They say no one rides for free. But in San Francisco, that cliche doesn’t hold, and transit officials know it.

To fight fare evasion, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency announced Tuesday that it is deploying 17 more inspectors, bringing its count to 76, in hopes that higher visibility and the threat of a $134 ticket will get scofflaw riders to pay up. 

The move comes at an important time: Voters in November will be asked to pass two new taxes to fund Muni. Should both fail, SFMTA will face a $321 million deficit (opens in new tab) starting in July 2027.

Weekday Muni ridership has climbed back to roughly 80% of 2019 levels, though fare evasion has risen (opens in new tab) alongside it, according to a March SPUR report (opens in new tab).

The case for stepping up enforcement isn’t only about lost revenue. SFMTA’s director of transit, Julie Kirschbaum, estimates that up to a quarter of Muni trips amount to fare evasion — and the agency cites the resentment paying riders feel when others board for free.

“It makes my blood boil to see people who have the means and don’t pay,” a 1X California Express rider told The Standard in 2024.

There’s a safety argument as well. BART has credited its new saloon-style plexiglass fare gates with reducing the vandalism (opens in new tab) and disorder that go along with fare evasion. In the past six months, BART staff spent 1,000 fewer hours cleaning trains, and crime systemwide dropped 41% last year, (opens in new tab)The Atlantic reported (opens in new tab).

“We absolutely see our fare inspectors as a key part of our Muni safety system,” Kirschbaum said. “When we have more eyes on the system, when we have more people getting on and off the vehicle, when we have more accountability, the system feels safer.”

Kirschbaum didn’t share the agency’s immediate plans for the new fare inspectors. They are typically deployed on the highest-ridership routes.

“With the extra staff, we’re constantly learning and innovating and trying new things,” she said. “I do expect, especially as we increase our focus on data, that you may see some changes.”

But where might you see enhanced fare enforcement?

A Standard analysis of the 59,593 citations (opens in new tab) issued over the past 12 months found that the city’s east side has the highest levels of enforcement: 53% of tickets were issued there.

The Mission tops the list, with 11% of all citations issued over the past year. The Financial District (which the city’s official neighborhoods map includes as part of South Beach) is close behind, at 10.9%.

South of Market is in a distant third place at 6.75%. After the top 10, the remaining 30 neighborhoods each account for less than 2%.

Twenty-nine percent of citations lacked location data and couldn’t be analyzed. It’s unclear which lines see the most enforcement, because SFMTA’s data doesn’t list a Muni route for each citation; instead, they note the intersections where tickets were issued, many of which are served by multiple lines — sometimes as many as 18. 

If you were one of the eight people cited in Treasure Island in the past 12 months — likely riding the sole bus, the 25 — email us. Statistically, you were the least likely to get dinged (with the exception of Lincoln Park), representing 0.015% of all citations over the past year.

If it seems like we’re blowing up fare inspectors’ spots, remember, the whole premise of SFMTA’s plan is to increase the fare enforcement’s presence.

So  if you’re on the city’s east side, be ready to pay up — if you’ve been avoiding doing so.