Background
The Muni Equity Working Group was established in 2014 to inform and guide the SFMTA Muni Service Equity Strategy.
A robust and transparent biannual service evaluation process is underway that will fold the Muni Service Equity Strategy principles into the budget decisions and feed into the two-year Muni operating budget cycle. A Muni Equity Strategy working group informed service planning 2014 through 2018. Consequently, staff aims to reengage a working group to help assist in the service evaluation process.
Mission
The mission of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s Muni Equity Working Group (‘Working Group”) is to serve as a sounding board as SFMTA staff develops a Biannual Service Evaluation and prioritization process. Members will also receive updates and provide feedback staff will use to implement service changes identified in the Biannual Service Evaluation report over the two-year budget cycle. This working group creates a forum for detailed input from highly involved parties.
The Muni Equity Working Group serves to compliment but does not replace current project- and service-based outreach efforts that are grounded in SFMTA values and support city goals, in addition to the SFMTA’s ongoing efforts to fulfill federally mandated requirements regarding public outreach and comment for proposed fare and major service changes.
Membership
The Working Group is composed of up to 20 seats appointed by SFMTA staff. Invitations are extended to key subject matter experts to participate in each cohort to inform the discussion space and potential solutions.
The membership of the Working Group reflects the diverse communities that make up San Francisco and its transportation system, as well as the agency’s values. The membership includes those who have personal or professional experience in the neighborhoods identified in the Muni Service Equity Strategy based on the demographic data described above. Currently, these Equity neighborhoods are:
- Bayview
- Chinatown
- Mission
- Oceanview/Ingleside
- Outer Mission/Excelsior
- Tenderloin/SOMA
- Treasure Island
- Visitacion Valley
- Western Addition
The membership will also include individuals familiar with the experience of the transportation system through the perspective of:
- Youth
- Seniors
- People with disabilities
- Safety working group
- Off-peak or late-night travelers
All members of the Working Group serve in the same role. There will not be officers (e.g. Chair, Vice Chair). The SFMTA will appoint staff to serve as liaison(s) to the group. The staff shall be responsible as custodian of records of the Working Group.
A Working Group will be recruited to serve for at least one two-year budget cycle. Members who resign will be replaced through the following cohort.
Meetings
The Working Group will meet as a passive meeting body. Meetings are anticipated to be scheduled quarterly, as applicable. The meetings will be held at 1 South Van Ness. Meeting information and agendas (if applicable) will be shared on the SFMTA website in advance of each meeting. Meetings will be open to the public, but per San Francisco’s Good Government Guide for passive meeting bodies, there is no right to public comment at meetings.
The working group aims to achieve the following objectives:
- Review the Biannual Service Evaluation report timed with the city’s two-year budget cycle
- Examine and provide feedback on the metrics SFMTA staff utilize to evaluate Muni service performance and prioritize Muni service changes
- Review and provide feedback on Muni service changes during the 2-year operational budget cycle that will be incrementally implementing the Biannual Service Evaluation report recommendations