Alameda County (AC) Transit, San Mateo County Transit (SAMTRANS), and Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District (GGBHTD) all provide commuter express and special services within the City limits of San Francisco. These buses operate on major routes, dropping-off and picking-up passengers who wish to travel to and from neighboring counties.

The California State Senate is currently considering legislation (SB 1474) which would authorize the MTC, in consultation with the region"s transit operators, to address service coordination and effectiveness in corridors of regional significance. The objective of this legislation would be to reduce duplicative and redundant service, and to institute coordinated service across district boundaries.

Such efforts to coordinate service have been made in past years without success. For example, in 1985 MUNI and SAMTRANS began exploring the feasibility of developing a regional trunk line which would extend service on the MUNI 28 line to the San Francisco Airport (SFO). The proposal would have restructured the SAMTRANS Line 3B to avoid duplication of service. Although this proposal was an opportunity to provide more coordinated and improved service, the increased cost to MUNI would have been in excess of $1.0 million annually, offset by only $300,000 in farebox revenue. This proposal has never progressed. When last suggested in 1990, neither SAMTRANS nor MTC agreed to fund any of the increased cost to MUNI.

Since the opening of the Colma Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) District station SAMTRANS has reduced service from the Daly City BART station to the SFO and now provides shuttle service from the Colma BART station to SFO. These changes require some San Francisco passengers to transfer to BART at Daly City and then transfer to the SAMTRANS shuttle before arriving at SFO. While BART ultimately is to be extended to SFO, as an interim measure consideration could be given to extending the MUNI Line 28 to the Colma BART station. The cost of improved service and/or reduced cost to SAMTRANS should be shared with MUNI either through revenue transfers, or by SAMTRANS assuming the responsibility for providing equivalent service on an existing MUNI line. Such revenue sharing agreements would be similar to the inter-modal transfers which presently exist between MUNI/BART and MUNI/CalTrain, and would be consistent with MTC"s objective to improve coordination of service within the region.

Although service by adjacent transit properties within San Francisco is convenient for the residents of these adjacent counties, there can be confusion among San Francisco MUNI riders since inbound buses from these other properties do not generally pick up passengers. Also, some of the service offered by these other properties duplicates that which is already provided by MUNI. While much of this service terminates after the PM peak, limited service by adjacent transit properties on nine lines make a total of 63 scheduled round-trips to and from downtown San Francisco each weekday after 8:00 PM, as follows:

Exhibit 7.2.1
Service Provided by Adjacent Transit Properties
After 8:00 PM Within the City and County of San Francisco

• AC Transit makes a total of 35 scheduled trips which terminate at the San Francisco Transbay Terminal after 8:00 PM each weekday.

• The GGBHTD makes a total of 14 trips to Civic Center and the San Francisco Transbay Terminal with several stops along the way and 4 trips which service Geary Blvd.

• SAMTRANS has two lines making a total of 10 scheduled trips to the San Francisco Transbay Terminal after 8:00 PM each weekday. SAMTRANS Line 7B runs essentially parallel to the Municipal Railway Line 9 within San Francisco; SAMTRANS Line 7F comes into San Francisco on Route 101 and also runs parallel to SAMTRANS Line 7B, and the MUNI Line 9 along Potrero Avenue into downtown San Francisco.

Many of the off peak trips by adjacent transit properties carry a very limited number of passengers at the same time that MUNI transit vehicles have excess capacity.

Within each transit system certain lines are changed after the PM peak to achieve operational efficiencies. For example, the GGBHTD merges their Number 10 Line with their Number 20 Line after the PM peak in Sausalito, and only the merged Number 10/20 Line continues on to downtown San Francisco. Consolidating these two lines after the PM peak allows the GGBHTD to accommodate passenger service demand at less cost than continuing two individual lines into San Francisco.

Similarly, opportunities exist to improve schedule coordination of the service offered by these other transit systems with services provided by MUNI. For example the MUNI Line 9 runs largely parallel to SAMTRANS Line 7B, serving Bayshore Boulevard and Potrero Avenue into downtown San Francisco. By adjusting the schedules to have common stops and routes, these two lines could be merged after the PM peak from Visitation Valley into downtown San Francisco. This arrangement would allow both MUNI and SAMTRANS to slightly increase headways, and thereby service, with the combined route.

Conclusions

The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, AC Transit, and SAMTRANS provide passenger service within the City and County of San Francisco which, in part, duplicates service provided by the Municipal Railway.

While the current level of service of these transit properties is needed during the AM and the PM peak hours, excess capacity is available during the middle of the day and evening hours. Municipal Railway lines, some of which partially duplicate this service, also have excess capacity during the middle of the day and evening hours.

The Municipal Railway should work with the adjacent transit properties to provide coordinated service at reduced cost during non-peak hours. Agreements with these adjacent transit properties would allow MUNI to adjust schedules to provide the same or an increased level of services to commuters within the City limits. The savings to the other transit properties would be shared with MUNI either through revenue transfers, or by the other property assuming direct responsibility for providing equivalent or improved service on existing MUNI lines.

Recommendations

The Director of Public Transportation should direct MUNI staff to:

7.2.1 Review all transit services provided by adjacent operators to identify duplication of service and mutually beneficial changes in schedules that would provide the same or an increased level of services at reduced cost.

7.2.2 Work with these adjacent transit properties and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to coordinate service which would result in cost savings that could be shared by each property.

Costs and Benefits

There would be no increased cost to implement these recommendations.

Implementing these recommendations would provide improved service at reduced cost for the citizens of San Francisco and adjacent communities.