• Your Muni is slow. With an average vehicle speed of 8.1 mph, it is far and
away the slowest major urban transit system in the nation. While some of
this can be blamed on San Francisco's congestion and density, there are
myriad methods of speeding up service other agencies have adopted that Muni
hasn't. This isn't just an inconvenience for Muni's declining ridership;
it's a major financial drain on a beleaguered system. Slow vehicle speeds
force Muni to spend more money to provide less service. Muni's lethargy is
literally costing it millions.
• For these and other reasons, Muni spends more to operate its vehicles than
virtually any comparable transit agency. For every mile Muni runs a bus in
this city, it spends $19.21; comparable agencies nationwide pay between $10
and $13. For every mile Muni runs a light-rail vehicle, it throws down
$24.37; comparable rail services spend between $12 and $22.
see, eg http://www.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/the-muni-death-spiral/C...