SEC. 8A.103. SERVICE STANDARDS AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
§ 8A.103
The Municipal Railway must maintain service at least at April 1996 levels and meet specific on-time performance (85%) and service delivery (98.5%) standards. The Board of Directors must adopt additional measurable standards for reliability, safety, customer service, and other performance areas, publish regular performance reports, and issue biennial Climate Action Plans addressing greenhouse gas reduction and transit-related environmental goals.
Muni must keep providing at least as much service as it did in April 1996. The agency has to meet specific targets: at least 85% of buses and trains should run on time (no more than 1 minute early or 4 minutes late), and it must deliver 98.5% of the scheduled service hours it promises. Every year by July 1, the board sets milestone goals to reach these targets. The board also sets additional standards for things like vehicle cleanliness, customer service, employee satisfaction, safety, and fair neighborhood coverage. The agency must measure and publicly report how well it's doing on all these standards. Additionally, Muni must produce a climate plan every two years showing how it's reducing pollution from transportation and working toward zero-emission vehicles.
- Complex:The section contains multiple cross-referenced subsections with layered obligations (minimum standards, milestones, additional standards, reporting, climate planning) that may be difficult for a general reader to track holistically.
- Controversial:Performance standards and their enforcement involve resource allocation and service priorities that San Francisco residents commonly debate, particularly around frequency, equity of coverage, and climate commitments.
AI-generated · claude-haiku-4-5 · informational only, not legal advice.
Official text
(a) The Municipal Railway shall provide a level of service measured in service hours which is not less than that provided under the schedule of service published in the April 1996 timetable, although not necessarily in that configuration.
(b) By July 1 of each year, the Agency shall adopt mile-stones toward achievement of the goals specified in subsections (c) and (d). Milestones shall be adopted for each mode of transportation of the Municipal Railway, and for the Municipal Railway as a whole, with the goal of full achievement of the standards set in subsection (c).
(c) The standards for the Agency with respect to the services provided by the Municipal Railway shall include the following minimum standards for on-time performance and service delivery:
1. On-time performance: at least 85 percent of vehicles must run on-time, where a vehicle is considered on-time if it is no more than one minute early or four minutes late as measured against a published schedule that includes time points; and
2. Service delivery: 98.5 percent of scheduled service hours must be delivered, and at least 98.5 percent of scheduled vehicles must begin service at the scheduled time.
(d) The Board of Directors shall adopt Agency rules setting additional measurable standards for system reliability, system performance, staffing performance, and customer service, including:
1. Passenger, public, and employee safety and security;
2. Coverage of neighborhoods and equitable distribution of service;
3. Level of crowding;
4. Frequency and mitigation of accidents and breakdowns;
5. Improvements in travel time, taking into account adequate recovery and lay-over times for operators;
6. Vehicle cleanliness, including absence of graffiti;
7. Quality and responsiveness of customer service;
8. Employee satisfaction;
9. Effectiveness of the preventive maintenance program; and
10. Frequency and accuracy of communications to the public.
11. The Agency's duties related to parking and traffic functions and any other functions that may be added to the Agency's responsibilities.
(e) The Board of Directors shall adopt Agency rules setting forth the methods by which performance shall be measured with respect to each standard established pursuant to subsections (c) or (d) above in accordance with industry best practices to enhance the Agency's ability to compare its performance to that of other comparable transit systems. The Agency shall regularly publish reports documenting the Agency's performance for each standard. Each performance report shall note any changes in the rules governing the methods by which performance is measured so as to inform interpretation of performance trends over time. Nothing herein shall prohibit the Agency from using additional performance measures.
(f) The Agency shall issue a Climate Action Plan to the Board of Supervisors and the Commission on the Environment by January 1, 2009, and every two years thereafter. The plan shall describe measures taken and progress made toward the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from San Francisco's transportation sector to 80% of 1990 levels by 2012 and shall further address progress toward the following goals:
1. Zero greenhouse gas emissions for Municipal Railway transit vehicles;
2. Lowering energy consumption in Agency facilities and by non-transit vehicles;
3. Maximizing waste reduction in Agency operations;
4. Increasing transit trips and reducing private vehicle trips within the City;
5. Increasing the use of bicycling and walking as alternate forms of transportation; and
6. Improving regional transit connections to reduce private vehicle use by commuters.
No later than January 1, 2010, and no less than every ten years thereafter, the Board of Supervisors shall adopt legislation setting goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from San Francisco's transportation sector, and other climate action measures set forth above, for periods after 2012.
(Added November 1999; Amended by Proposition A, Approved 11/6/2007)