Muni passenger satisfaction rises, though riders ding agency for crowded buses, safety concerns

Overall passenger satisfaction with Muni service in 2022 increased from the previous year, a customer satisfaction report released Monday said.

The survey, compiled by Corey, Canapary & Galanis research company, showed 66 percent of Muni passengers surveyed rated overall service as either “good” or “excellent” — a 9 point percentage increase from 2021 when overall satisfaction was 57 percent. It’s the highest overall customer satisfaction since 2017 when it was at 70 percent.

A total of 553 interviews of San Francisco residents were taken between Aug. 5 to Oct. 23 of last year. The survey was given in Chinese, English and Spanish through phone and online surveys.

Eighty-one percent of passengers rated accessibility for persons with disabilities as “excellent” or “good” compared to 79 percent in 2021. Driver helpfulness saw an increase with 73 percent rating the attribute as “excellent” or “good” compared to 70 percent from last year, the survey said.

The attribute for Muni trips taken in a reasonable amount of time saw 65 percent of passengers rating the attribute as “excellent” or “good” compared to 57 percent in 2021.

Still, passengers surveyed said the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency can do a better job in managing crowding on buses, with just 37 percent of passengers rating the attribute as “excellent” or “good.” Other attributes that need improvement include safety on board Muni buses and transit stops.

On reliable Muni service, 47 percent of respondents rated the attribute as “excellent or good” — a five point percentage increase from 2021.

The survey showed passengers are riding Muni more often in 2022 compared to 2021, with 52 percent of respondents saying they rode Muni several times a week compared to 37 percent in 2021.

The survey also looked at how residents traveled in The City who had taken Muni in the last three years. The top survey response was driving at 83 percent followed by using a ride hailing app at 21 percent and walking at 14 percent.

Respondents said incentives that could get them back on Muni include increased frequency, better service coverage in The City and faster trips.

Since the last survey, the SFMTA restored more Muni service, which may have contributed to the higher increase in overall satisfaction with service, the agency said.