Riders rate Muni service as better than ever

A 2015 riders survey conducted by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency showed two-thirds of riders surveyed rated Muni service as “good” or “excellent.”

The transit agency surveyed 568 Muni riders by telephone asking how would they overall rate Muni service. Sixty-six percent of the respondents rated service as “good” or “excellent.” Twenty-eight percent of Muni riders rated the service “fair” and 6 percent rated the service as “poor.”

This is good news for the transit agency as overall satisfaction with Muni service has been trending up since 2011. Back it 2001, only 48 percent of Muni riders rated service as either “good” or “excellent.”

The survey also included looked at how often the 568 surveyed riders ride Muni. Those who rode Muni once a week, gave a more favorable rating compared to those who use Muni more than five times week.

Of course there is always room for improvement. Twenty-one percent of Muni riders said they would like to see more frequent service while 14 percent said they would like to see cleaner vehicles and stations and less overcrowding.

Muni riders were also less satisfied with service after 7 p.m. compared to the mornings and weekends. Fifty-six percent of riders rated Muni service after 7 p.m. as “good” or “excellent.”

Questions were also asked how the well the SFMTA does in keeping riders safe at bus stops and on Muni vehicles. Fifty-nine percent rated the transit agency as “good” or “excellent” in feeling safe and secure at bus stops and 54 percent said the transit agency does a good job in keeping riders safe on vehicles.

Muni rider etiquette was also part of survey. Some common rider behaviors that annoy other riders include boarding the bus without letting people off first and not giving a seat for the seniors or disabled riders. Forty-four percent cited littering as another behavior frowned upon.

The SFMTA interviewed current residents for the customer survey who have used Muni the last six months and conducted in English, Spanish and Chinese.

Jerold Chinn

Jerold serves as a reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief for SFBay covering transportation and occasionally City Hall and the Mayor's Office in San Francisco. His work on transportation has been recognized by the San Francisco Press Club. Born and raised in San Francisco, he graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in journalism. Jerold previously wrote for the San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization. When not reporting, you can find Jerold taking Muni to check out new places to eat in the city.