Board Wrestles With Cable Car Fares as $1.56B Budget Takes Shape

The SFMTA Board of Directors spent the bulk of its March 17 meeting hashing out the financial architecture of a two-year budget that must close a $307 million deficit — and discovered that the humble cable car fare may be the thorniest policy call of the cycle. Separately, the agency celebrated completing safety upgrades at all 925 high-injury intersections citywide, even as recent pedestrian deaths cast a long shadow over the progress.

• Board coalesces around an $18 cable car "plus" pass with two free youth riders, but defers final decision to April 7

• $1.56B budget closes $307M gap with new taxes, a $200M state loan, and $74M in reserves — all hinging on two unproven November ballot measures

• All 925 high-injury intersections upgraded, but citywide injury trends remain flat and recent fatalities drive calls for speed camera expansion

• Equity transit routes match or beat system averages on reliability and crowding, though Bayview residents still face 60-plus-minute trips to much of the city

• Bay Wheels bike share hits 3.9 million trips, up 30% year-over-year, with contract extended to 2032

The cable car fare consumed roughly 90 minutes of board time — more than any other single topic — and exposed a fault line between directors who want bold simplification and those wary of sticker shock.