Committee hears community alarm over private buses in San Franciscored transit lanes

SAN FRANCISCO Dec. 3, 2018 The Land Use and Transportation Committee on Monday heard hours of testimony calling on the city to restrict red (transit‑only) lanes to public transit, taxis and paratransit and to curb private commuter and tour buses that currently use those lanes.

"We have been rolling out the red carpet" for transit, said Supervisor Sandra Lee Feuer, the item sponsor, while urging a policy review. "I feel that we should be prioritizing public transportation and our taxis first and foremost." SFMTA staff countered that transit‑priority investments have reduced travel time and improved reliability on corridors where they exist.

The hearing focused on how many and what kinds of private buses operate on city streets and whether those vehicles slow Muni. SFMTA Deputy Director for Muni planning Sean Kennedy described system gains attributed to transit lanes and said enforcement uses a three‑pronged approach: lane enforcement cameras, Parking Control Officers and SFPD for moving violations. SFMTA staff said the city has about 30 miles of transit‑only lanes, including roughly 13 miles painted red for 24‑hour lanes.

SFMTA staff and the sustainable streets division said the commuter‑shuttle program has about 1,000 permitted vehicles with 350–400 operating on a typical day, and that the private transit vehicle permit held by Chariot covers about 100 vehicles; many other private or employer shuttles (hospital, airport, tour, casino) are regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission and are not tracked by SFMTA. Alex Chawman (SFMTA sustainable streets) said, "We know that in the commuter shuttle program, there are about a thousand vehicles permitted, and of those 350 to 400 are operating on any given day."

Community groups, seniors' advocates, merchants and transit‑justice organizations told the committee the net effect has been harmful. Several speakers cited Muni ridership demographics and described overcrowding, longer waits and local businesses reporting revenue losses after red lanes were added. Fran Taylor, a Potrero resident, said riders on some routes are "young and able‑bodied" while Muni carries large shares of low‑income and minority riders; she testified, "This is apartheid," to describe the equity gap between private‑shuttle users and public transit riders.

Private operators and labor representatives urged regulation rather than outright exclusion. A Chariot representative said the company transmits real‑time GPS data to SFMTA and agrees to route criteria designed to avoid competing with Muni. Teamsters representing private‑shuttle drivers said their members are trained to avoid interfering with Muni operations.

Supervisors pressed SFMTA on data: staff said small, localized blocking events may not show up in aggregated travel‑time averages, so SFMTA has used central control logs and operator reports to identify recurring problem spots. Kennedy acknowledged enforcement and legal ambiguities and said the agency is working with the City Attorney to clarify whether the state definition of a "bus" constrains local policy.

After receiving more than an hour of public comment, Supervisor Feuer moved to file the hearing and to pursue code and enforcement changes aimed at protecting transit lanes for public transit, taxis and paratransit. The committee filed the hearing without objection, directing further work and follow up with SFMTA and the City Attorney.

What happens next: The committee asked staff to review Division 1 and Division 2 of the Transportation Code, continue discussions with the City Attorney on legal definitions and return with data and enforcement options for the Board to consider.