Rashel Duncan lives in Oakland, studies at San Francisco State University, and works for a nonprofit that serves San Francisco’s southeastern neighborhoods.
It’s the kind of life that has her crisscrossing the Bay Area with regularity. So when her car was stolen outside her house, it wasn’t just a setback but a crisis. That’s when she discovered a saving grace: Muni’s on-demand Bayview Shuttle.
Without the shuttle — which connects the city’s underserved southeastern neighborhoods with major destinations like the 24th Street Mission BART Station, Caltrain’s 22nd Street Station, San Francisco General Hospital campuses, job training centers, community colleges, and residential complexes — Duncan likely would have had to leave her job. What’s more, the shuttle’s small size compared with Muni buses creates a “more relaxing” and “personable” commuting experience.
“Commuting has honestly been very easy,” Duncan said. “The shuttle drivers have been nothing short of amazing.”
A year after the program’s launch, the Bayview Shuttle has become a lifeline for thousands who depend on it to navigate the neighborhood’s steep hills and sparse transit options. Yet most San Francisco residents have likely never heard of the service — and the purple-and-orange electric Ford Transit vans that power it. And the popular program risks fading before it can secure the funding it needs to survive.
Operated by Via Transportation and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the shuttles, which operate weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., offer free trips to kids and seniors; other riders pay the regular Muni fare. Wheelchair-accessible vans are available.
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Users access the service, which has seven active vehicles, using the rideshare–style Bayview Shuttle app or by calling 415-873-1801 to book rides via a representative.
Funding is provided by a $10 million grant from the California Air Resources Board, part of the California Climate Investments initiative that puts billions of cap-and-trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions and strengthening the economy — particularly in disadvantaged communities.
“Bayview-Hunters Point has faced disproportionate health impacts because of the industries that have historically been there and the large amounts of carbon emissions that have been hazardous to people’s respiratory health,” Michael Roccaforte, an SFMTA spokesman, said in January. “So this is also part of an effort to improve public health.”
The Air Resources Board grant — which works to remedy historic inequities among youth, seniors, those with disabilities, or those with limited English proficiency — is scheduled to expire at the end of March. The SFMTA hopes to fund an extension through November 2027.
“We’re currently looking at how we can continue the shuttle service grant-funded,” Roccaforte said Monday. “Given the SFMTA’s fiscal reality, we generally can’t add new service, so we’re incredibly grateful for the California Air Resources Board for awarding the STEP funding (opens in new tab) that has allowed us to run the shuttle through March 2026.”
The shuttle has maintained a high customer satisfaction rating across 35,000-plus trips, and its usage has grown fivefold since the November 2024 launch. The service was particularly popular during the summer, transporting young people to job training and employment programs.
Meanwhile, the vans bolster public transportation options in a neighborhood where they often lag in quality. The T-Third Street light rail, one of the Bayview’s major transit lines, is late more than 70% of the time, according to Muni data (opens in new tab). Repairs to the Islais Creek bridge are expected to physically sever (opens in new tab) the line for up to two years.
“My mom lives at the bottom of the hill,” said Tanell Mouton, a 25-year-old who regularly uses the shuttle to pick up her niece from school and visit relatives in various neighborhoods. “She has back problems. This will come straight to her house and bring her up and drop her back off. Nobody else does that without having to pay $29 for Uber or Lyft.”
Rodney Reeves, 16, a high school student, said he began using the shuttle this summer after a friend recommended it. “Before, it was Muni or walking or bikes,” he said. “It’s more comfortable than most of the options.
“It just gets me places faster and faster. It’s just cool. I used to catch more buses from 24th Street BART, but this is just easier.”
Even with mostly positive reviews, the shuttle struggles to reach those who need it the most.
Kaaron Warren, a fourth-generation San Franciscan, was a passenger before being recruited to join the staff as a driver. She says that when she mentions the app, it’s a nonstarter for older, less tech-savvy residents.
“If we had something tangible that we could give to people for themselves or to share with other people, I think that would really help spread the word,” Warren said, suggesting that the service distribute cards with the phone number and a QR code to download the app. “People don’t know how to download the app, or they don’t know there’s a phone number to call.”
Customer service often extends into tech support. Recently, when a passenger’s app charged a full fare despite her qualifying for a free ride, Warren stopped at the passenger’s destination and corrected her account settings on the spot.
“I do that a lot,” the driver said. “When I recognize that a patron is not getting that door-to-door service they’re supposed to get, I take the time to update it on their phones for them.”
Roccaforte said the SFMTA plans to increase outreach efforts, including organizing community events at which staffers can help passengers sign up and navigate the app.
The shuttle’s operators pulled off expanded service to weekend hours this summer. Some passengers have expressed interest in expanding to additional BART stations. If anything, regular riders say what is needed is more: more resources, more shuttles, and more attention.
Shannon Scott, a senior who uses the shuttle to reach the Bayview Hunters Point YMCA on Lane Street for line-dancing classes, emphasized the value for older residents.
“We need more of them,” Scott said. “Sometimes they’re busy and they don’t have enough vans and they don’t have enough drivers. But once you get it, it’s great.”
For those who have discovered the service, the Bayview Shuttle has become something beyond mere transportation.
“The atmosphere when you’re in here — no one’s upset,” said Mouton. “On the bus, you get everyone upset, but this is comfortable. The drivers don’t just sit there. If there’s a conversation, it’s like a club. It’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m home already.’ That’s how it is.”