For decades, San Francisco city leaders had little idea how the youngest students got to school—until now, according to the San Francisco Examiner.
The San Francisco County Transportation Authority released a first-of-its-kind survey this week, detailing the commutes of The City’s 45,000 kids who attend public or private elementary schools in San Francisco.
Perhaps most significantly, the study found more than half of parents surveyed drive their kids to school most days—a far cry from the commute of adults, who drive less.
“The beauty of the study is there hasn’t been this comprehensive data in the past,” said Supervisor Katy Tang, a SFCTA commissioner, at a Tuesday commission meeting where the report was revealed.
The survey found 56.5 percent of students in kindergarten through fifth grade are driven by a parent or caregiver to school. About 14 percent take public transit, like Muni and BART; 8 percent carpool with other families; 7.8 percent walk; 7.6 percent take another bus (like a yellow school bus); and only 0.1 percent take taxis, Lyft or Uber.
Those numbers show kids are far more car-reliant than adults who travel on their own—where San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency data shows 25 percent of commuters take transit, 23 percent walk, 27 percent drive alone and 21 percent carpool.
About 20 percent of respondents had a four-mile or longer school commute, which the report identified as a “challenge” for parents.
The report suggests offering a shuttle service in a “select geographic area on a pilot basis,” which may require another study.
