Chronicle: No more free transfers?
The SFMTA isn’t finished in it’s quest to close its upcoming $100m budget deficit. On the table is a $0.50 fee to transfer between transit vehicles, a move that would generate $7.5m per year. Another, more pricey option, is to eliminate transfers completely, which would generate $20m per year.
With all the seniors and disabled who could otherwise afford to pay the full fare (me included) getting a free ride they need to make up the difference some place.
I guess for those who do not use Muni enough times during the week or month to get some kind of a pass, this will not be a great burden.
That’s awful. Unless you are going to and from downtown or only going a short distance, it’s very rare to be able to take a single bus somewhere.
Even if you have a single route that works for you, it’s still common that you need to take a different bus if yours is running late, and that bus may require a transfer. For instance, I used to take the 33 from Arguello down to the SoMa/Potrero but sometimes I would have to take the 21 to the 9 instead.
Aside from the major inconvenience, isn’t this just encouraging more people to evade fares? I really feel like few people can afford to pay more than $2/trip.
If anything, they could reduce the amount of time the fare is valid so that people are less likely to be able to use it for both legs of a short trip such as going to a restaurant and then home again 2 hours later.
^To clarify, the “That’s awful” remark was in response to eliminating/charging extra for transfers, not Don’s post.
Charging for transfers would also delay boarding and slow down service. Yet another reason why it’s a terrible idea.