Muni is a transit system that traverses every community in San Francisco. Unfortunately,
it is failing in its mission to serve these communities with safety and timeliness.
Solutions are available and many can easily be implemented through proper funding and
better management. Some ideas on improving Muni are listed below:
Muni management needs to be innovative in its approach to increase ridership and funding. As a member of the Board of Supervisors I would revisit the idea of establishing a downtown transit assessment district. Downtown businesses and office towers reap tremendous benefits from Muni services despite its flaws. Office workers, tourists and shoppers pour millions of dollars into the coffers of all downtown establishments. Many use Muni services. The potential for even more vitality for these establishments depends on Muni being able to support itself.
San Francisco City government either owns or leases parking facilities for a few thousand of its employees and some non-employees as well. The City should charge
for the privilege of parking. It is estimated that $5 to $8 million a year could be added to Muni budget from a policy of City employees paying for parking. It also would more likely be an incentive for some of those City employees to take public transit.
Presently, through payroll, services such as health insurance costs are paid for with pre-tax dollars. This device, known as the Cafeteria Plan, could be used to purchase Muni Fast Passes for City employees as well as private industry employees. The savings would amount to between 30%-40% off Muni passes for each employee.
Instead of either raises or other perks negotiated among City unions, fast passes could be given free to City employees.
The Board of Supervisors should negotiate with the Transit Workers Union to eliminate the absurd policy of "no call in" when a Muni driver is sick or otherwise
indisposed. No City agency or private agency could long operate if this were a universal policy. I would substitute some other benefit to eliminate this policy that causes great hardship on the riding public. I take Muni daily and know the frustration this policy causes.
Muni should look into an electronic device on each Muni vehicle that causes red light to turn green when a vehicle approaches a light standard.
Satellite tracking of Muni vehicles should also be established that provides waiting passengers with a time a vehicle will arrive.
Muni should take a page from other transit districts in the United States and other countries that provide separate transit lanes which go in the opposite direction of traffic. Front doors should be kept closed while passengers exit the rear doors (exceptfor the handicapped and the elderly). This would encourage passengers to move to the back of the bus thereby affording the opportunity for more passengers to enter.
A free Muni through the core business district would benefit businesses as has been shown by several transit districts throughout the country.
More street dispatchers should be hired to pace vehicles, eliminating bunching up.
Special consideration and space should be set aside for parent(s) with baby strollers and seats should be made available for pregnant women or parent(s) with small children.
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