Muni budget uses federal relief to restore service but hiring is the key bottleneck, officials say

SFMTA officials told the Budget & Appropriations Committee on May 18 that federal relief funds permit an aggressive two‑year budget to restore full Muni service, but the agency’s ability to deliver depends on a rapid hiring surge. The MTA presentation emphasized service reliability, deferred‑maintenance work and equity‑focused safety investments while pledging no fare increases for two years.

Director Tomlin described the agency’s financial situation as historic in scale. “The last 2 years have been extraordinary for the SFMTA. We have been hit by the worst financial catastrophe in our agency's history,” he said, framing the budget as a resilience plan anchored by about $115 million in federal relief mentioned earlier in the presentation.

The budget relies heavily on one‑time federal money to accelerate service restoration and capital projects. Officials said they are hiring an expanded HR team, restarting apprenticeship programs and recruiting more than 200 positions per quarter to close a gap of roughly 1,000 vacancies. Acting CFO Jonathan Brewer said the agency currently fills about 200 positions per quarter but added that this mostly keeps pace with attrition; planned HR investments are meant to improve that pace substantially.

Committee members pressed the agency on public‑safety concerns, fare evasion and maintenance‑craft vacancies. SFMTA answered that reported crimes on Muni are near historic lows but riders are nervous; to address safety, the budget funds a total of 42 transit ambassador positions and additional gender‑safety initiatives.

Why it matters: Muni is a primary transit provider for San Francisco residents and businesses; service restoration affects commuting patterns, downtown recovery and low‑income riders who rely on transit.

What’s next: the committee continued budget items to May 25; SFMTA will return with further analysis and a quarter‑by‑quarter hiring plan to demonstrate how quickly vacancies can be filled.