After Years of Parking Violations, SF is Stepping Up Enforcement in Transit-Only Lanes

Transit officials in San Francisco on Tuesday moved forward with a plan that would dramatically increase the number of citations the agency can issue to drivers who park in transit-only lanes and bus stops.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will now issue a request for proposals for a “Next Generation Transit Lane and Bus Stop Enforcement System,” which is expected to increase by at least fivefold the number of citations parking control officers are able to issue for transit lane violations. Unauthorized parking in a transit lane carries a fine of $108.

The SFMTA launched the Transit-Only Lane Enforcement program in 2008. The program installed forward-facing cameras on buses to document drivers parked in transit-only lanes or bus stops.

But the agency says limited staffing and out-of-date equipment have hamstrung the ability of parking control officers to review and issue citations. The two parking control officers who work on the TOLE program must manually review thousands of hours of video footage a year, according to an SFMTA staff report. Because of this, the agency says those officers can only issue about 20 citations per day.

The new system will build on the existing TOLE program with upgrades like real-time data transmission, automated license plate readers and violation detection, as well as GPS mounted on buses to automatically generate evidence packages, which the agency says will allow it to process more citations with existing staffing levels.

“Transit lanes are an essential tool to keep Muni moving on San Francisco’s busy streets as traffic congestion increases. Parking in bus lanes is both a safety issue and impedes Muni’s reliability,” says Erica Kato, Chief Spokesperson for SFMTA.

San Francisco introduced transit lanes over 40 years ago, and the city’s network of them has since swelled to over 75 miles.

Transit-only lanes, many of which can be identified by solid red paint, are generally reserved only for Muni, taxis and emergency vehicles. People in other vehicles are allowed to use transit lanes only to make a turn or to reach a parking space or a curb.

SFMTA expects to award a contract by April 2026. The system will initially be deployed on two buses as a pilot, with deployment expanding to an additional 210 buses, pending SFMTA approval of the pilot.

The agency is also reserving the option to expand the system into its remaining 600-plus New Flyer buses, subject to city approval processes. The total estimated cost of the project is $15,639,776 for an initial three-year term, with an option for three additional one-year terms. $2.5 million in installation costs will be covered by a Caltrans grant, and citations generated by the program will pay for the remainder.

SFMTA says improvements to the city’s transportation network over the past decade, including transit-only lanes, have led to faster travel times and reduced traffic-related injuries. The agency also claims that transit-lane enforcement is effective in reducing violations, citing a statistic that 93% of vehicles cited for transit lane violations do not receive a second citation.

The program allows for warnings for first-time violations.

“While an initial increase in citations is expected, the long-term goal is a reduction in violations as awareness and compliance improve,” the report says.

The contract will require approval by the SFMTA Board and the city’s Board of Supervisors.