1. 2002 Muni Riders’ Survey Results
RESCUE MUNI
Press Conference
5/29/2002 1

2. 2002 Muni Riders’ Survey
6th annual survey assessed on-time performance from the rider’s perspective
“Did you, the rider, wait too long?”
67 volunteers recorded 2464 rides:
route, date, stop location, direction, destination
time they arrived, Muni arrived, reached destination
crowding and cleanliness
time various lines passed a fixed point, in some cases
We compared their wait times with Muni published times (on the Muni map) 2

3. Muni System Performance
Muni riders delayed 14% of the time
Down from 17% in 2001
Cut 1998 delays (28%) in half
This earned Muni a B grade
Most improved: 38-Geary (graded A)
Crowding was down substantially in 2002
Best service is again on the diesel bus
Motorcoach lines late only 11% of the time
Light rail was late 16%; historic streetcar 13% 3

4. Riders delayed ( )
Service has improved for four years in a row

5. Lines compared (1) Best five lines: line riders late grade change
47-Van Ness 4% A -13%
49-VN-Mission 5% A -15%
38-Geary 6% A -27%
2-Clement 7% A- +7%
33-Ashbury 7% A- -6% 6

6. Lines compared (2) Worst five lines: line riders late grade change
KLM subway 35% D +7%
(Embarcadero to West Portal)
L-Taraval 30% D+ +2%
M-Ocean View 28% C- -1%
22-Fillmore 23% C+ -4%
10-Townsend 22% C+ N/A
(New after 2001 survey) 7

7. Bus/rail compared ( )
Most service is better this year than last - notably light rail
Streetcar, limited slightly worse this year

8. Muni Metro (light rail) reliability
KLM Subway (between West Portal and Embarcadero) and L worse; J and N better

9. Waiting time ( )
Riders wait slightly more, relative to schedule (but service is more consistent)
Average wait worse
for second year

10. Variation among lines
Service is much more consistent: most lines were graded B
(note: this graph excludes lines with insufficient data)
No F! D C B A 8

11. Crowding
Crowding is much better this year - declining ridership due to poor economy?
Crush-loading
cut in half in 2002!

12. Cleanliness Still a problem - 20% of vehicles are dirty
Didn’t change much from 2001 overall - but mode ranking changed
Streetcars not as clean this year

13. Total responses
Response rate is up this year - THANK YOU volunteers!

14. Policy implications Budget increases have clearly helped
Four years of service improvement
Better management due to 1999 Prop. E
Detailed service standards now govern Muni performance and merit pay system
Fleet replacement means lower rate of breakdowns and equipment failures
Reduced automobile traffic has helped as well
The soft economy at work? 11

15. Budget increases help service
Will service suffer in this year of tighter budgets? ?

16. Recommendations
Muni must manage budget very carefully to prevent flat budget from reducing service quality
Very important to avoid unplanned service cuts!
New MTA must take advantage of reduced traffic to establish more dedicated right-of-way for Muni
e.g. new bus lanes on 4th, Folsom - many more are needed
Bus Rapid Transit on Geary, Van Ness, 19th Ave, etc.
With continued progress, Muni can earn an A next year!

17. or see www.rescuemuni.org
Thank You!
Questions?
Call us:
COLLIN MASLOV:
DANIEL MURPHY:
ANDREW SULLIVAN:
Rescue Muni Hotline:
or see 12