A new study of Muni’s shortcomings, conducted by the City Controller’s office, shows that Muni delays and disruptions caused by  breakdowns and maintenance repairs during peak commute hours cost the City (and its people) approximately 4.2 million dollars in April alone and an approximate 50 million dollars a year. This quantification of the frustration many Muni riders feel everytime they are stranded at a Muni stop waiting for the next bus, serves as ammunition for Ed Reiskin, the transportation director for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, to use in his campaign to get the City to invest more in the dilapidated agency.

In the meantime however, private services like the ride-sharing companies discussed in an ealier post, continue to expand to fill the widening gaps in Muni service. Leap Transit, with its fleet of bright blue private shuttles that can be seen in the Marina district, is only the latest company to provide its serivces to San Francisco’s commuters. The company takes the technological aspect of the ride-sharing companies (an iPhone app that acts as bus pass and payment method), the luxory of a private car serivce (spacious seats, air conditioning and wifi) and the convenience of a bus (designated stops – oftentimes Muni stops- and designated times- only during peak hours), all at a price of $6 per ride.

The company’s founder, Kyle Kirchhoff, insists that the price tag means that the private service is not competing with Muni, but rather complementing it. The price was chosen to reflect the services offered and to be more expensive than Muni, but cheaper than a taxi. To illustrate the relationship between Leap Transit and Muni as his company sees it, Kirchoff even made the amusing analogy of comparing Leap Transit to FedEx and Muni to the U.S. Postal Service, an anaology most likely less amusing to Muni officials given the Post Office’s ongoing struggles to stay relevant and in business.

Muni officials may be upset by the lack of regulation on this private service industry, but until the City give Muni the funding it needs and the funding Reiskin has been campaigning for, unregulated private companies like Leap Transit will continue to fill the gaps. “Mario Tanev, a spokesman for the passenger advocacy group San Francisco Transit Riders Union, said the emergence of Leap is a clear sign of Muni’s failure.” This connection is especially clear since Leap Transit’s routes are duplicates of Muni lines, yet the new company continues to increase its client base as more and more commuters become more and more frustrated with Muni service.

Source:

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/transportation/2013/05/muni-delays-cost-economy-50m-year-study-says

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/transportation/2013/05/new-san-francisco-shuttle-service-offering-route-similar-muni

The SFMTA has approved a plan to add 120 more taxi cabs to its fleet in 2013 and 200 more in 2014. The decision came in spite of protests from Taxi drivers and companies who argued that the addition of more taxi cabs should wait until the illegal ride-sharing company issue was settled. Ride-sharing companies started to appear in San Francisco in the last couple years to address the shortcomings of the taxi industry. The companies use smartphone apps to locate riders, build trust between drivers and passengers and even take payment. They are unlicensed and unregulated. The taxi companies, who are heavily regulated by the MTA, say that this competition is simply unfair. Drivers argue that they have been asking for technology and dispatch upgrades for years, but that the bureaucracy of the agency has held them back. They are worried that the influx of new cabs along with the continued increase in ride-sharing opportunities will only hurt their industry.

There is no doubt that the taxi industry in the city needs a boost. Whether from a better dispatching system (one that is integrated between companies perhaps) or better technological options (the ride-sharing companies have the right  idea with the smartphone apps), the industry must be able to compete. In addition, it should in some ways welcome the competition that the ride-sharing companies offer. San Franciscans and the many tourists and businesspeople who venture to the city on a short-term basis have very different transportation needs. A little diversity in public transportation in a city where few people drive can be an improvement.

In Chile, for example, there are four main types of transportation. Buses offer the most reliable transportation in between cities (much like BART or Trans-bay buses). Micros, mini-buses, offer transportation between set points in the city (much like Muni functions in the City). Taxis, offer the best service for groups of people (it is cheaper to share the fare), for trips to the outskirts of the city, for trips late at night or early in the morning, or when you are in a rush. Taxis can be flagged down on the street, but the best way is to call 10-15 minutes ahead of time and have them come pick you up. There is however, a fourth option, called a collectivo. Collectivos are a combination of taxi services and ride-sharing companies. They are extremely common (there are more collectivos on the streets then any other vehicle) and they are extremely cheap (Collectivos cost $1-2 per trip). They act like a taxi. Flag down a collectivo with 1, 2 or 3 people already inside and tell the driver where you are headed. If he is headed in that direction you can jump in, if not flag down the next one. It may take 10 minutes longer since the driver has to drop off the other passengers as well, but since you are all headed in the same direction the delay is not significant. The collectivos fill a gap left by the taxis. They are a way for commuters to get to work without worrying about bus schedules or having to walk blocks from the bus terminal. Instead of driving to the store for a gallon of milk and some bread, hop in a collectivo.

Obviously, Chile is not San Francisco, but they have a functioning multi-faceted transportation system that caters to the needs of its citizens and tourists by offering competition and diversity. There is no question that San Francisco’s cab fleet is extremely important to the city. However, it may not be the only solution to the city’s transportation woes.

Source:

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/transportation/2013/04/more-taxicabs-approved-san-francisco

http://www.kqed.org/news/story/2012/11/08/110777/

Photo Source:

http://www.sfexaminer.com/files/blog_images/TAXI2.1020.jpg

Although the pending high-speed rail project connecting Sacramento and San Diego doesn’t necessarily have a large affect on San Francisco’s internal transportation affairs, it is an interesting project that will affect most Californians in one way or another. Last Thursday, April 18, a Sacramento Judge approved a settlement between a coalition of Central Valley Farmers and the agency overseeing the construction of the high-speed rail. The settlement, which dictated that the agency set aside $5 million to preserve farmland in the Central Valley and that it pay $1 million in legal fees, puts the high-speed rail construction on track to begin this summer. The first section to be built will be a 30 mile section between Fresno and Madera right in the middle of the state.

This $68 billion project originally had quite a bit of voter approval and support at its outset, but the many legal delays (such as this most recent settlement) and rising estimated costs, have left many Californians disillusioned with the project which promises to connect most of California’s major cities and to provide public transportation in a state whose highways are legendary.

Despite the many setbacks, the Transportation Authority can breathe a sigh of relief and celebrate Thursday’s settlement. The settlemetn is esepcially timely given that the Authority is up against an impending deadline that will make or break the project. The first phase of the project- a 130-mile segment from Fresno to Bakersfield- has been approved and funded ($2.6 billion in bonds for construction and  $3.2 billion from the federal government) all based on completion by 2017.

Source:
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/transportation/2013/04/settlement-reached-high-speed-rail-lawsuit#ixzz2R7ZLbXvt

Source:

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/transportation/2013/02/bart-riders-face-higher-fare-parking-costs

With two awesome female attorneys leading the charge at Rahman Law, the role of women in the legal field is something that hits close to home. This recent compliation of data by Catalyst shows how the numbers are adding up.

http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/women-law-us

The lukewarm compromise reached by Democrats and Republicans to avert the impending doom that was the fiscal cliff contained a New Year’s surprise for transit commuters. The new deal included a return to the 2009 commuter benefits program “that allows workers to pay for up to $240 of their monthly transit costs with pre-tax dollars.” This means that transit commuters could potentially exempt up to $1,500 of their annual commute costs from taxes.

“Any incentive to get people to take transit is a bonus,” commented Tom Nolan, who sits on the Caltrain and San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency board of directors. And in the Bay Area, any relief from the often high financial burden of taking public transportation in the Bay Area is welcome.

Since the fiscal cliff package is retroactive to January 1, 2012, commuters may be able to apply the benefits program to their upcoming tax returns. The details of how to do this are still being determined, however, since the reinstating of the program was so sudden and unexpected. The Peninsula Traffic Congestion Relief Alliance, a transit advocacy organization, is working on determining how it can be done.

Source:

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/transportation/2013/01/transit-benefits-package-unexpectedly-included-fiscal-cliff-deal

A new year means new resolutions. Make 2013 a year to remember and make one of your resolutions to walk more! Here are a few tips from Walk SF Director Elizabeth Stampe and the U.S. Surgeon General.

1) Walk with a purpose: Walk to work, or walk to the next bus stop over. Get off BART one station away from where you normally do. Find a coffee shop on the way, or stop by the store to pick up milk on the way home. Make it a daily routine (then you will have to drink a lot of milk as well).

2) Walk somewhere for lunch: Even if you pack your lunch everyday, take it with you and go find a park to sit at for lunch. Even a 5 minute walk to your favorite lunch spot will wake you up and make you more productive for the afternoon.

3) Set a daily goal: If you are into it, get one of those step-counters and set a daily goal for yourself. If that’s not your thing, then set a time goal (try for at least 20 minutes a day).

4) Make it a family or group habit: Find a friend to walk to work with, or to share that lunch spot with. Walk your kids to the bus stop or make it a family outing to the grocery store on the weekend.

5) Most of all don’t forget that you live in San Francisco! It is a beautiful city, with beautiful walking opportunities! As Stampe pointed out, in San Francisco there is “no ice, no snow – sure, we have hills, but that’s how we get beautiful views. Many neighborhoods are just minutes apart….Not everything you see in San Francisco will be beautiful, but it won’t be dull. Whether you look for bay views, fabulous outfits, migrating birds, new restaurants or interesting faces, you won’t be bored.”

So make it your resolution to walk more and to enjoy the amazing city in which you live this year!

Source:

http://www.sfgate.com/outdoors/article/Walk-San-Francisco-ways-to-move-more-4162365.php

Photo Source:

http://www.examiner.com/slideshow/walk-sf-peak2peak-hike-2010