Ford to head San Francisco Muni

The governing board of San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Agency voted unanimously this week to hire Nathaniel Ford to head the city's subway, bus, streetcar and trolley system.

Ford, who has been general manager of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority for the past five years, will start as executive director of the MTA on Jan. 17 and oversee the San Franciso Municipal Railway (Muni), the Bay Area’s largest transit agency.

Ford will be responsible for an operation with approximately 4,800 employees and a $600 million annual operating budget.

According to the San Francisco Gate, Muni is facing an estimated $40 million deficit in the next fiscal year.

Ford, a former manager for Bay Area Rapid Transit, replaces general manager Michael Burns, who left this summer for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.