Could SFMTA budget crunch impact city’s iconic cable car?

SAN FRANCISCO ( KRON ) — On Thursday, tourists and fans of San Francisco's cable cars reacted to a report that the San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency's budget crunch could impact the iconic street cars.

SFMTA Executive Director, Jeffrey Tumlin told KRON4 the agency is facing budgetary challenges.

"We are facing some big obstacles. We are in a deficit," Tumlin said

Tumlin oversees SFMTA, the agency that runs the city's buses, municipal rail system, and the cable cars.

"We need to explore what we can do to manage the shortfall," Tumlin said.

The pandemic, Tumlin said, devastated the city's finances which negatively impacted SFMTA's budget. Although ridership has popped back up on some lines, the numbers are still low in neighborhoods such as in the downtown area.

"It is around 30 percent," said Tumlin.

Tumlin says the goal is to not cut cable car service, or service on other routes, but they must look at all options. He added that following the results of last week's election, federal dollars likely won't be an option.

"We are not getting federal dollars, with Project 2025, Trump," Tumlin said.

Tumlin said SFMTA embraces cable cars and understands the large role they play in the San Francisco tourism industry. He says the agency is also investigating a possible ballot measure to help.

"They should do something, find a way. These are important," he said.