Project Details

Community Guide to the TEP,  the TEP Implementation Plan, & the TEP Outreach Summary are Now Available!

Overview

The TEP was an in-depth planning process that has helped to inform and develop a comprehensive overhaul of San Francisco’s transit network, which will make Muni more efficient, reliable, safe, and comfortable for its 700,000 daily passengers. In conjunction with other Muni programs, the TEP built the blueprint for improving mobility for all residents while making Muni a great transportation choice for residents and visitors alike.  The TEP includes two categories of implementation tools to modernize Muni: 1) "Rapid" Proposals (or Travel Time Reduction Proposals), and 2) Network Service and Route Changes.  In addition, the TEP proposes to improve the customer experience by updating maps and investing in new signage to clearly communicate route information.  Some of the many improvements identified and informed by the TEP include:

The TEP has informed numerous projects that are now planned for implementation as a part of Muni Forward, which is the project focused on enacting Muni system enhancements and modifications that look beyond the bus to the end-to-end customer experience - from the walk, to the wait, to the ride.

TEP Projects Approved by the SFMTA Board of Directors

Muni Service and Route Changes 

At a special meeting on March 28, 2014, after SFMTA staff conducted extensive outreach about its numerous TEP service change proposals, collected a great deal of feedback about the proposals from members of the public, and made changes to the proposals based on that feedback, the SFMTA Board of Directors approved and legislated many of the TEP service change proposals.  These proposals are now being planned for implementation as a part of Muni Forward.

Service and Route Changes are approved for most Muni routes:

These are approved proposals for route restructuring, frequency improvements, and vehicle type changes, which will direct resources to where they are needed most, reducing crowding and improving connections to regional transit.

- List of Approved Service Changes by Route

Some of these service improvements require capital investment, such as new overhead wire or pedestrian improvements, to allow the bus to change routing, or to allow limited and local buses to run on the same street.

- List of Capital Projects Associated with Service Changes

TEP proposals are strategized based in part on recently-collected ridership and boarding statistics for each route.

- Table that Includes Ridership / Boarding Data

Fast-Tracked Rapid Projects 

Also approved by the SFMTA Board of Directors on March 28 is the fast-tracking of portions of proposed Rapid network corridors, which will be equipped with various capital enhancements for the purpose of improving transit efficiency and reliability.   Specifically, there are seven segments within the Rapid Proposals that have been approved for fast-tracking for the purpose of coordinating with already-scheduled paving and other construction projects, which are anticipated for initiation between the Spring and Fall of 2014.

CREATING A RAPID NETWORK

The planning process conducted as a part of the TEP identified the need for a "Rapid" network (or travel time teduction strategies), which are now being planned for implementation as a part of Muni Forward.

The proposed Rapid Network includes the following corridors:

TEP Detailed Description

• Background
• Project Components
• Environmental Review Process

Background

The Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP) is a planning project developed to achieve SFMTA's goal of helping San Francisco remain a vibrant, livable, world-class, transportation-rich city and realize its Transit First Policy.  Its focus is Muni: at once, the transit backbone of a transportation-rich system that connects all modes and all people, but also a system that has failed to keep pace with a changing San Francisco.  By way of an extensive planning process supported by data, engagement with the community at various levels, and critical lessons learned through the implementation of pilot projects, the TEP represents the first major evaluation of San Francisco's mass transit system in thirty years.

TEP Project Components

Service and Route Changes: At a special meeting on March 28, 2014, after SFMTA staff conducted extensive outreach about its numerous TEP service change proposals, collected a great deal of feedback about the proposals from members of the public, and made changes to the proposals based on that feedback, the SFMTA Board of Directors approved and legislated many of the TEP service and route change proposals. These changes will better serve Muni customers, reflect changing transit, streamline routes for improved reliability and reduced delay, and direct resources where they are needed most. The service and route changes include:

• Creating new routes
• Redesigning existing routes
• Adding service to new streets
• Eliminating unproductive existing routes or route segments
• Changing vehicle type
• Changing frequency and span of service
• Changing the mix of local/limited/express service
• Other changes, such as new express service stops, expansion of Limited-stop service to include Sundays, and the expansion of other service with the addition of days of operation.

See a list of approved service changes by route.

Some of these service improvements require capital investment, such as new overhead wire or pedestrian improvements, to allow the bus to change routing, or to allow limited and local buses to run on the same street. Capital improvements needed for route restructuring include:

• Overhead wire expansion to streets proposed for trolley service
• Layover space expansion and pedestrian improvements to terminals and transfer points where routes are proposed to intersect
• Road reconfiguration for a contraflow transit lane
• Additional accessible rail platforms.

These capital improvements will be phased upon resource availability and are needed to complete the TEP proposed service changes. See a list of capital projects associated with service changes.

Rapid Network: Travel time reduction proposals along the Rapid Network, including bus stop and roadway changes, will help customers get to their destinations more quickly. For these proposals, there are no route changes proposed; these engineering changes are proposed specifically to address the delays vehicles face along their routes. The Rapid proposals are focused to optimize each operating dollar. By reducing travel time and improving reliability, there are opportunities to save operating dollars that can be reinvested. These proposals are based on ideas from outreach and best engineering practices for transit. They are not changes to route frequency or alignment.

About the TEP Environmental Review Process:

The Planning Department conducted an environmental review of the Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP) in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The environmental review process provides decision makers and the general public with an objective analysis of the immediate and long range specific and cumulative environmental impacts of a proposed project on its surrounding physical environment. In California, an environmental review is two-fold in purpose: to disclose the impacts of a project and to ensure public participation.

On March 27, 2014, the CEQA Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) developed for the TEP was legislated by the San Francisco Planning Commission.  The Planning Department has more detailed information about the TEP environmental review process that took place.

Provide Feedback

Have any comments, questions, or general feedback about the TEP? Please let us know what you think:

• Leave a comment at Tellmuni.com.
• Call 311 and provide your feedback.
• Call the TEP Hotline at 415-701-4599.
• Email comments to tep@sfmta.com.

Languages

TEP information may be found in Chinese and Spanish at:

• Chinese 中文
• Español