The City has announced that the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) will expand the Free Muni for Youth program so that everyone 18 and under can ride Muni free of charge, and to make it simple and bureaucracy free, there will be no need to apply.They City expects that more than 100,000 youth across San Francisco will benefit.
Mayor London N. Breed, thanked District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, for bringing the idea forward and the work she did to make it a reality. She said via statement,
For some people in our city the financial burden of riding Muni is small, but so many young people and families with children rely on public transportation and these fares have a significant impact on their budgets. After more than a year of social distancing and virtual learning, I want to see students taking the bus to get to school and to hang out with their friends. This will not only save them money, but also hopefully foster a new generation of Muni riders. I want to thank Supervisor Melgar for bringing this idea forward and pushing to make it a reality.
Supervisor Melgar said via her Twitter account that communities have been working for over a decade to make the free muni for youth a reality and thanked “the many youth activists, at Jamestown, SOMCAN, Coleman Advocates, CPA, CYC and many others “ for their work.
Communities have been fighting for free Muni for all youth for over a decade, and I’m so grateful to Mayor Breed for engaging with me, and for funding a program our city so desperately needs. This collaborative spirit is essential to making progress on community needs. This makes sense now during our recovery and it makes sense in the future to reduce our carbon footprint, introduce more riders into the system, and help youth and their families economically by providing free transportation to and from school and activities. This removes barriers, makes for a more confident and equitable system and paves the way for a more accessible system in the future. I look forward to this program’s success, sustainability, and to continuing to advocate for a stronger, sustainable, accessible Muni and to making San Francisco a more child and family friendly city, said Supervisor Melgar.
When the Free Muni for Youth Program began as a pilot in March 2013, it only provided free Muni rides to children ages 5 to 18 from low-to moderate-income households, but with the new expansion of the program all young people will qualify without having to apply.
This was possible as the City has allocated $2 million in the upcoming 2021-2022 Fiscal Years budget.
The expansion of the Free Muni for Youth Program was originally adopted by the SFMTA Board of Directors last year, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic SFMTA didn't have the financial resources to fund the program. Chair of the SFMTA Board of Directors, Gwyneth Borden said via statement,
San Francisco’s youth depend on Muni to get them to school, their extracurricular activities, and part-time jobs and more—public transit helps them grow and thrive. Our Board is committed to removing any and all barriers to opportunity and education for the City’s youngest residents.
The SFMTA also provides Free Muni for senior citizens and people with disabilities with an annual income at or below 100 percent of the Bay Area median and the program was expanded in 2020 to persons experiencing homelessness.
Qutong Supervisor Melgar, this new program will no doubt help make San Francisco a more child and family friendly city but also in the long term, to reduce our carbon footprint.