Service cuts are coming to Muni, and don’t let them catch you by surprise. The MTA is having a series of meetings to discuss the issue, and if the attendance over 100 people is any indication, people are interested in finding a solution to this problem.
Transit is at the heart of the city’s commerce, and if service is cut even from it’s current levels, the city will be impacting it’s own source of revenues: the tax base. If the bus doesn’t arrive, that’s 100 people that are late for work, that could be fired, or just give up and decide not to do that shopping trip today. A missed run means missed opportunuties, so the MTA needs to be reasonable and cut excess, not runs, and raise revenue where reasonable.
If the MTA goes with fare increases, then they also have to increase service. Value has to match price, otherwise ridership will drop off. Cleaner buses, friendlier drivers, and more a more visable security presence are examples of how to expand service for price without more wheels and irons on the road.