San Francisco MTA adopts cost-savings strategies

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) board last week adopted a slate of cost-savings strategies as recommended by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) financial oversight committee.

The MTC is the planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. Its financial oversight committee in May approved a Bay Area Financial Efficiency Review (FER), which identified strategies that SFMTA, Bay Area Rapid Transit, AC Transit and Caltrain could pursue to improve operational efficiency, service and revenue sourcing.

"[The board] has reinforced our ongoing commitment to fiscal responsibility,” said Julie Kirchbaum, SFMTA director of transportation in a press release. "Finding new revenue sources and managing public funds responsibly are vital to securing the agency’s long-term financial health and stability. Smart spending and delivering excellent customer experience can happen at the same time."

The following FER recommendations were adopted by the SFMTA:

• Improve fare compliance and enforcement;
• increase parking revenue;
• evaluate zero-emission bus transition program;
• examine service schedules to optimize staffing;
• improve service reliability;
• right-size the light-rail fleets on the K and M lines;
• pursue larger contract renewals; and
• expand the Clipper BayPass program to increase ridership.

SFMTA's approval of the recommendations positions the agency to build on prior cost-savings strategies launched in response to economic pressures and changing travel patterns from the COVID-19 pandemic, SFMTA officials said.

Since 2019, the agency has achieved about $250 million in savings by eliminating vacant positions, strategically reducing service, implementing transit priority improvements and eliminating certain planned one-time expenditures. BART and Caltrain have also adopted the FER's recommendations.