Though San Francisco residents are more likely than residents of other cities to ride transit and avoid driving, the buses they ride on are unreliable.
San Francisco graded its transit service against a group of peer cities, and the results were...not great. While San Franciscans are more likely to ride transit than their counterparts in cities like Chicago or Denver, if they're on the bus, they are riding the slowest buses in the group. "Overall, a Muni bus averages just 8.2 miles per hour, the worst score in the grouping. Second-to-last-place Chicago beats Muni by more than a full mile at 9.3," Adam Brinklow writes for Curbed San Francisco.
San Francisco's buses are also the least reliable. The prevalence of mechanical issues on San Francisco buses is part of the reason these buses are so slow.
FULL STORY: Muni buses slower, more prone to malfunction than almost any other city
San Francisco’s Muni Ridership Grew in 2024
The system saw its highest ridership since before the Covid-19 pandemic, but faces a severe budget shortage in the coming year.
San Francisco Muni Cuts Frequency on Four Bus Lines
The agency says the changes are part of an effort to address its financial crisis and continue delivering “reliable service.”
Opinion: San Francisco Needs a Well-Funded Transit System
Muni ridership is above pre-pandemic levels on some lines. Why is the agency still considering service cuts?
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Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
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A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
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In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.
Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.
Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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