I first wrote about this issue in June 2010. Since then, the frequency of buses has increased substantially; according to the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, 27 shuttle operators make 200 stops, and provide a total of 36,000 one-way trips daily.
Others are noticing, as well.
Stamen Design of San Francisco recently completed a project called, “Visualizing the Private Bus Networks of Silicon Valley.” They surveyed the buses serving six major employers, determined their routes and stops and counted passengers. Then they mapped the data to create a beautiful, intuitive representation of the flow.
Meanwhile, Supervisor John Avalos has drafted legislation for a permit system for shuttle operators. The plan is to reduce the shuttles’ negative impacts on traffic and quality of life in residential neighborhood by creating designated stops. Policies are currently being developed with roll out scheduled for next year