Muni officials are projecting the transit agency should be almost back to pre-pandemic service levels by the beginning of next year, an estimated 85% by January 2022.
The SFMTA is currently running at 70% of pre-coronavirus service as it struggles to restore lines amid hiring and financial troubles following a year of scaled-back service. In the near term, however, some subway and streetcar lines are expected to return in May.
The city's famous cable cars are also expected to return by the end of the year.
But Director of Transit Julie Kirschbaum said the agency's L-Taraval, M-Ocean View and K-Ingleside trains likely won’t restart until early 2022.
Overall, Muni ridership remained down a staggering 76% in January.
The agency is "looking forward to recovering our ridership and supporting getting people to work, school, and other outings such as we did pre-pandemic,” Spokeswoman Erica Kato told the San Francisco Chronicle.
An infusion of cash is very close, as SFMTA officials expect to receive almost $715 million in federal stimulus funds by this week, helping plug budget gaps for two upcoming fiscal years.
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