Muni discontinued six of its 80 bus lines, including the 4-Sutter and the 26-Valencia; Others had segments eliminated and service hours reduced, such as the 29-Sunset. Eight lines had their frequency increased, although none of these lines are close to the school.

The changes were based on data compiled over the past two years as part of the city’s Transit Effectiveness Project. This 18-month study of Muni was “the first comprehensive assessment and evaluation of Muni service in a generation,” according to a letter co-signed by Tom Nolan, the chairman of the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Municipal Transporation Agency and Nathaniel Ford, the executive director and CEO of SFMTA.

The 4-Sutter bus line was one of the several bus lines discontinued by MUNI due to budget cuts, effective on Dec. 5. (Cassandra Liu)

Only one rail-line, the N-Judah, was affected. The train no longer runs between the Embarcadero Muni station and Caltrain on weekends and holidays. The T-3rd Street provides identical service. The only other line affected that is frequently used by Lowell students is the 29-Sunset, which no longer runs in the Presidio north of Baker Beach. A complete list of changes can be found at www.sfmta.com.

According to a press release provided by SFMTA Public Relations officer Kristen Holland, the changes were made as part of the SFMTA’s attempt to alleviate their $129 million budget gap, but the specific adjustments are informed by the data collected in the TEP. “The service reductions include discontinuing routes and eliminating route segments with low ridership, decreasing frequency on less crowded routes and ending some routes earlier also due to low ridership,” Holland said.

Some of the changes, however, caused major inconvenience for students such as junior Danielle Goldberg, who used to take the 26-Valencia home. “I now have to walk 10 blocks from Glen Park,” she said.

Junior Mitchell Gordon, who rides the 36-Teresita, has seen a decrease in the frequency of that bus line, whose route has been extended to compensate for the cancellation of the 26-Valencia. “It used to come once every 20 minutes at peak hours,” he said. “Now it only comes every 30 minutes at peak hours. If I don’t time it right coming from school, I’ll miss it and have to wait half an hour to get home.”

While many students are unhappy with Muni, they still depend on it. “I do use Muni because it's a necessity, but it would be great if it ran more often,” Gordon said. “Muni’s biggest problem is reliability.”

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