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Photo: Kurtis Alexander / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Image 2 of 4 Protesters block a tech bus at Market and 8th streets in S.F. on Jan. 21, 2014. Protesters block a tech bus at Market and 8th streets in S.F. on Jan. 21, 2014. Photo: Kurtis Alexander / The Chronicle Image 3 of 4 Police try to clear protesters blocking tech buses in downtown S.F. on Jan. 21, 2014. Police try to clear protesters blocking tech buses in downtown S.F. on Jan. 21, 2014. Photo: Kurtis Alexander / The Chronicle Image 4 of 4 Protesters block tech buses before SFMTA meeting 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

Anti-gentrification protesters again blocked tech buses carrying workers out of San Francisco on Tuesday morning. This time, just after 9 a.m., they blocked a pair of shuttles downtown, near Eighth and Market streets and close to City Hall, where later in the day city transportation leaders are scheduled to consider a pilot program that would charge bus operators a fee to use Muni stops — $1 per day per stop.

For some, the buses, used by companies like Google and Apple, have become symbols of income disparity in San Francisco. Others credit the buses with taking cars off the road and reducing congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.

On Tuesday, the few dozen protesters — in front of a large pool of media — surrounded the buses and prevented them from moving. Some plastered a sign to one of the coaches that read “Gentrification and Eviction Technologies” in Google-type script. They chanted, “Stop evictions.” By 9:45 a.m., police had cleared out the crowd and the buses had departed, though their destination was not clear.

“At the very least, it gets the mayor’s attention,” said protester Tory Antoni, who lives in an apartment in the Mid-Market area where he says an influx of well-paid tech workers has driven up the cost of rent. “We want to stop the evictions.”

The blocking of tech buses is beginning to become a fairly regular thing in the Bay Area. At least twice last month, buses were blocked at separate locations. In one case, a protest became destructive when someone slashed the tires and shattered a window on a bus in Oakland.

Tuesday’s protest came a day after it was revealed that Google’s PR department had encouraged employees to attend the SFMTA meeting where tech buses are being discussed — giving them ready-made talking points.

Some protesters want Google and other private shuttle operators to pay more for the use of the city’s public bus stops.