Stops will be removed as part of a project to address overcrowding, pass-ups and long travel times on the 29-Sunset bus route.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s Board of Directors on Tuesday approved the second phase of the 29-Sunset Improvement Project, which focused on making transit improvements on the route stretching from Ingleside to the Bayview. Some of those fixes include removing bus stops in the project area to improve reliability, installing bus bulbs and adding lighting to some bus stops.
SFMTA Transportation Planner Steve Boland said the 29-Sunset is at 90% of its pre-pandemic ridership levels, with an average of 18,000 daily riders. The crosstown bus route picks up passengers from several different stops, including the Ingleside, Excelsior and the Sunset. The approximate 13.5-mile route is the longest Muni non-Owl route in the system and picks up students from several K-12 schools as well as students from City College of San Francisco and San Francisco State University.
Anne Marie Kristoff
“I don't know if this is a fact, but I'm just going to go ahead and say it — I think there's more students on the 29 than any other Muni route,” Boland said. “Certainly, if you ride it about 2:30 in the afternoon, you can experience that firsthand.”
In fact, students in the Transit Club at Lowell High School had pushed the SFMTA in 2019 to make improvements to the route, including advocating for a 29 rapid route. The SFMTA currently has no plans for a rapid route due to its current financial situation, but has had internal discussions. Boland estimated that it could cost $15 million to $20 million annually to operate a 29 rapid route.
Directors on the board expressed interest in having a future board presentation on the possibility of a 29 rapid route.
“It seems to me it'd be useful to try to build a little momentum, even if quietly, for this route and see what else is out there, and try to put together some kind of priority about where we start and what's next,” Board Director Steve Heminger said.
Two students from Lowell, representing the Transit Club, spoke in favor of supporting the project during public comment.
“When we ask students why they don't take the bus, they mention a lack of bus wait time consistency, overcrowding and safety concerns,” one of the students said. “ It is not uncommon to hear about multiple 29 buses in a row passing students because they are already full.”
The students also mentioned bus bunching, where buses would arrive within a few minutes of each other, followed by buses arriving 15 to 20 minutes later.
One project element that will be deferred is the addition of a bike lane on San Bruno Avenue until the SFMTA does further outreach.
Bus Stop Removals
A total of 21 bus stops will be removed as part of the approved project, with 11 being removed in one direction and 10 in the other, according to an SFMTA staff report. Boland said bus stops were either removed due to low ridership usage or because they did not meet the SFMTA’s bus stop standards, being at least 800 feet apart.
The stops being removed include:
- Garfield and Byxbee streets
- Garfield and Victoria streets
- Garfield Street and Jules Avenue
- Grafton and Granada avenues
- Plymouth and Holloway avenues
- Persia Avenue and Paris Street
- Persia Avenue and Madrid Street
- Persia Avenue and Athens Street
- Mansell and Dartmouth streets
- Mansell and Goettingen streets
- Paul Avenue and Bayshore Boulevard
- Paul Avenue and Gould Street
Based on community feedback from previous proposals, Boland said the final project includes keeping bus stops on Persia Avenue, one at Naples Street, and another stop at Moscow Street. A new stop is also being added at Persia Avenue and Lisbon Street. Some stops will also be moved from the near side to the far side.
Transit Stop Improvements
The project includes installing bus zones or extending them so bus operators can have a dedicated space to pull in and out to pick up and drop off passengers. Bus bulbs are also being installed at several bus stops that will extend the sidewalk to allow for a better waiting area for passengers and reduce delays for buses.
Jerold Chinn
Boland said that with the sidewalk extension, Muni bus operators will not have to merge out of traffic to a bus stop and then merge back into traffic.
Additionally, the project includes installing new transit shelters at up to four locations and solar-powered lighting.
Next steps
Boland said once the project is approved, the agency can start implementing quick-build changes that do not require major construction within six to nine months. All other construction not part of the quick-build phase will be completed by the end of 2029.
