Muni Hits Record Ridership as City Leaders Rally Voters to Save Transit Funding

San Francisco kicked off its 10th annual Transit Month with a show of political force, as Mayor Daniel Lurie, four supervisors, transit agency heads, labor, and disability advocates gathered to celebrate Muni's strongest performance in years — and to deliver a unified warning: without voter-approved funding this November, the gains could vanish. The press conference doubled as a campaign launch for upcoming ballot measures aimed at closing a $307 million transit budget gap.

• Muni now averages over 500,000 weekday trips, with weekend ridership surpassing pre-pandemic levels and customer satisfaction at an all-time high
• Market Street subway delays down 60% since the 2019 Muni Performance Working Group, according to Board President Mandelman
• November ballot measures framed as make-or-break — the mayor, supervisors, transit union president, and Caltrain's leader all urged voters to pass transit funding measures
• Transit workers union says SFMTA can't add buses on high-demand routes like the 8, 38, 41, and 3 without new revenue
• Caltrain named America's fastest-growing transit agency following electrification, transitioning to all-day regional service
• Disability advocate calls for co-designing transit with riders who are blind, use wheelchairs, or face mobility challenges

Why it matters: The city's transit system is posting numbers that would have seemed unlikely during the pandemic hollowing-out of public transit. But city leaders used the celebratory moment to frame the system's financial future as precarious.