For the last year and a half, many MUNI lines have been suspended, some with no timetable for return. We all understand that temporary suspension of lines was necessary early in the pandemic, but a year and a half later, it’s simply not acceptable that there are lines that are not only still suspended, but many that have no planned return date.  We cannot allow this pandemic to reverse years of progress getting people onto public transit.  

I’ve asked about this in private meetings with MTA leadership and publicly. Again and again, MTA assured us that suspension of lines like the 6, 21, 31 were temporary, but at the same time they would not commit to any timeframe for return. The excuses for not having that plan have ranged, but none of them really add up.

So I called for a hearing, with my co-sponsor Connie Chan, to get to the bottom of this. I also introduced a resolution calling for the return of all lines by the end of this year, and a written plan to restore all service. The resolution to urge the SFMTA to restore service to pre-pandemic service hours by December 31, 2021, and share a written plan for the full restoration by September 30, passed 9-2 at the Board meeting on Tuesday, July 27. 

Community activism together with our pressure at the Board has already had an impact.  On July 15, the MTA announced that it was resuming 31 Balboa service, something MTA had refused to commit to for months.  This was a major victory.

But what we learned in the lead up to the hearing and at the hearing was alarming. Together with a consultant known for helping transit agencies abandon lines and consolidate their systems, MTA leadership was mapping out scenarios that included the longer term abandonment of lines. 

SFMTA has gotten a billion dollars from the federal government to help the transit agency during the pandemic. With schools and the economy reopening, San Francisco residents and businesses are being hobbled by anemic service including suspended lines, shortened runs, limited evening/night hours, and severely reduced frequency on community lines.

Now isn’t the time to be pitting advocates and neighborhoods against each other and we shouldn’t be removing transit that has been vital to neighborhood commercial districts for a century. We should be bringing everyone together, and that includes our amazing operators, overhead line workers, and everyone who helps make our system run.

Our goal from the hearing and the resolution was to get our transit system back up and running as soon as possible. There is much more work to do, but I remain committed to ensuring our transit system successfully recovers. Part of that is restoring lines like the 21 and 6 that are key for residents of my district.

In June, Mayor Breed vetoed our historic legislation to create a three-month Free Muni pilot, taking the odd position in her veto letter that free transit does not increase ridership. 

But feeling the heat from the free muni campaign and legislation, the Mayor did agree to Free Muni for All Youth. This is the first non-means tested free Muni program in San Francisco history. The Board of Supervisors and the Mayor allocated $2 million dollars in the budget to fund Free Muni For All Youth for a period of 12 months. 

Free Muni For Youth was originally a 2013 pilot program providing free transportation for low- to moderate-income youth between 5 and 18 who filled out an application. It’s now been granted an extra $2 million, which will allow for all youth to get free transportation across the city, no application required, and regardless of income, during the fiscal year 2021-2022. For the city’s approximately 100,000 kids between 5-18 years old, and their families, this is an important change. No longer will they need to pay fares and they should be free from the threat of enforcement fines and penalties. It also eliminates the application process that was a barrier for many, particularly for families with limited English.

Huge thanks to the SF Youth Commission, and South of Market Community Action Network (SOMCAN), Urban Habitat and many others for all their work to make this a reality. And special thanks to former Supervisor David Campos for his work to launch the free muni for youth program years ago.
 

On August 14, Supervisor Matt Haney, Director Jeff Tumlin, transit advocates and I joined together to celebrate Transit Equity for the Tenderloin and TNDC to celebrate the official return of the 31 Balboa.

The return of the 31 took a year of advocacy and direct action, dating back to August 2020. Leaders in the Tenderloin hosted a rally in June 2021 and community members in the Fillmore started a petition calling for the 31 and the 21 to return. We have the 31 back, but are still waiting on the 21. Thank you Transit Equity for the Tenderloin and the Fillmore Community for all of your work to make sure the 31 returned.                    

They are not done yet though. For more info: email Equitywithmuni@gmail.com or call 415-358-3997.
   

BART returned to near-pre pandemic service on August 2 instead of August 30 as originally planned. The August 2 changes included extending closing times to midnight Monday through Saturday. Click here for more information.

As District 5 children and families have returned to in-person learning, and as traffic congestion continues to climb, Walk SF wants to help families make the smart and healthy choice of getting to school via a Walking School Bus. The Walking School Bus is a healthy, fun, and established activity for families within a mile from school that enables children to get to school safely and on time.

Their one-hour, interactive Walking School Bus training will help train adult leaders to walk a regular route to school with families and children joining at any point along the way. The presentation will be district specific and will cover how to select the safest and most enjoyable routes for young commuters, build activity and learning into the commute, how to build parent/caregiver engagement and how to promote the walking school bus in your community. 

If you are interested in attending this training on Monday, September 13 from 5:30 to 6:30, email Vernon from Walk SF at Vernon@walksf.org.