The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which oversees all surface transportation in San Francisco including the Municipal Railway (Muni), announced that it will include at its July 6 Board of Director's meeting a hearing on improving Muni service beginning Sept. 4.

In May the SFMTA made reductions to Muni service that required extensive schedule changes on many bus routes and rail lines, accounting for an overall 10 percent service reduction. SFMTA staff will bring a set of recommended changes to the Board on Tuesday to restore 50 percent of those reductions.

As part of the Fiscal Year 2011-12 budget, the SFMTA Board of Directors approved a partial service restoration to go into effect in July 2011. However, due to stronger than expected revenue streams, operational efficiencies and new grant opportunities, staff is recommending the restoration of service on some routes and lines this fall.

The full restoration is still scheduled for July 2011.

With the aim of restoring service throughout the City, staff has considered technical data, community feedback and other policy considerations, such as distributing resources equitably to low income and minority customers, to inform these proposed changes. The capacity changes focus on weekday improvements, when crowding levels are highest.