SF Muni Bus Driver Tests Positive for Coronavirus; Union Demands New Safety Steps

A San Francisco Muni bus driver has tested positive for the coronavirus, and the union representing the agency’s 2,000-plus vehicle operators is demanding the agency take new steps to protect workers from becoming infected.

The city’s Municipal Transportation Agency announced the positive case on Wednesday morning, describing the person involved only as “someone in our SFMTA family.”

"We ... knew that once there were confirmed cases in San Francisco, it was inevitable that at some point at least one member of our staff would be directly affected," the agency's statement said.

Roger Marenco, head of Transit Workers Union Local 250-A, which represents Muni operators, said Wednesday he has been told the positive case involves a bus driver working out of the agency’s Potrero Division. That location, at Mariposa and Bryant streets, is headquarters for some of Muni’s busiest routes, including the 5-Fulton, 14-Mission, 22-Fillmore and 30-Stockton.

The SFMTA announcement of the positive coronavirus case outlined several measures the agency has taken to safeguard riders and operators, including mandating that bus and light-rail operators keep security barriers and cabs closed.

But Marenco said SFMTA hasn’t gone far enough and that Local 250-A wants the agency to immediately suspend collecting fares and require passengers to enter through rear doors, away from operators. The union also wants Muni to impose a limit on the number of passengers its vehicle are permitted to carry to allow social distancing among riders.

Earlier this week, the San Francisco Examiner reported that some drivers have taken matters into their own hands, placing tape over fareboxes and taping off “don’t stand” areas near operator’s seats.

“We’re trying to figure out why the hell the agency is not moving forward with implementing these dire safety measures,” Marenco said. “They’re needed today, not tomorrow.”

Several bus agencies in the Bay Area, including AC Transit, SamTrans and Santa Clara County’s VTA, have stopped collecting fares and adopted rear-door boarding over the past week. Boarding through the front door is permitted for riders with disabilities and those with mobility issues who need to use vehicle loading ramps.

SFMTA spokesperson Erica Kato said protective driver barriers on Muni buses “better protect our operators compared to other transit fleets.” She said back door-only boarding creates a situation in which our riders have to gather in a concentrated spot and don’t have the ability to practice social distancing.”