San Francisco's plan to deal with Chase Center traffic? Give every ticket holder a free Muni day pass

ByLiz Kreutz KGO logo

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Warriors plan to give every Chase Center ticket holder a free Muni day pass

The Chase Center is just months away from opening in San Francisco's Mission Bay, but traffic in the area is still a concern.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The new home of the Golden State Warriors, Chase Center, is just months away from opening in San Francisco's Mission Bay, but traffic in the area is still a concern.

As part of an effort to curb the inevitable added traffic around the new arena, the city of San Francisco and the Warriors have teamed up to create a new plan -- give every Chase Center ticket holder a day pass to Muni.

"We want people to take public transit to Chase Center, so we're making it affordable and easy to do so," Mayor London Breed said in a statement. "This breakthrough agreement demonstrates the commitment by both the City and the Warriors to get people out of their cars so everyone can easily get to games and concerts."

It's unclear if the day pass will change ticket holder habits. ABC7 News spoke to several people at the Giants game at Oracle Park on Wednesday who all said they drove to the game and that a free Muni pass probably wouldn't have changed that.

"I live on Potrero Hill, so actually close to the Chase Center, I can almost roll down the hill to Chase Center," Delene Wolf, who was attending the Giants game, said, "But our public transit options are pitiful on Potrero Hill."

Emma Rodriquez, who drove four hours from Pismo Beach to attend the Giants game, also said she would have no choice but to drive to San Francisco for an event at the Chase Center.

Asked about these concerns, Supervisor Matt Haney, who represents the Mission Bay neighborhood, said this Muni incentive is part of a larger initiative to get people to think about taking alternative transportation.

"Run, walk, bike, Caltrain, ferry, scooter. There's lots of options," Haney said. "Don't drive, if you don't have to."

Eventgoers who want to utilize the Muni day pass will just need to show their electronic or paper ticket to a Muni attendant who will be trained on letting ticket-holders through the turnstiles.

While the city acknowledges it will take a mindset shift to get masses of people to take advantage of public transportation to the arena, Breed is confident it can happen.

"I think that folks who are using their cars may change their mind when they see how much happier the people who are on public transportation are with their experiences to and from the game," the mayor said.

Whether or not people want to ride Muni, the numbers show figuring alternatives to parking is going to be key.

The Chase Center holds 18,000 people. There will only be some 900 parking spots at the arena lots.

The new arena opens in September.

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