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Leap Suspends Private Bus Service In San Francisco After Receiving Cease And Desist Notice

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – Leap Transit, which has been offering high-end bus rides between San Francisco's Marina neighborhood and the Financial District, is temporarily suspending its service.

The startup posted a note on social media late Tuesday night, saying their service "will be offline at least through the end of this week as we work through a regulatory issue."

After receiving unanimous approval to operate back in March from the California Public Utilities Commission, the company said the finalization of the permitting process has been stalled due to clerical issues, and they have been issued a Cease-and-Desist notice from the PUC.

Leap launched in March as a private transportation company offering a new bus service, with buses featuring Wi-Fi, USB ports, and buy-on-board snack service.

Leap's inaugural route, the "Lombard Express," made four stops along the Lombard Street corridor between Broderick Street and Van Ness Avenue and four stops downtown between Clay and Howard streets, with service from 7-10 a.m. and 5-8 p.m. Payment was cashless, with rides costing $6 each way.

Leap will be offline at least through the end of this week as we work through a regulatory issue. We embarked on a...

Posted by Leap on Tuesday, May 19, 2015

The company has come under fire, after a complaint was filed that they modified their buses to no longer accommodate disabled passengers.

In a Facebook post, Leap CEO Kyle Kirchhoff blamed the regulatory snafu on "various clerical issues."

"Leap will be offline at least through the end of this week as we work through a regulatory issue," Kirchhoff posted.

 

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