The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will add more service on key routes starting in a few weeks as more people return to school and work.
“These changes will bring immediate improvements to thousands of riders traveling key corridors to school and to work,” SFMTA Director of Transportation Julie Kirschbaum said in a statement, as the agency held its Board of Directors meeting on Tuesday.
For students, there will be extra afternoon buses along school routes to help transport them.
A stop will be added for the 28R-19th Avenue Rapid bus at Eucalyptus Drive, which SFMTA expects students at Lowell High School to use.
“I won’t have to worry about missing the 28 bus and getting to school late anymore because there’s always going to be another one soon,” said Woody Szydlik, a Lowell High School student, in a statement from an SFMTA release.
Students and educators traveling from Visitacion Valley to Francisco Middle School will have a direct bus route, eliminating a transfer that was previously required on the 8AX-Bayshore Express bus.
10% more N-Judah capacity
SFMTA is also going to increase the frequency of trips for the N-Judah train, which can often get packed during commute hours. Trips will increase from every 10 minutes to every nine minutes during peak hours, a change that could see a 10% increase in space for passengers on the trains, according to Kirschbaum.
There will be a higher frequency of buses on the 1-California route, also increasing trips from 10 minutes to nine minutes. Buses on this route in the Presidio and downtown areas should arrive every four to five minutes.
“For the majority of our customers, these changes are not going to make it more complex to navigate the system. There’s not a lot of learning to do, but we do think customers will see some small but meaningful benefits to their travel.”
Julie Kirschbaum, SFMTA Director of Transportation
The 5R-Fulton Rapid route will have larger buses. Capacity increases will also be made during the busiest times on the 22-Fillmore, 29-Sunset, 38R-Geary Rapid, and 49-Van Ness/Mission.
“For the majority of our customers, these changes are not going to make it more complex to navigate the system,” Kirschbaum said at the meeting. “There’s not a lot of learning to do, but we do think customers will see some small but meaningful benefits to their travel.”
The changes, Kirschbaum said, are able to happen without additional costs to the agency. SFMTA has identified $250 million in cost savings by reducing redundant service options and adjusting system schedules to boost efficiency.
“Our staff is looking at this entire optimization and service puzzle and making smart choices to keep up with our changing conditions,” said Kirschbaum.
An overview of the service changes can be found on the agency’s website. The page will be updated Wednesday with more details on the changes.
