Having lived in San Francisco and having been a frequent user of public transit, I know full-well the pains of having to ride the MUNI day-in-and-day-out. While SF’s system works decently well (it’s no New York), the over-crowded buses and sometimes unpleasant transients onboard leave much to be imagined.
Thankfully, someone has come along to remedy our MUNI-riding woes with another transportation alternative. No, not another Uber service. Luxury bus lines. Founded by CEO Kyle Kirchhoff, Leap is a posh new shuttle that follows the current transit line from downtown into the Marina District. Among its investors are billionaires Marc Benioff, Andreessen Horowitz and Tim Draper. The project raised $2.5 million in venture capital back in 2013.
Officially debuting in March of this year, the fleet of five buses are painted in a bright blue, making them immediately noticeable on the street. Inside, the bus designed by world-renowned architect WRNS Studio features wood paneling, dim lighting, leather seats, banquettes and stools.
What it doesn’t feature, are handrails or straps. That’s because the bus will only hold 30 seated passengers at one time, it isn’t meant to accommodate hordes of people (amen). One side of the shuttle also includes a workspace where you can set-up your laptop and work while you ride. With USB ports, Wi-Fi and a mini-snack bar up front which includes Happy Moose Juice, Blue Bottle coffee and water, this is definitely not your average ride. And to ensure your ride is seamless, there’s also an onboard bus manager who will take care of the music and deliver your food orders.
The average fare right now for MUNI is $2.25 (which includes transfers within two hours), Leap is $6 for a one-way ticket. So you’re definitely paying more, but what you’re giving up in lieu of space, quiet and cleanliness, is more than worth the cost. Yet, it does need some adapting if it’s going to grow into a full-fledged bus alternative. Currently, you can only board the shuttle by scanning a QR code via a smart phone—which means those of you still living in the ‘90s with flip phones can’t ride—and along with not being wheelchair accessible, the elderly have no designated seating.
According to KQED, this is not the first time the city has seen private buses and shuttles trying to compete with MUNI. “There were some back in the ’50s and ’60s, and there is still one shuttle that stops at the 4th and Market Caltrain station,” states KQED. “But in the 1970s, San Francisco stopped the sale of jitney licenses. The rationale was to protect public transportation.” In January, TechCrunch discussed the private shuttle startup called Chariot which also launched in SF in 2014. The 15-passenger van runs regular transit routes and offers riders a pay-as-you-go option or monthly 12-, 24- and unlimited-ride monthly passes.
The service has been doing pretty well and has been able to over more than 50,000 rides and has grown from five vans to 22, according to TechCrunch. And, while services like Uber and Lyft have made getting from Point A to Point B much easier than taxis, they still aren’t what everyday users of public transit are looking for to get to and from work daily. As a private company, Leap isn’t trying to cater to all people, it is most-assuredly a service offered to a more affluent crowd (as if launching in the Marina district didn’t give that away already). But in any case, we’re anxious to see how Leap fares amongst its competitors and if it will have staying power.
