The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s (SFMTA) “Muni Forward” program, which has been in offing for several years but until now has withstood numerous delays due to budget cuts and the Great Recession, is now primed for implementation, according to Muni officials.
Deployment is expected to occur in three phases, the first of which will begin April 25th with additional service to the busiest routes, in effort to deal with increased ridership and congested routes notably during peak commute hours.
“We’re addressing what is our single biggest complaint, which is ‘My bus or train is too crowded’,” said transit director John Haley.
Nine different lines will see more buses during the morning and evening commute, as well as on weekends. Bus frequency will increase on the 8AX and 14R during the morning commute, while seven lines, including the 5R and 38R, will see benefits during the evening commute. Moreover, Sunday service will also be added to the 38R line with expanded hours all weekend.
Service hours overall will increase by 2.5%, according to the SFMTA. The three improvement phases will be deployed over the next six months—phase two is set for this fall, while the third and final phase is scheduled for early 2016.
“Muni, as well as other transit agencies, is really bursting at the seams with record ridership and not enough vehicles. You can’t even get on the vehicles,” said supervisor Scott Wiener, who went on to characterize the Muni Forward program as “long overdue.”
