Muni breaks ridership record—making Prop L more necessary than ever
“Muni just had its best ridership month since the COVID-19 pandemic,” reported James Salazar for the San Francisco Examiner.
Muni served more weekday riders in September than in any month since February 2020, with an average of over 520,000 per day, marking a new high for Muni’s post-pandemic rebound. And September’s weekend boardings were at 92% of pre-pandemic levels, at nearly 350,000 per day.
“The continued increase in Muni ridership underscores the importance of Prop L, a ballot measure to generate critical new funding as service cuts loom. ”
Satisfaction is also at an all-time high, with 72% of riders earlier this year reporting that Muni service is “good” or excellent,” the highest results since San Francisco began this annual survey in 2001.
“The fact that we’re breaking all these records with public approval gives me hope that the voters will turn out.”
The continued increase in Muni ridership underscores the importance of Prop L, a ballot measure to generate critical new funding as service cuts loom. Prop L would raise enough funds to save over ten bus lines from being cut, and could also be used to support Muni frequency, reliability, cleanliness, and speed.
“We’re looking for additional resources to continue building on that success to make sure that all of our main lines are fast and reliable, that they’re not stuck in congestion and that they’re safer for everyone,” SFTMA Director Jeffrey Tumlin said. “The fact that we’re breaking all these records with public approval gives me hope that the voters will turn out in order to support us to be able to sustain these investments and keep improving things.”
Photo: Connor Cimowsky
“San Franciscans will vote this Election Day on Proposition L, which would tax ride-hailing companies such as Uber, Lyft and Waymo and use the proceeds to fund Muni operations. The measure’s authors said they introduced it — at least in part — to address concerns San Francisco would rely on other Bay Area counties to bail out its transportation agencies in a regional measure lawmakers are targeting for the 2026 ballot,” wrote Salazar.
Prop L is endorsed by Mayor London Breed, the SF Democratic Party, League of Women Voters of San Francisco, SF Council of District Merchants, SF Labor Council, SPUR, and more.
