If you had to name three things that are distinctive about San Francisco, cable cars would almost certainly be on that list. So the failure of Proposition L in this most recent election has a lot of people worried—namely, Muni.
San Francisco’s public transportation agency is facing a serious budget issue: an annual shortfall of $239–$322 million, according to the Chronicle. While Prop L would have generated $25 million each year by taxing rideshare services, that loss of potential income, paired with the possibility that the incoming president will bring no federal relief funds, may spell the end of jumping on the trolley.
Though Muni has yet to announce any cuts, a recent staff presentation contemplates cutting the iconic cable cars as one possibility. Suspending the three cable car lines as well as the vintage F streetcars that go down Market could save the transit company $33 million a year, but would be a bummer for tourists who expect the traditional ride. Muni’s considering other cost-cutting measures like reducing frequency for certain buses (a possible $71 million) and outright canceling little-used routes ($32 million), ones in hilly neighborhoods ($31 million) and nighttime buses ($14 million). Even crunching all those numbers, there will still be a shortfall.
Currently, a single ride on the cable car costs $8. According to San Francisco Travel, 9.7 million people ride the cable cars each year. So if we at Time Out had a seat on the transit board, what would we propose? If the city made the fare $12—a steep hike, sure, but hardly exorbitant for such a cool experience—that’d raise an extra $38 million to save the cable car lines and the F trains. You’re welcome! Glad Time Out could solve this problem.