Dear Campus Community,
We hope this message finds you well. We wish to bring to your attention some Parking & Transportation changes that will impact our campus community.
Access to public transportation for SF State’s students, faculty, and staff plays a crucial role in linking us to the campus and our communities. This includes public transportation provided by local agencies, non-profit organizations, and the shuttle service SF State has provided to and from the Daly City BART station.
Like many parts of everyday life, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how public transit is used across the Bay Area. For example, BART ridership currently stands at an average weekday ridership of less than 40% of pre-COVID expectations. More drastically, ridership of SF State’s shuttle from the Daly City BART station to and from campus has decreased by 80% of pre-COVID levels. The shuttle’s cost is nearly $800,000 per year and will exceed $1 million in the next year or two. The shuttle has been free-of-charge for riders and fully funded by Parking & Transportation which has experienced a drastic reduction in revenues as lower enrollments and hybrid learning and work schedules have resulted in lower revenues collected for parking permits and fees.
Parking & Transportation has partnered with MUNI to ensure that sufficient bus service exists between the Daly City BART station and campus to provide consistent, timely service for current ridership. During our collaboration with MUNI, we learned that MUNI’s bus service is sufficient and that the shuttle service is redundant, based on current ridership.
Accordingly, Parking & Transportation will not resume the SF State shuttle service between the Daly City BART station and campus in the fall. Free MUNI 28 and 28R service to and from Daly City BART station will continue for students, faculty, and staff (requires tagging your Clipper Card entering or exiting Daly City BART and tagging on Muni). The Gator Pass which offers free MUNI service to students, pre-tax transit and parking benefits for staff, and other area transit options will also continue. We will be monitoring usage levels and partnering with MUNI to ensure there is adequate bus service between the Daly City BART station and campus. We understand the importance of accessible transportation options for our campus community and are dedicated to enhancing our transit and parking services to better suit your needs.
Funds saved from discontinuing the shuttle program will be used towards exploring the implementation of ride-share, e-bikes, e-scooters, and bike-sharing programs and partnering with services like Lyft, Uber, Lime, Spin, Bay Wheels, or local bike-sharing programs to offer discounted rates for students to encourage sustainable transportation practices. Funds saved will also enable us to address critical maintenance needs in our parking facilities, ensuring a safer and more efficient parking experience for everyone.
We are also pleased to announce that we are developing a more user-friendly daily parking permit app, offering additional payment options and pricing tiers to better accommodate the needs of the campus community. We will keep you informed of the progress of these initiatives through our parking website and other communication channels.
We appreciate your understanding and support as we endeavor to enhance transportation services for our campus community. Thank you for your ongoing cooperation.