Mayor Edwin M. Lee and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) announced the second round of sweeping service improvements starting September 26th through the Muni Forward initiative. The improvements include greater service frequency on nearly a dozen Muni routes, replacing some smaller buses with brand-new larger buses along the heaviest traveled bus routes, and redesigning several routes to improve travel times while adding new connections to more destinations and major transit stations.
 
“Our Muni Forward initiative is the most significant service improvement in decades, and riders will see better service, reliability and cleanliness as a result,” said Mayor Lee. “Muni is making good on its promise, having already added 19,850 hours of increased service with 116 new buses on the street, with even more service and new environmentally friendly 60-foot buses on the way.”

NEW BUSES
There are a total of 37 new vehicles headed for San Francisco streets in September. The first delivery will include 30 60-foot hybrid motor coaches and seven 60-foot trolley coaches. At least three of the 60-foot coaches will be designated to the 1AX California Express, 14 Mission and 14X Mission Express. Already Muni has 116 new buses in service, with continued shipments of new vehicles planned every week for the next 18 months.

“A key commitment of Muni Forward is reducing crowding on Muni’s heaviest used routes,” said SFMTA Director of Transportation Ed Reiskin. “By replacing 40-foot buses on the 1AX California Express and 14/14X Mission with 60 foot buses, we are increasing the capacity from 54 to 80 people per bus, which allows us to move more people more comfortably.”

All 37 buses out-class traditional diesel propulsion and are environmentally “green”. Manufactured by New Flyer, these “green” buses will lower fuel consumption while simultaneously lowering harmful emissions. The new buses represent a continuation of the complete overhaul of Muni’s fleet.

MORE FREQUENT SERVICE
With 700,000 trips on a normal day, Muni Forward identified the routes that are the workhorses of our transit system. The following routes were given priority for this round of service increases:

 

 

Route	Service Increase
K Ingleside/ T Third	From every 9 to every 8 minutes
N Judah	Add 1 two-car train in the AM peak
1 California	From every 8 to every 7 minutes
9R San Bruno Rapid	From every 12 to every 8 minutes
18 46th Avenue	Increased weekend frequency
21 Hayes	From every 10 to every 8.5 min (PM) & extended AM peak
22 Fillmore	From every 9 to every 7 min (AM) & every 8 to every 7 min (PM)
24 Divisadero	From every 10 to every 9 min
43 Masonic	From every 10 to every 9 min (AM) & every 12 to every 10 min (PM)
57 Parkmerced	From every 30 to every 20 min

REDESIGNED ROUTES September’s service increases represent a comprehensive redesign of routes that will increase reliability and provide Muni riders new connections between neighborhoods across the city.

18 46th Avenue
In addition to its existing service along 46th Avenue, the route was redesigned to provide direct access to Stonestown Galleria Mall, 19th Avenue, the M Oceanview, and several schools along Lake Merced Boulevard.

57 Parkmerced
The line along West Portal Avenue has been redesigned to provide never-before-offered service to Daly City BART Station, while connecting West Portal Station, Stonestown, Park Merced, Lake Merced, and Lakeshore Plaza.

29 Sunset
The 29 Sunset has been streamlined to provide customers a quicker and more direct trip between the Excelsior district and Balboa Park, traveling along Ocean Ave instead of Mission and Geneva. This new routing will save 20,200 daily riders at least three minutes per trip. That’s a cumulative savings of 1,000 hours per day.

9R San Bruno Rapid
Now offers Rapid service to Visitacion Valley, providing riders a faster trip to Mission and Downtown San Francisco. The new routing will be complemented by a significant service increase on the 9R that will now operate every eight minutes, replacing its current 12-minute frequency.

28/28R 19th Avenue
In anticipation of the Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit Project, the 28 19th Avenue has been extended to travel to Van Ness Avenue and North Point. The 28R will terminate at the current 43 terminal at Chestnut and Fillmore.

43 Masonic
The 43 Masonic has been extended to serve the Presidio Transit Center and Fort Mason, with increased frequency during commute hours.

7X Noriega Express
This cross-town route will now offer service, without transfer, to The Embarcadero.

PREVIOUS SERVICE INCREASES
Since the launch of Muni Forward, intensive focus has been placed on the routes that carry 70 percent of riders. The 5 and 5R Fulton Rapid (formerly the 5L Fulton Limited) are two of those routes. More than 3,000 new riders use the combined routes each weekday.

 

 

 

 

The graph below highlights the measurable improvements in bus frequency and time-savings for riders since 2013:

	AM Peak	Midday	PM Peak
Buses/Hour Before Pilot	15	7.5	13.33333
Buses/Hour After Pilot (5 & 5L)	20	12	15
% Increase	33%	60%	13%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Since April, Muni service delivery has reached a record high of 99.5 percent,” said SFMTA Director of Transit John Haley. “Equally noteworthy, our operator shortage has been resolved and the fleet investment is paying off.”