Muni gets best-yet satisfaction ratings in annual survey

Muni may remain a nearly universal recipient of criticism from San Franciscans, but a growing number of riders give the beleaguered transit system a thumbs-up, building on an upward trend in ratings that began early in this decade. In an annual customer satisfaction survey of riders, 70 percent bestowed either an excellent or good overall rating of Muni service. The survey, conducted by phone in July and August by survey firm Corey, Canapary & Galanis Research, included 543 interviews of San Francisco residents who had used Muni in the prior six months. Candace Sue, the MTA’s communications and marketing director, said the survey’s findings show that service changes implemented in April to increase frequency and expand service on a number of routes, made an impact. Jon Canapary, one of the researchers, said the increase in respondents who said they’d use ride services was a “huge jump” over last year’s survey (18 percent) and noted that a seven percentage point decline in the number of riders who said they would drive was also significant. Clipper was the most popular way to pay fares, with 62 percent using smart cards followed by 29 percent paying in cash, 7 percent using free youth, senior or disabled passes and 2 percent citing other methods.