Tina Martin makes sure to check her purse for her Clipper Card as she walks toward the 28 bus stop from her Sunset District home. She’s on her way to meet a friend at the Roxie Theater in the Mission.
Even though the trip requires at least two transfers and three modes of transit, it’s worth it to her. The 80-year-old Martin has “loved” taking Muni since 1966, relying on it and BART to get to arts venues that she and her friends love so much.
“I like the feeling of independence,” Martin says. “I like not having to ask friends to help me out or to depend on a car.”
For her, Muni is an extension of the living room, a place where strangers connect or where neighbors catch up with each other. Once, when Martin was recovering from a surgery, a friend met her on the bus to deliver a bowl of handmade borscht.
Facing huge fiscal gaps, both agencies predict dire cuts if voters don’t approve two financing measures this fall. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which runs Muni, just approved a two-year balanced budget that assumes the measures will pass.
If not, seniors could bear the brunt. “Muni is a lifeline service for seniors who need an affordable ride to run errands, go to appointments and get around town,” says SFMTA spokesperson Michael Roccaforte.
SFMTA estimates that by 2030, nearly 30 percent of SF adults will be over the age of 60, one of the highest percentages of any large US city. Today, seniors make up 6.7 percent of weekday Muni riders according to SFMTA. BART estimates more than 17 percent of its riders are over the age of 55. Senior ridership is expected to keep growing as the region continues to age.
The two agencies each project a deficit of more than $300 million for the 2026-27 fiscal year, driven by the expiration of COVID emergency funds and operating costs that dwarf revenue as commute patterns seem to have permanently shifted.
Public transportation isn’t the only area where city seniors could feel the squeeze. At a Board of Supervisors hearing last week, advocates protested proposed cuts to citywide programs that serve seniors and people with disabilities. San Francisco is facing a $643 million deficit.
On Tuesday, the SFMTA board passed operating budgets of $1.5 billion and $1.6 billion for the next two years. They’re leaning for now on a $200 million state loan, higher transit fares, parking fees and fine increases, and the elimination of 500 vacant positions.
They’re also counting on the two November measures. One is a Bay Area sales tax that would generate roughly $155 million annually for Muni. A separate SF parcel tax would generate an additional $166 million in revenue.
At Tuesday’s meeting, SFMTA chief financial officer Bree Mawhorter acknowledged the agency has no formal backup plan if voters say no: “We have started talking about what those service implications are, but we don’t plan on coming out with a formal alternate budget.”
‘Essential for us’
Betty Traynor, 82, takes the 38 Geary to get across SF from her home in Japantown. She knows the system intimately, having grown up with a father who drove streetcars before the post-war transition to buses. She’s also aware of what’s at stake for seniors like her.
“Many are not driving anymore, or they never drove. It’s just essential for us,” says Traynor.
That essentialness is etched into the city’s geography. San Francisco’s seniors are concentrated in the Inner Sunset, Parkside, and areas west of Twin Peaks — neighborhoods built around cars. A single bus line may be their only connection to the rest of the city.
Then there are the hills so synonymous with the city’s charm. They’re also challenging for people with mobility issues. The more bus lines, the shorter the distance to a stop, which is why the loss of a line, or the threat, brings howls of protest.
Traynor cites SFMTA’s 2025 proposal to cut the 2 Sutter, which runs past several senior residential buildings in Japantown. “That would have been a big loss,” says Traynor. “A lot of those people wouldn’t have been able to get around.”
The line survived but is again at risk if the current budget proposal falls through. Some lines cut during COVID have not come back.
SoMa resident Andrew Rogge worries about cuts affecting light rail access. A peer advocate with Senior and Disability Action, Rogge says wheelchair users report drivers skipping the accessibility ramp to save time when navigating surface streets. Further cuts could make the problem worse, Rogge says.
When asked about these reports, SFMTA’s Roccaforte said the agency has “heavily invested in accessibility” and the recent Muni rider survey “shows [the investment] is paying off.” Among Muni’s attributes that customers could rate, ‘Providing access for people with disabilities’ was rated the highest. (SFMTA says overall it received its highest satisfaction ratings ever.)
And if busy lines like the 14 Mission get even more crowded as buses come less frequently, seniors who need seats might feel more shut out. They already “don’t want to get on because they feel like it is too crowded,” says Rogge.
If the ballot measures fail, SFMTA says it could cut up to 20 Muni routes, doubling wait times on light rail and frequent bus lines, and ending regular service at 9 p.m. BART has warned it could close up to 15 stations and reduce train service by nearly two-thirds.
The price of transit
For many seniors, accessibility is also financial. Several programs are in place for residents on limited or fixed incomes. Free Muni for Seniors allows older adults at or below 100 percent of the Bay Area median income to ride at no cost. The Senior Clipper Card offers discounted fares for those who don’t qualify for free rides.
Those costs are changing slightly. Beginning January 2027, a Senior Clipper single-ride fare will rise from $1.40 to $1.50. By January 2028, it will climb again to $1.55. The Senior Monthly Pass follows the same trajectory, from $43 to $45 and eventually $47.
For people with mobility issues, private ride-hailing companies pitch themselves as a more convenient alternative to public transit. Uber even has a simplified app interface with larger text and icons called Senior Accounts. The city also runs the Essential Trip Card program where eligible riders pay $12 for $60 worth of taxi fare.
But for a senior on a limited income, a ride-hail service at $15 to $20 a pop is not likely a daily option. At last week’s rally against proposed cuts to senior programs, some riders reported difficulties using the services. Drivers sometimes don’t know how to assist people with mobility issues, and not all vehicles can fit wheelchairs.
But for a senior on a limited income, a ride-hail service at $15 to $20 a pop is not likely a daily option. At last week’s rally against proposed cuts to senior programs, some riders reported difficulties using the services. Drivers sometimes don’t know how to assist people with mobility issues, they say, and not all vehicles can fit wheelchairs.
In response, Uber said they have accessible vehicle options and that use of these have increased year-over-year in San Francisco. “Drivers are also expected to assist with storing mobility aids where feasible, and failure to do so can result in loss of access to the platform.”
Tina Martin says she has used Uber, but the cost adds up quickly, and it’s no substitute for the connection to the city she feels on public transit: “On the bus, you notice things.”
What’s more, says Betty Traynor, “You start talking to people. There’s a value to not using a car and being more familiar with your own neighbors and community.”
