Muni service cuts are expected this summer. This is not what we want to do. We understand the outcomes this will have for the community. We are doing everything we can to minimize the impacts on San Franciscans.
But, due to our budget constraints, we have to reduce Muni service. This is because of a $50 million budget shortfall facing the SFMTA in our July 2025 to June 2026 budget. These are largely a result of the pandemic and its economic impact. Beginning in July, we won’t be able to afford to replace transit operators, maintenance or cleaning staff.
The video below describes three approaches for potential summer service cuts at our next Board of Directors meeting. We want to hear from you about these approaches. Your feedback will be used to inform our service proposal we will bring to our Board of Directors on March 18 as we work to reduce impacts as much as possible.
Why we have to cut Muni service
We’re facing a $50 million budget shortfall because parking revenue, transit revenue and General Fund reimbursements are lower than we’d expected. We’ve cut spending, increased transit fare enforcement, become more efficient and paused most hiring. But it’s still not enough to close the gap.
We won’t be able to afford to replace transit operators, maintenance or cleaning staff starting in July. So, in summer 2025, we’ll have to cut Muni service by about 4%, which will save about $15 million. We’ll make up the other $35 million in other ways, including improving fare compliance and optimizing our parking programs.
Understanding the three approaches
Watch the video to learn more about the three approaches we could take to reduce Muni service.
The three approaches we’ll be asking our Board of Directors and the public to provide feedback on are designed to minimize impacts to riders and San Francisco. The final proposal will incorporate this feedback while balancing the needs of different communities. Each approach has a slightly different focus and different trade-offs:
1. Preserve high ridership routes
Description: We would suspend some lower ridership routes. This would be done where there are parallel options.
Tradeoffs:
- Longer walks to Muni stops
- An increase in transfers for riders to get to their destinations
- More crowded buses
- Increased pass-ups at stops when buses are too full for more riders to board
Reduced service at night
Proposed Service Changes
- Suspend service (maintain parallel service)
- 2 Sutter (keep1, 38, 38R)
- 21 Hayes (keep 5, 5R)
- 31 Balboa (keep 5, 5R)
- 55 Dogpatch (keep 19, 22, 48)
- Route Modifications
- 19 Polk, no service north of Geary
- 6 Haight suspend, but extend 52 Excelsior over Sunset Heights and 66 Quintara over Parnassus
- Reduce Time Spans
- Metro (J, K, L, M, N, T), Reduce to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (currently 5 a.m. to 12 a.m.) Connector Routes (35,36,37,52,56,57,58,66,67), end service at 7 p.m. (currently end at 9 or 10 p.m.)
2. Maintain all existing connections
Description: We would maintain current Muni coverage and connections between Muni routes and regional transit. But, we would reduce how often buses come on Rapid corridors and Connectors citywide. (Note: Connectors are short “circulator” routes that connect neighborhoods and hillsides to the rest of the Muni network)
Tradeoffs:
- Longer wait times, especially on Connector routes
- More crowded buses
- Increased pass-ups at stops on the Rapid corridors when buses are too full for more riders to board
Proposed Service Changes
- Decrease Connector Frequency
- 35, 36, 37, 39, 52, 55, 56, 57, 58, 66, 67 decrease service to 30-45 min (currently 20-30 min)
- Rebalance Service on Rapid Corridors
- 5 Fulton, 9 San Bruno, 28 19th Avenue suspend local service
- 14 Mission, 38 Geary decrease service to every 16 min (currently every 8 min)
- 5R, 9R, 14R, 28R*increase service to every 8 min (currently every 12 min)
3. Preserve service on routes in neighborhoods identified by our Muni Service Equity Strategy
Description: We would prioritize suspending routes and reducing the frequency of service elsewhere in the city.
Tradeoffs:
- Longer wait times
- Longer walks to Muni stops
- An increase in transfers for riders to get to their destinations
Proposed Service Changes
- Suspend service (maintain parallel service)
- 2 Sutter (keep 1, 38, 38R)
- 21 Hayes (keep 5, 5R)
- 55 Dogpatch (keep 19, 22, 48)
- Route Modifications
- 31 Balboa terminate at Civic Center
- Decrease Connector Frequency
- 35, 36, 37, 39, 52, 55, 56, 57, 58, 66, 67, decrease service to 30-45 min (currently 20-30 min)
- Rebalance Service on Rapid Corridor
- 28, suspend local service
- 28R, increase service to 8 min (currently every 12 min), extend 28R 19th Avenue Rapid route to follow 28 19th Avenue route through Presidio and Marina
Share your feedback
We want to hear from you. Please share your feedback on how we reduce Muni service this summer.
For free language assistance, please call 415.646.2005 or email MuniCuts@SFMTA.com.
What to expect?
- Tuesday, Feb. 25
- We will take the feedback we have received and work to develop a service plan for summer that is as minimally disruptive as possible. The proposal may look like one of the three approaches or it may be a combination. It could even include new elements.
- Monday, March 3
- We will share our proposal here for service cuts that we expect to present to our Board on March 18. It may look like one of the approaches outlined above, or it may be a combination. The feedback we receive will help shape what it will look like. The feedback we receive will help shape what it will look like.
- Tuesday, March 18
- We expect to present the service cuts proposal to our Board for their consideration.
- Summer 2025
- We expect to implement the service cuts.
How will we get community feedback?
We will begin multilingual outreach Feb. 4 to collect feedback from Muni riders and the public about each of the three approaches for service reductions.
How does the SFMTA make decisions about Muni service?
We know that Muni service is a lifeline for many. Quality public transportation is also key to San Francisco achieving its climate, equity and economic recovery goals. So, we don't take making changes to Muni service lightly. Here is the criteria we use:
- Maintain the highest possible quality service to the nine neighborhoods identified by our Muni Service Equity Strategy and routes heavily used by seniors and people with disabilities
- Provide service coverage to locations of trip generators, such as hospitals, grocery stores, and commercial, cultural, and employment centers
- Access to opportunities including schools and workplaces
- Ridership demand (crowding) and frequency
- Feedback from customers, operators and policymakers
- Support economic recovery
- Cost per rider
How is this different from Muni Funding Working Group proposals?
These near-term changes reflect our current budget, staffing and vehicle availability. To provide riders service that is reliable, we aim to only schedule Muni service that we do have the resources to operate. Since we have paused hiring due to our financial situation, when staff leave the agency, we are forced to reduce service accordingly.
The Muni Funding Working Group proposals are 10 times bigger than what we are proposing for 2025. The Muni Funding Working Group proposals are an illustration of the types of cuts we’d be forced to make, not a proposal or plan for cuts, and we urgently hope it doesn’t come to that.
Are you permanently eliminating routes?
At this time, we’re not recommending permanently eliminating routes but we may have to suspend some routes, reduce frequency and hours of operation temporarily, with the hope to bring them back with more funding.
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