Muni ready to roll out its new plans for better service

More changes are coming to Muni in September, and they should deliver good news to riders of the city’s beleaguered transit system. Especially if the first round of changes, made in April, are any indication.

The service changes are part of a plan the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency calls Muni Forward. The plan aims to modernize and adjust routes and increase service to accommodate the changing city and its growth. Mayor Ed Lee and MTA officials are expected to announce the new round of service alterations — which take effect Sept. 26 — on Friday.

The initial changes, in April, boosted service on Muni’s biggest and busiest routes and established a rapid network of buses. This round, the second of three this budget year, focuses on improving connections between neighborhoods across the city as well as increasing service on eight crosstown lines.

“Our Muni Forward initiative is the most significant service improvement in decades and riders will see better service, reliability and cleanliness as a result,” Lee said in a statement. “Muni is making good on its promise.”

Here’s what riders can expect:

More buses and trains more often: The following routes will see extra service, resulting in shorter waits for about 140,000 riders, Muni officials say.

The K-Ingleside/T-Third line will get two extra one-car trains, decreasing the time between trains from nine minutes to eight minutes during the morning and evening commutes. The N-Judah will get another two-car train during the morning commute.

The 24-Divisadero, 22-Fillmore and 9R-San Bruno Rapid will see all-day service increases with buses arriving more frequently. The 21-Hayes and 43-Masonic will get increased service during the morning and evening commutes. And the 1-California will get increased daytime service on weekends.

New buses: Thirty-seven new buses will hit the streets in September. Enjoy that new bus smell while it lasts. They will include 60-foot diesel-electric hybrid buses as well as 60-foot trolley buses. They’ll be dedicated to some of Muni’s heaviest routes, including the 1AX-California Express, 14-Mission and 14X- Mission Express. They’ll join 79 new buses recently put into service.

Redesigned routes: Hey, where’s this bus going? Several routes have been redesigned and will be introduced in September with a goal of making them more reliable and making better connections to popular destinations.

The 7X will be extended to the Financial District instead of ending at Fourth Street in the morning and Fifth Street in the evening. The 9R-San Bruno will be extended to make local stops in Visitacion Valley. It will also run more frequently.

The 28/28R-19th Avenue and 43-Masonic buses will be adjusted to make new connections in the Presidio, serving the Presidio Transit Center, and better links between Fisherman’s Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge. The 28R will be extended to Fillmore and Chestnut streets.

The 18-46th Avenue and 57-Parkmerced lines will be redesigned with the 18 skipping the loop around the lake. The 57 will loop the lake and make new stops on Brotherhood Way and serve the Daly City BART Station. Service on the 57 will be increased so that it arrives every 20 minutes instead of 30.

The 29-Sunset will stay on Ocean Avenue instead of using Geneva Avenue and Mission Street, a change expected to cut trips by 3½ minutes.

“It should make the trip more reliable and faster,” said Sean Kennedy, Muni Forward program manager.

Are the April changes working? According to John Haley, transit director, ridership is up — by about 2,500 trips per day — on the routes changed in April. The changes succeeded in reducing crowding, which has dropped by about a third on routes targeted in April, Kennedy said.

Muni’s new rapid network, whose routes have been given extra attention, has seen its on-time performance rise by about 10 percent, said Haley. Some routes on some days have hit 80 percent, he said. However, Muni’s overall on-time performance, required by City Charter to be 85 percent, is still just 60 percent.

But things are getting better, Haley said.

“We’ve been put in a position to improve the system,” he said, “and we are taking steps to move it along.”

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan