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Hundreds of public speakers urge SFMTA to avoid cutting Muni service; coalition warns against ending low-income tow discounts
Summary
At the March 4 public comment period dozens of speakers, and coalition groups representing unhoused residents, transit riders and labor, urged the SFMTA board to use reserves or other revenue options rather than cutting summer Muni service or eliminating low-income towing discounts.
San Francisco ' During general public comment at the Municipal Transportation Agency board meeting on March 4 dozens of speakers urged the board to prevent planned service and program cuts by using the agency's reserves or tapping other revenue streams rather than reducing transit service or eliminating low-income tow discounts.
Speakers and coalition messaging
A coalition of service providers and advocacy groups led public appeals against removing low-income towing subsidies. Representatives from GLIDE, the Coalition on Homelessness, End Poverty Tows and a range of service organizations warned that cutting the discounts would push people living in vehicles into street homelessness and disrupt low-income workers' ability to get to jobs, school and childcare.
Individuals with lived experience also spoke. Several told the board a towed vehicle can represent a family's home or a primary source of income, and said the current discount program allows people who receive public benefits to retrieve a towed vehicle for a reduced fee. Shelter providers and social-service advocates described the program as a narrow safety net that prevents people from being pushed into homelessness.
Calls to use reserves and consider parking revenue
Many speakers also urged the board to use SFMTA reserves to cover an immediate $15 million shortfall so staff could avoid summer service cuts. Speakers and organized rider groups said short-term use of reserves would provide time to build broader fiscal solutions for a projected $322 million fiscal gap in 2026 rather than immediately cutting routes or programs such as crossing guards.
A range of commenters proposed alternatives to service cuts, including: - Using MTA reserves to bridge a near-term shortfall. - Pursuing parking and meter policy changes, such as expanding paid parking times or increasing parking fees in well-to-do neighborhoods. - Targeted revenue measures, including congestion or delivery fees and parcel levies.
Labor and operations concerns
Transit operators and TWU-related speakers asked the board to avoid using operators as justification for cuts and noted operational impacts such as scheduling and vacation sign-ups that affect morale. Union representatives urged management to reduce contracting out and find internal efficiencies.
Why this matters
Public commenters argued that cutting Muni service or safety programs such as crossing guards would have outsized impacts on transit-dependent residents, low-income households and families who rely on SFMTA services for school trips and work commutes. Several advocates warned that service cuts and elimination of tow discounts would increase homelessness and deep poverty among already vulnerable residents.
Ending
Board members heard the input and acknowledged the urgency. Multiple speakers said they would continue outreach to supervisors and the mayor seeking budget solutions to avoid summer service and program reductions.
