Plan To Run BART, Muni Late Night In SF Lacks Needed Cash
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— San Francisco's Land Use and Economic Development Committee held a hearing on Monday to discuss a report by transit officials called "The Other 9-To-5". The report calls for a major boost in overnight public transportation in and to San Francisco. The only problem is the report doesn't have a plan for where to get the cash to make it happen.
San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener lead a nine-month working group that studied how to make buses, trains and BART cars go later into the night. The group concurred with what many who rely on public transportation have been saying; that after 7 or 8 p.m., getting around is tough.
"After midnight it sometimes becomes impossible," said Tom Temprano, who owns Virgil's Sea Room, a bar in San Francisco's Mission. He said his employees get mugged trying to get home after closing time. "The nightlife industry, the night time economy here in San Francisco is a $4.2 billion industry, which creates over 60,000 jobs."
New BART Director Nick Josephawitz said there are ways to run late-night trains especially on weekends.
"Our city is demanding that we figure out how to run BART later and we must heed this call," he said.
It's a big financial investment with Caltrain also targeted for service after midnight, but according to the new report, San Francisco nightlife is responsible for $50 million each year in tax revenue.