Update: The proposal is dead, according to MTA Director Ed Rieskin. All the more reason to keep Sunday parking meters!
It seems like the SFMTA can’t give up on the desire to soak tourists on the F-line. The $6 special F-line fare is still on the table, with a possibly over $4m in revenue on the table for the agency. There are two ways the agency is proposing to make this money grab: Hit the riders with $6 all at once, or gradually increment the fare a $1 per year, like trying to boil to frog.
Opposition runs deep on this proposal. The SFMTA CAC voted with a recommendation to strike down the idea during their March meeting, and SFMTA board chair Tom Nolan went as far to say “We are not going to do that.” For now the idea still lives on, since ideas like rescinding Sunday Parking along with free rides for seniors, disabled, and 18 year olds are still proposed budget line items.
What isn’t included in this budget is what Muni’s union will be asking for, since the TWU 250-A members went without raises during the last budget cycle. Those negotiations will occur after the budget is closed and signed, leaving the agency up in the air as to if it can really afford to keep fares low, provide free service to those who qualify, and expand service 10%.