Report: Crime on San Francisco's Muni hits 4-year low

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Crime on Muni has dropped to its lowest point in four years, according to data analyzed by the San Francisco Examiner.

Muni officials track their crime rates based on miles traveled per vehicles. As of February 2017, there has been 3.8 crimes per 100,000 miles traveled.

The crime rate has dropped nearly 70 percent since a high of 12.2 crimes per 100,000 miles in October 2013.

The transit system is safer now than it was a couple of years ago. "Wow, that's amazing, I don't know what would have changed really," Muni rider Kimberly Needham said.

Riders might not have noticed the shift, but SFMTA spokesperson Paul Rose said Muni made key changes to combat crime, including better communication with police, better video cameras and new data-driven policies.

A rider said the news is exciting, but she's still on her guard. "Really early in the morning at this time, I'm a little nervous. I try to leave my house just in time to catch it, so I don't have to stand at the bus stop," Muni rider Roxana Delatorre said.

By contrast, BART is dealing with a rise in crime. BART measures crime rates per one million riders and after three years of decline, the rate of crime spiked to 2.24 crimes per million riders at the end of last year.

There's a growing trend of youth robberies on BART, including the flash mob-style robbery on a Coliseum BART train.

RELATED: Dozens of teens rush Oakland BART train, rob passengers

In response, the BART acting police chief said officers are being deployed to the stations with the most crime, including the Coliseum, Bay Fair and Fruitvale stations.

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