In response to the recent Google bus protests, Mayor Ed Lee held a press conference on Jan. 6 to present the city’s plans to address controversy surrounding tech shuttles’ use of MUNI bus stops.
Joined by representatives from MUNI, Genentech, Google, Apple, Facebook, Bauer’s Intelligent Transportation, and the
Bay Area Council, Lee’s proposed strategy is to charge fees for daily use, limit the shuttle service’s access to only 200 of the 2,500 MUNI stops, while charging each company a fee based on a per stop, per day basis. The latter could amount to more than $100,000 annually per company.
The announcement to adopt new regulations on the shuttles’ use of city bus stops came after two months of protests targeting Google buses in San Francisco and Oakland. Hundreds of protesters turned out with anti-bus banners, blocking the buses from using the stops.
The general tone of the protests wentfrom simple sign waving to a full-on confrontation, resulting in a broken bus window as well an impostor claiming to be a Google employee aggressively yelling at the crowd with the intention of creating a viral video from the staged ordeal.
For the protesters, it seems that their work has payed off by forcing the mayor to address the situation.
“San Francisco needs a reliable, safe and affordable world-class transportation system,” said Lee. “This agreement will help the City realize the benefits that come with commuter shuttles—such as keeping thousand of cars off our roads and preventing gridlock—while ensuring companies pay their fair share and don’t delay our public transportation
system.”
For Roberto Hernandez, co-founder of Our Mission: No Evictions, a campaign that played a key role in the recent protests, Lee’s proposal falls short of dealing with the real issues.
“The point is that his plan has yet to address is the congestion, which has been the problem from the start,” said Hernandez. “How are these fines supposed to stop the gridlock that’s hindering local residents from getting to work? Anyone who is out in the morning at 24th and Mission (streets) can see clearly the mess that this is creating. That’s the problem.”
One thing both sides of the shuttle bus debate agree on is that keeping cars off the streets is ultimately what’s best for the Bay Area. For the people protesting the shuttle services, the buses themselves aren’t seen as the problem; it’s how the buses represent yet another phase of big tech making life difficult for longtime Mission residents.
“It is unfair for (organizations like) Google to take advantage of the city’s bus stops that are meant for the people who need them,” said Alma Herrera-Pazimo, representative of Loco Bloco, a Mission-based arts and community building organization.
“We support Lee’s plan as long as the money coming from these fees is put towards helping those in the area who need
help with transportation.”
City officials insist that the new program is doing just that.
“This new SFMTA pilot (program) takes more cars off the road, reduces delays on MUNI, and benefits the environment and all residents getting around and traveling out of San Francisco,” said Board of Supervisors President David Chiu. “Partnering with Bay Area companies with commuter shuttles, we are working to improve our entire transportation network, grow the economy and create a more livable and vibrant city for everyone.”
For Hernandez, however, if the buses are still using the same locations and congesting the city centers, then Our Mission: No Evictions still has work to do.
“The city needs to create a hub for the tech shuttles that is its own area away from the MUNI lines. A place where people can park their bikes and have a place to use Wi-Fi while they wait—they could even sell food and
coffee and make money,” said Hernandez.
“These people are already getting a luxury bus ride to work, should the rest of the city be forced to suffer as well? It’s not just.”