Latest news with #SFMTA
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
BART station shuts down, Muni diverted due to SF ICE rally
(KRON) — The Embarcadero BART station was closed Sunday night amidst an evening of protests in downtown San Francisco. BART announced the station was closed 'due to a civil disturbance,' the transit agency posted on social media. BART announced the closure at 8:55 p.m. and said about an hour later that normal service had been restored. Trains are stopping at the Embarcadero station: both Muni and BART. According to SFMTA, the protest has caused Market Street bus service to be rerouted to Mission Street. As of 9:50 p.m., the F Market line — between the Ferry and Fisherman's Wharf — continues to bypass the Embarcadero station stop. Hundreds of protesters gathered Sunday evening in San Francisco's Financial District. People were protesting President Donald Trump's deportation policies. The protest was held in front of the city's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office on Sansome Street. Earthquake shakes East Bay on Sunday night This comes after a series of ICE arrests in Los Angeles over the weekend. Hundreds of federal troops were sent to the city's downtown area, which has prompted anger and fear among locals. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
23-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
San Francisco makes upfront taxi pricing program permanent
San Francisco's upfront taxi pricing program is here to stay. The Board of Directors of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Board voted to keep the program at their May 20 meeting. "We're thrilled to give San Franciscans and visitors a new and more convenient way to access the city's taxi services and to have the peace of mind from knowing their fares before taking a trip," said SFMTA Director of Transportation Julie Kirschbaum. The Taxi Upfront Fare program started as a pilot in 2022. How it works is if passengers request a ride using apps from Flywheel, Curb, or Arro they would see a locked-in upfront price instead of one determined by the meter during the ride. Under the program riders who request an UberX ride through the Uber rideshare app can also be routed to a nearby taxi instead of a rideshare driver. MJ Keller is the head of U.S. taxi partnerships at Uber she said the company plans to maintain the partnership going forward. "As we continue to strengthen our relationship with the taxi industry, Uber appreciates the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's decision to make the Upfront Fare Program permanent," Keller said. "By integrating taxis onto our platform, we're providing taxi drivers with more flexibility and increased earnings opportunities while giving riders access to new transportation options. We believe this program continues to be a win for drivers, riders, and the City of San Francisco, and we're excited to support its continued growth." According to data from the SFMTA half of the city's 1,300 taxi drivers took part in the pilot program. Those drivers gave close to 400,000 fixed-priced rides and made 25% more on average than drivers not in the program. "I've been driving for a long time, and at first I was skeptical, but this program has been good for the taxi drivers who have been around for a long time, and the newer ones," said Zee Sinada, Yellow Cab Medallion Owner and member of the SFMTA Paratransit Coordinating Council. "I begged the SFMTA to keep this program going, because there wasn't enough business for the taxi drivers. But now, riders have more choices, and taxi drivers do, too. Financially, this is a difference of $600-$700 in extra earnings a week we're talking about – this makes such a big difference." SFMTA officials credit the program at least in part for increasing taxi driving recruitment. They said there have been 300 new drivers since the start of the program compared to 30 new drivers the year before.
Motor 1
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- Motor 1
This City Added Speed Cameras. Now, They're Issuing 30,000 Tickets a Month
Last year, San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) voted to install 33 cameras at high-risk intersections across the city beginning in late April. Those cameras issued more than 30,000 warnings in their first month of operation—that's more than 1,000 warnings per day, and the final 11 cameras aren't even up and running yet. According to SF MTA, the first batch of 22 cameras was launched on March 20th, 2024, in response to a new state law that allowed such changes. Walking advocacy groups, among others, had petitioned for the installation on the grounds of pedestrian safety. Photo by: Getty Images The San Francisco Chronicle said the cameras were placed in areas with a history of speeding and crashes. These areas included school zones and commercial corridors, with the cameras snatching plate photos of vehicles traveling at least 11 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. Nearly half the warnings were issued from cameras at the border of Golden Gate Park, which will likely be the stretch of road most familiar to us outsiders, and those cameras didn't come online until April 22, data from SFMTA said. However, San Francisco's camera program is still in its trial phase, meaning these "tickets" issued by the cameras are just warnings for now, aimed at lowering the overall speed in these high-risk areas. But that's about to change once the program is fully implemented. Photo by: Getty Images Those traveling 11-15 mph over the limit are fined $50 according to California state law, with the price increasing to $500 for any vehicle traveling 100 mph or more. (Frankly, that seems a bit low for getting caught doing a buck anywhere in San Francisco's congested tangle of streets). Given the staggering number of tickets handed out during the trial phase of this camera rollout, we'd guess drivers will learn to curb their speeds in these areas. But it's definitely one lesson to keep in your back pocket: Slow down in San Francisco. Don't Speed Which States Have 80 MPH Speed Limits In 2025? Another State Joins the 80-MPH Speed Limit Club Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Source: San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency via San Francisco Chronicle Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
CBS News
21-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
San Francisco Muni Metro stations closed because of equipment problem
San Francisco Muni Metro stations were closed between Embarcadero and Van Ness on Wednesday afternoon because of an equipment problem, transit authorities said. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency initially reported around 12:30 p.m. a problem with overhead equipment on the light-rail line between the Embarcadero and Montgomery stations. As of shortly after 2:30 p.m., the Muni Metro stations at Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell, Civic Center and Van Ness were closed while maintenance personnel worked to fix the problem. Bus shuttles were taking passengers between the affected stations during the service disruption, according to Muni officials. There was no estimate yet for when regular service will resume.
Axios
21-05-2025
- Axios
Advocates push to revive "Vision Zero" amid rising pedestrian fatalities
Transportation safety advocates are pushing for San Francisco's leaders to re-adopt a street safety plan to reduce pedestrian-related crashes and traffic fatalities. Why it matters: 12% of San Francisco's streets account for 68% of the city's most severe and fatal traffic collisions, according to SFMTA. Excessive speed is the leading cause of injury and death, followed by drivers running red lights and failing to yield at intersections. Driving the news: Street safety groups rallied at City Hall this week to protest the number of pedestrian deaths since the city's Vision Zero initiative expired in 2024. They're now calling on Mayor Daniel Lurie to implement a new policy by July 30 with seven actions, including lowering speed limits, increasing enforcement and installing " turn calming" infrastructure at intersections. What they're saying: "If the mayor really does believe that street safety is part of public safety, how does street safety, when it comes to traffic violence, fit into that? Right now it's not clear," said Jodie Medeiros, executive director of Walk San Francisco. Increased delivery truck and rideshare traffic, more powerful vehicles and aggressive driving have contributed to the problem, she added. By the numbers: 24 pedestrians died from vehicle collisions last year and six have been killed in 2025, five of whom were seniors, Medeiros noted, citing city data. Follow the money: Between 2018 to 2022, traffic fatalities totaled $2.5 billion – costs attributed to property damage, insurance payouts and emergency response, among other factors, per a recent city report. "It's not only a moral imperative, but it's a fiduciary imperative to address this issue," Emma Hare, a legislative aide for District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who held a committee hearing on the issue earlier this week, told Axios. Catch up quick: Vision Zero, a global traffic safety initiative first adopted by San Francisco in 2014, was designed to eliminate traffic fatalities and reduce critical injuries through projects focused on street redesigns, education and speed management. Despite making safety improvements, the city was unable to accomplish its zero-deaths goal. State of play: Lurie's office did not answer questions on whether he planned on readopting a new policy by the advocates' deadline. Instead, Axios was referred to comments he made at a May 15 rally, in which he said San Francisco leads the state in "deploying advanced technology to enforce safe streets" with new automated speed cameras. "We are going to keep doing whatever it takes to keep our residents and visitors safe and that means using every tool in our toolbox," Lurie added. What's next: Melgar on Tuesday, during the Board of Supervisors meeting, requested the city attorney to draft legislation for a Vision Zero 2.0 policy. The hope is to create a more comprehensive plan that addresses safety on a wider scale rather than focusing on piecemeal strategies, Hare said, which can be "challenging to manage" when many city agencies are involved.
