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In the Wake of a Proposed Deal, Protestors Stop the Shuttles

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By Mary Jo Bowling
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Yesterday, a tentative deal between members of the Board of Supervisors and Silicon Valley tech companies that use corporate buses to shuttle thousands of workers between SF and the South Bay could ensure that the transportation system will continue to operate as it has for another year. This morning some of those buses were halted by activists demonstrating against evictions and for affordable housing.
A video by Joe Fitz Rodriguez, a San Francisco Examiner reporter, captured black-clad protestors wearing yellow safety vests and carrying yellow signs as they blocked what are reportedly buses bound for Facebook.

Earlier, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on the proposed agreement that would allow the buses to run as usual for the next 12 months, provided that stops are limited to the current 125. Under the plan, if the number of buses using those stops increases by 50 percent or more, then air quality will be assessed.

The measure would also mandate a study by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority and the Municipal Transportation Agency that will assess the effectiveness of the program and its impact on displacement and gentrification.

According to the SFC, the proposed agreement was forged after the Sierra Club threatened to challenge the corporate bus program with an environmental impact review—something the Board of Supervisors and tech companies reportedly want to avoid.

This fall, the MTA made temporary measures allowing commuter buses to use MUNI stops permeant and set operator fees for the tech companies.

The SFC reports that if the agreement is finalized, the full Board of Supervisors will likely reject calls for an environmental impact review.

· Tentative Pact to Extend Corporate Shuttle Program for Year [San Francisco Chronicle]


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