By Scott Feeney : streetsblog – excerpt
A veto of a proposed free-fare pilot isn’t enough. The mayor must offer concrete solutions for bringing back riders.
Mayor London Breed has vetoed a pilot program to give Muni riders free fares this summer. In her veto message, she wrote: While I appreciate the intent to encourage public transit ridership, exacerbating SFMTA’s structural deficit by eliminating fares does not support our long-term transit goals. SFMTA must focus on restoring service lines and improving reliability…
The pilot would have lasted from July to September, with funding identified to replace fares. SFMTA received more in federal aid than it lost in fares and sales taxes, so it’s in better financial shape than before the pandemic.
Meanwhile, BART will offer 50 percent off fares in September. BART joins transit agencies across the country reducing or waiving fares to bring back ridership, including Washington, D.C.’s Metro, Kansas City’s KCATA, and L.A. Metro…(more)
FIX THE SFMTA 