On the bus
Transit riders urged not to pay increased fares and thereby force a showdown with city leaders

By Sharon Luk

As the San Francisco Municipal Railway fare hike that helped close the city's budget deficit went into effect Sept. 1, a coalition led by Transit Justice prepared to launch a fare strike to oppose what it characterizes as an attack on the city's poor and working class.

Saying the fare hike represents a regressive tax, Transit Justice members note that higher fares will hit hardest the working people and students who rely on public transit. Meanwhile, downtown corporate interests that generate profit from Muni services get by unscathed.

"Downtown businesses and corporations require Muni services to get workers and customers to their doors, and yet they don't contribute anything to making public transportation accessible," Transit Justice organizer Geri Almanza told the Bay Guardian. "The city needs to look to downtown to help support public transit, instead of putting the costs onto low-income people who are already struggling in a super-expensive city."

Ken Cleveland, director of government and public affairs for the Building Owners and Managers Association of San Francisco, doesn't think it's fair to ask businesses to close the shortfall. "Muni is a public service that everyone benefits from," he said. "We don't mind doing our part, but paying for Muni needs to be a shared burden."

In recent weeks community organizers have been leafleting at bus stops in busy transit areas such as the Outer Mission, Lower Haight, and Potrero Hill to prepare for a citywide fare strike beginning Sept. 2. Organizing large groups of people to board together for support, Transit Justice is urging people to refuse to pay either the whole fare or the extra quarter. The group is also encouraging cooperation between Muni patrons and Muni workers, who are also hit hard by the new budget. Strikes will be organized by area and bus line until Muni and the Board of Supervisors address community concerns with a public hearing.

According to the Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA), the seven-member board appointed by the mayor to oversee Muni and the Department of Parking and Traffic, these increases are in response to a budget crisis throughout the city and state. "The most important thing for us was to avoid service cuts, which we have," Muni public relations officer Maggie Lynch told us. "We did everything within the purview of what we could do [to avoid fare hikes]."

Cuts in revenue from the city's General Fund, as well as decreased funding from the state sales tax, have contributed to the emptying of Muni coffers. Transit Justice estimates that Muni fare increases are projected to plug a hole of about $15 million. Other new revenue sources include an extra $19 million from parking fees and $7 million in union givebacks.

Tom Wetzel, a member of the Transit Justice organizing committee, said several alternatives to fare hikes exist that could generate the needed revenue.

"In the short run, there is a combination of options that, when taken together, could cover the relatively small amount of money [from fare hike revenue] that we're looking at," he said. "For example, in her 2000 Board of Supervisors campaign, candidate Denise D'Anne introduced a proposal to charge city managers and judges for parking. This proposal has been considered by the Green Party Transportation Working Group and Sup. Chris Daly, who estimates that it could raise between $1 million and $2 million. The Green Party has a number of its own proposals [in lieu of fare hikes] as well."

Long-term budget solutions endorsed by Transit Justice include the creation of a "transit assessment district" that would tax downtown property interests to cover gaps in Muni funding. The group also suggests doubling transit impact development fees (TIDFs), levied by the city on corporations in the greater downtown area in accordance with the amount of office space they own. Currently, TIDFs make up less than 9 percent of Muni's overall budget.

"Since Muni is a citywide service, a proposed transit assessment district should also apply citywide," Cleveland said of the proposals. "And TIDFs are pretty high already. In the interests of the long-term economic future of the city, we shouldn't stifle new development [with higher fees]."

Last March, the MTA voted 5-2 in favor of a fare hike. About 60 people from the public, primarily union workers opposed to the givebacks in the plan, attended the MTA board meeting to contest the proposed Muni budget.

Some describe the fare increase as a backdoor budget decision. "There was pretty low visibility about the proposed changes, in terms of public statements and press coverage," Wetzel said. "And that's augmented by the fact that Muni riders don't even get a vote."

Transit Justice hopes this will change with the strike. "We're asking for a public hearing to give the supervisors a better perspective about how [fare hikes] affect everyone in the city," Almanza said. "From there we demand that they pursue other funding options."

For a complete list of fare hikes, visit www.sfmuni.com. For more information on the fare hike and strike, contact Transit Justice at (415) 431-4210 or www.transitjustice.org.