Muni Fare Increases to Halt Immediately

Marking a victory for SOMCAN, MUNI riders, and various community groups, Supervisors Aaron Peskin and Dean Preston joined SFMTA Director Jeffrey Tumlin to announce an agreement to immediately halt any MUNI fare increases for the upcoming 2021/2022 budget cycle, ending a major standoff between the MTA and supervisors regarding fare increases.

For over a year, SOMCAN has worked extensively with MUNI riders to organize and speak out against the fare increases. “Working-class San Franciscans are in a period of particularly extreme financial uncertainty, and any fare hikes would have put an unfair burden on transit riders, many of whom do not have access to or cannot afford alternative methods of transportation,” said Pj Eugenio, Employment Counselor of SOMCAN.

On April 14, 2020, the Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 on Preston’s resolution urging the SFMTA board not to increase Muni fares in their two-year budget. Despite the Resolution, and many Supervisors’ insistence that a fare increase during a pandemic was problematic, the transit agency approved fare increases the following week. In response, Supervisor Peskin and Supervisor Preston announced a Muni charter reform ballot measure that would have undone the fare increase and increased the power of the Board of Supervisors to regulate MUNI fares.

Supervisor Peskin has championed MTA reform efforts for years. “My colleagues and I are committed to doing the work with SFMTA to identify revenue to make the investments we need to keep Muni running, but they must be rooted in equity and performance standards. And when elected leaders establish policies reflecting these constituent needs, city departments should take them seriously so we don’t have to go to the ballot to get transit justice and accountability.”

Over the last couple of months, the Supervisors have engaged in negotiations with SFMTA leadership, as well as labor and community stakeholders, and reached the following agreements:

● SFMTA will not increase fares in the upcoming two-year budget cycle (FY 21 and FY 22).
● SFMTA, the Mayor’s office and the Board of Supervisors will work together on a new revenue measure that will help the Agency avoid major service cuts, particularly in transit-dependent communities.
● The Charter Amendment will be tabled.

The community has spoken loud, prompting substantial change especially in these challenging times. It is a testament to the power of community organizing. “The decision to halt fare increases shows once again that community organizing works,” says Eugenio. “I am thankful that our city leadership listened to the opposition and came to an agreement to protect our vulnerable riders.”