It seems that a transit agency has voted unanimously to kick off a pilot program that will oversee tech company buses. The likes of Google, Facebook and Apple among others rely on these luxury buses to send their workers to as well as from Silicon Valley campuses, and the fact that these private buses load and unload at public bus stops have raised the ire of those who are not working at the tech companies involved. According to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, this causes city buses to stop in traffic lanes, causing a backlog in traffic, and not to mention endangering the life of bicyclists. Activists wish to see such private luxury buses be fined for making use of public spaces illegally, or to fork out a substantial fee instead.
Guess who would need to pay for these in the end? The transportation agency’s program intends to ask the buses to fork out $1 each time they perform a passenger pick up or drop off. Google is pleased with this decision, and was cited saying, “We’re excited to continue working with the S.F.M.T.A. toward our goal of efficient transportation in and around San Francisco. We believe the pilot program is a critical step in that direction.”