More Tourists Riding Transit Than Residents

A recent survey has revealed that more than 40% of the tourists planning to visit San Francisco this year will use public transit as their main mode of transportation -- a figure that outpaces the ridership of the city's residents.

1 minute read

July 4, 2007, 9:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


"The survey of 33,000 adults, conducted for the American Public Transportation Association, revealed that of those respondents traveling to San Francisco, 40 percent said they weren't going to use a car or take a taxi to get around."

"That's more than the 33 percent of San Franciscans who said they were using mass transit as their main mode of transportation in 2005, the most recent year of available census data. The next year, according to the APTA, Muni saw a 1.7 percent decline in riders."

"In response to the survey data, Mayor Gavin Newsom said the system was favorable to tourists, even if not always used by residents."

"'When people say about Muni, ‘You have a great public transportation system,' I say, ‘Where are you from?' and nine [times] out of 10, they are not from The City,' Newsom said."

Tuesday, July 3, 2007 in The Examiner

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