Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit Boosts Ridership in San Francisco

Since the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (Muni) opened the Van Ness bus rapid transit project in April, ridership on the 49 Van Ness/Mission bus line has shot up, far outpacing the agency’s other bus and rail lines. Ricardo Cano reports on the line’s success for the San Francisco Chronicle.

“The 49 line had about 740,000 total boardings in September, up from 549,000 in March, the month before the BRT project’s April 1 premiere. That ridership haul puts the 49’s popularity behind only the 38-Geary and 14-Mission lines, which that have long been the Muni system’s workhorses.”

The 2 mile BRT project wasn’t without controversy during its six years of construction, but Muni seems to have kept its promises: “Early data from the transportation agency showed that the BRT lanes brought a 35% travel time savings for northbound trips on the Van Ness corridor.”

Another line on the Van Ness Corridor, the 47, is still suspended indefinitely.