What Makes A Good Transit System?
My thoughts on what it takes to get people on buses and trains
At the beginning of the year San Francisco launched a brand new subway line, the Central Subway. It’s been something I’ve been waiting YEARS for. Living in Nob Hill, getting to the Caltrain station for work is a trek. Buses don’t reach the station directly which makes them a slow option, so for the most part, I’d rely on my trusty Revel mopeds. But with the new subway line, I’d finally have a direct route from Chinatown to the Caltrain.
When it finally opened, I excitedly made an effort to try it out. I decided to opt for a short trip from Union Square to Chinatown. I arrived at the station and checked the timetable. Wait.. hold on.. 25 minutes?! Are you kidding me?? When I checked Google Maps and found that walking would take me 30 minutes, I said screw it, I’m calling an Uber.
This is a constant story in San Francisco. But unlike when I lived in Los Angeles, public transit is actually a part of my experience living in the city, whether it’s taking MUNI buses or BART trains. Yet transit in San Francisco always leaves me disappointed. And I’m definitely not the only one, there’s a reason Uber and Lyft were started in this city.
Even as an urbanist, I begrudgingly rely on automobiles and personal vehicles to get me around. I’m not one of those purists that only stick to buses, I’ve got places to be. But it got me thinking, what does good transit look like? I thought of my time in major cities like New York and Tokyo, and even places that surprised me like Bangkok and Budapest. Reflecting on my experiences, I think there are some key features that make a transit system good.
Coverage & Convenience
While I am thankful for the Central Subway, the fact that it took over 10 years to build only 4 new stations was incredibly disappointing. Phase 2 is planned which extends the line into North Beach and Fisherman’s Wharf, but I doubt this will be opening up any time soon. While rail transportation in San Francisco does cover parts of the city, other neighborhoods are underserved. There are no trains I can take to get me directly to picnicking in Golden Gate Park or dumplings in the Richmond.
Even though the Central Subway is an option, it’s still a 10-minute walk from home for me. This is not bad when walking downhill to get there but absolutely brutal climbing uphill to return home after work. Immediately by my apartment, there are several bus routes but they’re indirect and require transfers to take me to where I want to go. The cable car lines which flank my apartment would actually be extremely convenient, but they are always packed with tourists (and it’s $8 what a rip-off). Sadly, while I do have transit options available, I find myself preferring to scooter directly to my destination rather than spending time transferring from different public transit options.
Meanwhile, in other cities, transit options usually cover a large swath of all the places I want to go to. From Tokyo to Paris to New York City, I can get anywhere by sticking to the metro. In Budapest and Mexico City, transit is still a reliable option for getting anywhere interesting.
The sad part is, San Francisco’s rail lines used to cover most of the city. While San Franciscans are used to taking lines like the J through the M, what they don’t realize is that there used to be lines A through F too. These lines covered the Richmond, the Marina, the Presidio, and the eastern part of the Mission. The routes were removed in favor of buses, whose issues lead to my second point.
Frequency
In San Francisco, the most frequent buses arrive every 10 minutes but on average it’s usually longer than that. And this is painful. Waiting at a bus stop in the chilly SF summer air is not a fun time. Meanwhile, during rush hour in NYC subways arrive every 3 to 5 minutes. The fact that Kyiv could still run trains every 7 minutes (which is a delay due to war) blew my mind.
The best transit system is one where I can arrive at the station and know my ride isn’t far away. Anything under 5 minutes is perfect. Under 10 is passable. Over 10 minutes means I need to plan a schedule around it, which is annoying. If I just barely miss my bus or train, I’m stuck waiting for a while which extends my commute. Obviously expecting frequent transit 24/7 is unrealistic, as most cities do have modified schedules at night. But during peak hours this would be ideal.
In San Francisco, a big problem can be delays too. On top of waiting 10 minutes for your next bus or train, that wait can be even longer because of traffic or some unexpected snag. Sadly, there are only a few dedicated bus lanes which means they can get stuck in traffic like any other motor vehicle. Some rail lines are also vehicle lanes, meaning that trains also get stuck in traffic. Dedicated lanes for public transit and synchronizing lights could help.
So is more frequent transit possible in San Francisco? It’s easy to forget that unlike New York or Tokyo, SF is filled with 800,000 people, not millions. But Valencia, Spain (pop. 791k) manages to have a frequency of 5-10 minutes during peak hours. And Gothenburg, Sweden (pop. 591k) has some lines that are as frequent as every 6 minutes. More frequent transit is possible in San Francisco.
Comfort & Safety
I consider myself lucky that I’ve never experienced any threatening situations while on public transit. But from shootings to stabbings (in the last month!), there are many stories that make passengers prefer private vehicles. While violence isn’t as extreme as some examples I’ve seen, I can understand why someone would want to avoid transit.
Unfortunately, what I have seen are folks who don’t respect other passengers and the vehicles themselves. I’ve seen lots of people littering and leaving their trash on buses and trains. But one of the worst examples I saw was someone smoking crack on BART. This guy nearly hotboxed the train filled with passengers (including a baby). The craziest part is, this wasn’t his first time, as other people recounted stories of the same guy.
It can be a controversial topic, but I don’t think it’s an unreasonable requirement to demand that transit passengers respect each other and their ride. Fortunately from what I’ve seen, this is something that doesn’t necessitate an increased police presence. I’ve actually found Caltrain to be a safe and clean ride (so clean they actually allow drinking, unlike BART). On Caltrain, tickets are regularly inspected which generally means troublemakers are booted off (something I’ve witnessed). Some fare inspections on MUNI and BART could go a long way.
We need transit ridership to grow if we want to ever come close to slowing climate change. Personally, I believe that taking transit helps build community as it forces people to interact with each other rather than being isolated in private personal vehicles. In order to encourage more people to opt out of private vehicles, we need to make sure that they trust that transit is safe, reliable, and gets them to where they need to be.
Fortunately, it’s not like building a good transportation system is something that needs to be done from scratch. San Francisco and other cities have the foundations for doing that. But by taking lessons from successful cities and improving coverage, frequency, and safety, I believe cities can make transit a much more appealing option.