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SF Mayor Breed Puts SFMTA On Notice Over Delays, Construction Snafus, Permits

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) - San Francisco's mayor put the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency on notice.

Mayor Breed wants major improvements at SFMTA, and has put her concerns in writing.

It has not been a good summer for the SFMTA. Construction on the Twin Peaks tunnel included a subcontractor with a shoddy safety record, and one worker died. A driver shortage caused service reductions.

On Monday, the mayor sent a letter to Ed Reiskin, executive director of the MTA saying, "I am seriously concerned about the lack of background checks performed on major construction contractors and opaque process to select scooter pilot permit recipients."

She also wrote that the service reductions should have been anticipated.

"At the bottom line, Muni must be more dependable. The SFMTA's budget grew by $60 million last year, so I expect that conditions will improve in the very near term future," wrote Breed.

"We appreciate the focus on the SFMTA, we'll redouble our efforts to make sure we're improving service for thousands of riders every single day on Muni," said SFMTA spokesman Paul Rose. "We look forward to continuing to work with the mayor's office. She's been a great champion as a supervisor for transportation and transit issues over the years."

The recipient of the letter, Ed Reiskin, does not report to the mayor. He reports to the MTA board.

In a statement Monday, the chairwoman of the board, Cheryl Bringman wrote in part, "I am confident that the SFMTA can get back on track after a difficult summer. Mr. Reiskin and his leadership team at SFMTA have made great gains in efficiency and safety in the past years."

"This is something that we're committed to focusing on," said Rose.

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