On Tuesday, May 5, 2026, SFMTA leadership joined Mayor Lurie and community members to announce Fares for Our Future — a new initiative to strengthen Muni’s future.
What is it?
Fares for Our Future is a renewed initiative to improve fare compliance on Muni as part of SFMTA's commitment to making sure everyone pays their fair share. We consistently hear from the public that many people are frustrated when they see other people not paying for their rides.
Designed in part to address that feedback, Fares for Our Future includes a comprehensive package of 100-day and 6 month + actions. We care about the future of Muni and know you do as well.
What are we doing to improve fare compliance on Muni?
- Enhancing Fare Inspection: We are going to hire more Transit Fare Inspectors. Our goal is compliance, not penalty, but if there is no proof of payment, people could pay a $134 fine. Paying your fares is a critical part of how we provide excellent Muni service.
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Modernized Payment Options & Data Collection: San Francisco is a world-class city that needs a world-class transit system. In the coming months we will transition some of our existing, invisible payment forms to tapping.
For example, we are going to give Clipper cards to the 6,000 SFMTA staff who currently show their employee badges as proof of payment. This not only helps show more people visibly tapping a form of payment to ride Muni, but this will also help us better understand the data of our ridership and revenue streams.
- Stronger Community Outreach and Engagement: There are many ways to pay for your Muni fare, including programs for seniors, youth 18 and under, and low-income riders. We're going to ramp up our outreach and education efforts to ensure that communities can easily access our free and reduced fare options, for those who may be cost burdened by paying a full Muni fare.
If you have any questions, please contact Nathan Stalnaker, Public Relations Officer: nathan.stalnaker@sfmta.com.
Thank you for riding Muni!
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Transit Fare Inspector Veronica Lujan speaks to a crowd gathered at Harvey Milk Plaza in San Francisco on May 5, 2026, to hear the announcement of "Fares for Our Future," a new SFMTA fare enforcement initiative. Also visible in the photo are SFMTA Board Chair Janet Tarlov, State Senator Scott Wiener, Supervisor Stephen Sherrill, Mayor Daniel Lurie, SFMTA Director of Transportation Julie Kirschbaum, as well as Lujan's colleagues from the SFMTA Transit Fare Inspector team.