This week, the city of San Francisco announced the SFMTA had been awarded almost $40 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation for new city buses. The money will purchase 24 new diesel-hybrid buses for the city, as part of its ongoing efforts to modernize the fleet.
The funding from the US Transportation Department comes as SFMTA faces a massive budget deficit worth hundreds of millions. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of San Franciscans take muni every day, rely on the city’s transit system to commute to work, school, and more.
“Modern, reliable buses are essential to keeping San Francisco moving,” said Julie Kirschbaum, SFMTA Director of Transportation. “This federal investment strengthens our ability to provide excellent service today while accelerating the agency’s efforts to avoid costly breakdowns and loss of service. We thank the Department of Transportation for supporting reliable public transit, especially at a time when our financial outlook is unpredictable.”
The new buses will be 40-foot hybrid vehicles, and the funding comes as part of the Low- or No-Emission Grant. The SFMTA has long-term goals of creating a more sustainable transit system, and the new hybrid buses are a significant step forward.
So far, SFMTA has not released a timeline for when San Franciscans can expect the new buses to appear on routes. Muni has approximately 800 vehicles, and around 500 are hybrids.
This July, SFMTA raised the fare prices for Muni by 10 cents from $2.75 to $2.85 as part of efforts to close the massive budget deficit. A ticket paid for in cash has remained at a flat $3. People under 18 are still allowed to ride Muni for free. The agency also reported that they had found a whopping $160 million in savings internally as they work to address the budget.
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