTA (San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency) decided to provide free Muni access for the youth ages 18 and under, seniors age 65 and older, people with disabilities, and people who are homeless. This is a huge W because now we can just hop on the bus or train and go.
So our question is how do we come up with a solution that will increase public transit ridership and make these systems effective and cost efficient for those individuals who are above 19 to 64?
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