On September 26 we launched new routing for the 57 Parkmerced and 18 46th Ave Muni lines to provide new connections and a more streamlined trip. We have received a lot of feedback from the community about the reroutes and want to take this opportunity to address some of the most common concerns we’ve heard.
The 57 and 18 routes were fine the way they were. Why change them?
The new alignments on the 18 and 57 are just two components of a series of route changes and service increases aimed at improving reliability and increasing connections across San Francisco, part of the Muni Forward program. The new routing is designed to provide customers on the 18 a more direct connection to SF State, 19th Ave and Stonestown, and to connect West Portal, Daly City BART, Lake Merced and Lakeshore Plaza via the 57.
How were the new alignments developed?
These reroutes were developed through an outreach process through the Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP), which involved a series of 11 district-specific meetings (1 in each district) and two city-wide meetings to share the reroute proposals and gather community feedback.
The new 57 adds time to my trip.
We do recognize the new routing adds time to some people’s commute, especially for those residents along John Muir Dr. Prior to the reroute, the schedule assumed 8 minutes to travel from 555 John Muir Drive to Stonestown. Today, the schedule calls for a 25 minute trip from 555 John Muir Drive to Stonestown, which is about 15 minutes longer than before. However, we anticipate an overall better trip for Lake Merced transit riders by providing a larger variety of destinations along the route, including a direct connection to the regional transit service and the mall. The new routing will also benefit the 3,600 daily riders on the 18 through providing a faster, more direct trip to Stonestown and the M line.
The bus is never on time!
The frequency on the 57 was increased to match that of the 18 46th Ave, so buses arrive every 20 minutes as opposed to every 30 minutes. We apologize for the gaps in service during the first few days of the new routing; we understand that waiting over 30 minutes for the bus can be frustrating. Service has resumed to a 20 minute frequency now that operators have familiarized themselves with the route.
What’s next?
We are evaluating several related service requests including a timed transfer between the 18 and 57 as well as earlier hours on the 57.
We appreciate all of the feedback we’ve received. We will continue to closely monitor the route for potential modifications now that it is in place. If you have other ideas let us know at TellMuni.com.