SFMTA | 511 Contra Costa

All Aboard Muni's New All-Door Boarding Policy

San Francisco Muni Bus
Boarding Muni. Photo credit: www.bluewaikiki.com

Only a couple months into Muni’s new all-door boarding policy and already the system seems to be working well.
As reported on San Francisco Streetsblog:

On five Muni lines, the time buses spent at stops dropped by as much as 16 percent in July compared to June, according to a presentation prepared for the SFMTA Board’s Policy and Governance Committee meeting this week. The most drastic change in “dwell times” were reported on the 1-California line and its rush-hour express companion, the 1AX, which saw decreases of 14 and 16 percent, respectively. The 1AX also saw by far the largest shift in passengers using the back door instead of the front door, with a 1,200 percent increase

The article goes on to note improved conditions on other lines reviewed:

The 49-Van Ness, the14-Mission, and the 38-Geary — saw more modest drops in dwell time. The 49, at the low end of the spectrum, only saw a decrease of roughly 1 percent. One possible explanation is that back-door boarding was already common on those lines before the policy change, compared to the 1-California.

More fare and fee increases from SFMTA

The San Francisco MTA rolled out several new fare increases July 1. The basic adult Muni fare is unchanged ($2 each). Still, if you commute into San Francisco, be aware:

  • Adult “A” Fast Pass with Ride on BART in SF: now $72, formerly $70
  • Adult “M” Fast Pass Muni Only: $62, formerly $60
  • Cash cable car fare: $6, formerly $5
  • Cable car all day pass: $14, formerly $13

Did you know you could rent an entire San Francisco street car? Last month the two-hour rental was only $646. Now you’re looking at a $671 fee. Cable car rentals went up, too, from $704 to $727.
SFMTA increased several fines for drivers by more dramatic amounts.

  • Altered license plate or missing plate: $114, formerly $55-65
  • Blocking access to blue zones marked disabled passenger access: $935, formerly $335

On bridges, tolls will increase for vehicles with more than two axles. That includes large trucks and private cars with trailers attached.
The increases aren’t limited to land-bound methods of transportation. Fare son the Larkspur ferry increased 5 percent. Sausalito ferry riders will now pay an additional $1 on their fare. The fare for special event ferries to AT&T Park in San Francisco increased to $8.75.
The fare increases are all part of the SFMTA’s efforts to close a $45 million budget shortfall, and for many agencies, the new fiscal year begins in July.
Are these changes enough to affect your commuting habits?
Photo from jamesim’s Flickr stream.