Bay Wheels
This year, Bay Wheels, a Lyft-owned bike and e-bike share service that operates in cities around the Bay Area, has seen its largest usage spike since the pandemic. Users are able to find a bike station, a rack that holds the bicycles, unlock a bike with the Lyft app or their Clipper card, and ride it. Riders are charged by the minute, and are able to end their ride at any other bike station in the city.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, “in nearly every month since May 2023, ridership has been at or above its 2019 level, and ridership reached an all-time high in the first nine months of 2024.”
Rae Norton, a senior media studies major, first rode a Bay Wheels bike in March. “I wanted to get frozen yogurt so bad. It would’ve taken ages on the bus and I didn’t want to buy an Uber, so I downloaded the app and rented a bike and embarked on my journey,” she said.
Norton continued, “I […] don’t think bike riding would be as exciting if the bike was my own. It might get mundane. I enjoy the novelty of Bay Wheels, I think.”
The Bay Wheels website hosts a live map that shows the location of various bike stations and how many bikes are available for rent there. According to the map, there are nine bike stations within a block’s radius of USF’s campus.
On the rise in usership, Norton said, “I think some people are getting a little more disillusioned with public transit, [and] driving is so difficult in the city as well. Or maybe they’re trying to revolt against the [electric] scooters.”
Muni
On Oct. 24, The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) reported that throughout September, Muni saw the highest average weekday ridership since the beginning of the pandemic with more than half a million people riding Muni on the average weekday.
Sarah Izenstark, a senior nursing major, rides Muni at least twice a week. “I think that Muni is a great transportation system for [San Francisco], but it could use some upgrades. The buses are fairly clean, but there can be delays at times,” she said. “I think Muni should be free though.”
The 2024 Muni Rider Survey found that 72% of riders this year rated Muni as “excellent” or “good” which is the highest rating the transportation company has received since it began surveying riders in 2001. This is a 7% improvement from 2022, when 66% of riders rated Muni as “excellent” or “good.”
Izenstark said, “I ride the 5 [or] 5R the most often. It’s definitely not the cleanest bus, but it is very reliable and I love that it runs more frequently than most bus lines. It’s also nice to have the rapid option.”
She continued, “I think ridership is rising again because it seems to have improved over the last four years. I remember during my freshman year [it felt like] delays were much longer and the buses seemed dirtier. Also, more people are moving to [San Francisco] […] which may also be contributing to the rise in ridership.”
Editor-in-Chief: Jordan Premmer, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia McCrackin, Managing Editor: Jordan DelFiugo, News Editor: Phebe Bridges, Sports Editor: John Lindroos
