US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced last week that the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will receive $288.2 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to help the agency restore routes and prevent layoffs.
The funding is part of $30 billion that's been allocated to public transportation nationwide under the American Rescue Plan Act, according to reporting by NBC Bay Area.
"Public transportation has been a lifeline for communities and the American people throughout this pandemic," Buttigieg said in a statement. "This funding from President Biden's American Rescue Plan will help protect transit employees from layoffs, keep transit service running, and ensure people can get where they need to go."
Federal Transit Administration Administrator Nuria Fernandez said, "As our nation's transit systems recover from COVID-19, the American Rescue Plan funds ensure that they continue to provide service to the many Americans who depend on transit to get to essential jobs, healthcare and vaccine appointments."
Muni saw a dramatic drop in ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing the agency to scale back service and temporarily discontinue some lines.
Muni has since restored service along key routes, but in July SFMTA officials said the agency doesn't anticipate returning to about 90 percent pre-pandemic service levels until June 2023. Supervisor Dean Preston has been calling on the agency to restore all service by the end of the year.
In response to the newly announced funding, Preston made it clear that it might not be enough.
"No matter how much feds give, it's austerity when it come to SF riders. We aren't the first city to see transit under attack like this, just the latest," he said. "People shouldn't have to fight for their bus lines in a pandemic but here we are."
