San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener introduced a resolution at this afternoon’s Board of Supervisors meeting to form a late night transportation working group that will create a plan to improve after-hours public transit in the region.
Earlier this month, Wiener convened a hearing at the Board of Supervisors’ Land Use and Economic Development Committee with select city agencies, entertainment and nightlife advocates, transportation officials as well as late night and early morning workers and employers to discuss the apparent dearth of late travel options.
Wiener has called for better and safer after-hours service, especially since BART and the San Francisco Municipal Railway do not run 24 hours.
He said there are limited public transit options for late night workers and residents and visitors leaving bars and other nightlife venues.
The supervisor said after the hearing it was determined that economical options such as transbay bus service and Muni late night OWL service is sporadic and not well publicized for late night travelers.
The working group will be tasked with proposing solutions that can lead to policy change, he said.
The group will include members of late night industries, workers, transportation providers and other stakeholders. The San Francisco Entertainment Commission and the city’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development will oversee this working group.
The group will report back to the Board of Supervisors in about six months, according to Wiener.
“Let’s take a hard look at late night transit options,” Wiener said at today’s meeting.
He said a full-scale review of late night transit hasn’t been done before despite a 2011 finding that the city’s nighttime economy contributes $4.2 billion annually, generates about $50 million in tax revenue and employs more than 50,000 people.
Sasha Lekach, Bay City News
