The Facts

Muni revenue per passenger dropped 53% since 2015, and inflation-adjusted revenue fell from $283 million to just $97 million over the same time period.

SFMTA’s official estimate is that close to 20% of riders do not pay, up from 12% in 2019. And the method of counting non-payment has known undercounting flaws.

The Context

SFMTA says tougher fare inspections and compliance work are helping: inspections doubled, observed evasion fell nearly 30%, and revenue per rider rose 6% by early 2025. But that “observed” evasion metric is incomplete. In its own fare-compliance update, SFMTA notes the measure counts only inspected riders and does not include people who step off when inspectors board.

The GrowSF Take

At least one out of five riders is stealing from the public, and the real rate is higher since the agency’s main enforcement metric misses riders who evade inspection entirely.

A society cannot function when it collectively believes that stealing won't be punished. San Francisco should stictly enforce payment from everyone, and require that even those riding on monthly passes or free fares still must scan their card. Reliable transit requires easy payment, visible and universal compliance, visible inspectors, and honest measurement.