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Here’s How the SFMTA’s COMMUTER SHUTTLE PILOT is Going – Corinthian IPS “Staging” in a Bus Stop – Leather vs. Pleather

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Here’s a snapshot of our SFMTA’s corporate bus 18-month pilot deal.

It’s a “Corinthian International Parking Services” truckvanbus blocking a 21 Hayes MUNI bus (and even though this might look like one vehicle with an articulated bend in the middle, you’re seeing two different vehicles parked nose-to-tail):

7J7C6164 copy

Sort of blocking, anyway.

(Now I’ll tell you, I’m in my 40’s, so I know all about Corinthian and its soft leather courtesy of Ricardo Montalban – this truckvanbus has gotta be totally pimped out on the inside with a name like Corinthian on the outside. Compare that with the MUNI bus with its pleather (at best!) driver’s seat and hard plastic surfaces for the passengers. And any wood you see inside a MUNI is unlikely to have been claimed in the first place, much less reclaimed.  MUNI buses aren’t baller at all.)

Now, where was I? Oh, here we go, it turns out that the Corinthian IPS driver was “staging,” you know, just chilling out waiting for the time to move on. You can see the Windex he’s holding as he TCBs shortly after the MUNI bus moved on:

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Point One: I, for one, would be afraid of getting a parking ticket via MUNI’s forward-facing video cams, so I would have gotten in the trackvanbus and then simply have driven around the block with a quickness, in deference to America’s Slowest Big City Transit System.

Point Two: Also, it just seems rude to sit there blocking the stop, so I would have gotten in the trackvanbus and then simply have driven around the block with a quickness.

Point Three: Staging in a designated MUNI stop is specifically against the rules. [See below.]

So, on it goes with the pilot program, which sure as Heck seems to me to be agin current California law.

I’m not calling 311 to report the SFMTA pilot number to be put on hold forever the way The Man wants me to, I’m just updating you, the Gentle Reader.

(And I’ll tell you, this is small potatoes compared with Facebook double-parking on Masonic day after day.)

And BTW, our SFMTA is in complete denial about whose employees /contractors are riding around in which bus – I guess they’re under a lot of corporate pressure…

Read on for all the rules of this game:

Commuter Shuttle Pilot FAQs

Updated April, 2015

1. How many shuttle service providers have permits through the Commuter Shuttle Pilot?

There are currently 14 shuttle service providers with Commuter Shuttle Pilot permits.

2. Which companies hold permits?

  • Bauer’s IT
  • Black Tie Transportation
  • Corinthian International Parking Services
  • LOOP Transportation
  • Lux Leasing
  • MV Transportation
  • Pure Luxury Transportation
  • Royal Coach Tours
  • San Francisco Minibus
  • SFO Airporter (Compass Transportation)
  • Storer Coachways
  • Sunset Development/Bishop Ranch
  • Transmetro
  • WeDriveU

3. How many commuter shuttles are operating in San Francisco on an average weekday?

205 shuttle vehicles

4. How many routes do these buses have?

118 routes

5. How many zones are in the pilot network?

There are 120 zones in the pilot network: 101 are shared Muni-commuter shuttle zones, 19 are permitted commuter shuttles-only white zones.

6. What are the rules of the pilot?

  • Shuttles with placards may use zones in network.
  • Shuttles without placards may not use zones in network.
  • No shuttles (with or without placards) may use Muni zones not in network.
  • Shuttles are to load and unload only at the designated zones.
  • Shuttles are to pull as far forward as they can and to the curb. They must not block crosswalks or impinge on bike lanes or traffic lanes.
  • Shuttles must follow all existing traffic laws, including street restrictions
  • Shuttles must provide data feeds to the SFMTA on a daily basis that track stop events and operations in San Francisco.

7. How do I know if a bus is allowed to stop at a specific Muni zone?

If the bus has a green placard with a five digit identification number (xx-xxx) and a red 2015 validation sticker on it and the zone has a green sign indicating it is an approved zone, then that bus is allowed to stop at that zone.

See the list and map of approved zones.

8. How much do shuttles pay to use the designated zones?

$3.55 per stop event. A stop event is an individual instance of stopping at one of the designated zones in the pilot network.

For example, a provider that stops at 10 different zones 10 times per day would be invoiced for 100 stop events per day ($3,550 per day).

9. How many stop events do shuttles make on an average day?

Permitted shuttles make about 2,500 stop events per day at zones in San Francisco’s pilot network.

10. Is SFMTA setting routes or schedules for the permitted shuttles?

No, the SFMTA is not setting routes or schedules for the permitted shuttles. If routing or scheduling issues arise, we work with the providers on solutions.

11. How is the program being enforced?

All SFMTA Parking Control Officers and Muni Street Inspectors have been trained on the pilot program and may issue citations for violations of the program. There is also a special morning and evening peak hour shift of Parking Control Officers who are specifically focused on enforcement of the pilot.

The most common citations issued include: shuttle bus double parking, Muni zone violations and street sweeping.

12. How can residents help the SFMTA ensure compliance with the program?

Residents can alert the SFMTA to shuttle bus issues via 311. In addition to calling 311, we also have a specialwebform for shuttle bus concerns.

Please alert us if you see:

  • Shuttle buses double parking (stopping in the traffic lane to load or unload passengers)
  • Shuttle buses staging in a Muni zone, the middle of the street, or anywhere else that is not legal curb
  • Shuttle buses using stops outside of the network
  • Shuttle buses without placards using any Muni zone
  • Unsafe behavior
  • Shuttle use of restricted streets
  • Damaged or missing signage on approved shuttle zones

Please provide location, time, direction, placard number and photograph (if possible) to help us follow up effectively.

12. How long is the pilot?

The pilot is 18 months long, running from August 1, 2014 through January 31, 2016.

13. What is SFMTA hoping to learn from the pilot?

The purpose of the pilot program is to test an approach to managing and regulating commuter shuttle loading activities, and to measure the effectiveness of this approach. We are seeking to answer the following questions:

  • Does managing commuter shuttles by allowing sharing at certain Muni stops reduce conflicts for Muni and other users?
  • What enforcement is needed to effectively regulate shuttles, given a permit program framework?
  • What are the actual labor and capital needs to accommodate commuter shuttles within San Francisco?

Findings from this 18-month pilot will inform a longer-term proposal for commuter shuttles in San Francisco.


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