San Francisco to charge fee for tech company buses
San Francisco will charge technology and other companies a fee for using public bus stops for their employee shuttle buses.
Mayor Ed Lee and other city leaders joined Google, Facebook, Apple and other companies Monday to announce a pilot program to charge a fee based on the number of stops each shuttle provider makes.
The shuttles have become a symbol of inequality for people concerned over the city's rising housing costs, which they blame on the region's tech boom. Protesters have blocked and vandalized the buses.
While the shuttles create some traffic problems by blocking city bus stops during commute hours, Lee says they reduce gridlock and pollution by removing thousands of cars from roads each day.
The city's transportation board votes on the proposal Jan. 21.
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