Thanks to a $3.6-million federal grant, San Francisco Municipal Railway buses and facilities will be getting a much-needed facelift, plus a leg up on future electrification of all buses in the system, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency announced today.
The grant, awarded by the Federal Transit Administration, will allow the SFMTA to replace, rehabilitate and purchase bus equipment and improve bus-related facilities, such as the Woods Bus Yard, one of Muni’s largest maintenance yards. At that site, the grant will allow for new bus-washing equipment, operator training on bus simulators and upgraded facilities.
“Facilities and training may not be the most exciting topics, but they are an essential part of our work to improving Muni and making it a more reliable service that people can depend on,” Ed Reiskin, SFMTA’s director of transportation, said in a statement.
The grant is part of a federal government program to improve bus infrastructure nationwide. The SFMTA, which oversees all ground transportation in the city, anticipates that, by 2035, electric bus technology – capable of charging a large fleet — will have progressed to the point where all buses in the system can be electrified, agency officials said.
“Our bus system is the backbone of public transportation in San Francisco,” San Francisco Mayor London Breed said in a statement.
“This federal grant will provide much-needed funding to modernize our bus facilities, support critical bus operator training and help develop new electric vehicle infrastructure that will improve Muni’s reliability and help the city achieve our aggressive climate goals,” Breed said.