Muni to cut 5 bus lines in San Francisco starting this weekend: Here's what to know
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Some Muni riders in San Francisco will have fewer options starting this weekend.
On Saturday, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will cut service along five bus lines: consolidating two of them and ending the other three routes along Market Street.
According to SFMTA, these are the routes that will impacted:
"The three routes to be shortened, the 5 Fulton, 9 San Bruno and 31 Balboa, will turn around to go back outbound once they reach Market Street. Riders can then transfer to the lines that will remain on Market Street."
Also changing, the "6 Haight-Parnassus and 21 Hayes will be combined into one line with the portion of the 6 Haight-Parnassus west of Masonic Avenue and the portion of the 21 Hayes east of Masonic Avenue."
The SFMTA also said, the 5R Fulton Rapid and 9R San Bruno Rapid will remain in service. "During evenings and weekends when the 5R Fulton Rapid and 9R San Bruno Rapid don't currently operate, the 5 Fulton and 9 San Bruno will continue service on Market Street to their current terminals."
"We looked at these routes in particular because they had several service redundancies in place that we could fall back on to ensure that impacts to customers were minimized," said Michael Roccaforte, SFMTA spokesperson.
He says the agency's $50 million budget deficit this fiscal year is the reason for the cuts.
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But those service reductions weren't popular with the commuters we spoke with along those routes Wednesday.
"Frustrated. It'll take another 20 minutes of my day so it's irritating," said Lauren Hart, a commuter.
Hart tells us she's been taking the same route to and from her job for the past six years.
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She says she's already trying to plan for how her commute will change next week.
"I work at General Hospital and it doesn't get me near as close. It dropped me right off, and I'm going to have to figure out a different route now," said Hart.
These service reductions could just be the start, not just for Muni but also for transit agencies around the Bay Area.
They received a lifeline during the pandemic as government funding helped support them.
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But that money is set to run out at the end of this year.
For SFMTA, that means its budget deficit exploding from $50 million to as high as $322 million by the 2026 fiscal year.
Without addition funding, Roccaforte says the agency's service would be decimated.
"What that looks like is lines could be suspended. Huge reductions in service frequencies, meaning the bus isn't arriving as often and when it does arrive we could see bigger crowds leading to riders being passed up," he said.
In order to address that problem, State Senator Scott Wiener is calling on voters to pass a regional sales tax measure to help fund local transit.
"We are working on legislation to authorize a regional funding measure for November 2026. Mayor Lurie is also working on a San Francisco funding measure for MUNI. And the two of those combined will resolve the issue," Wiener said.
If the measure is passed by voters, the sales tax would raise about $500 million a year.
