SF Muni bus drivers must now get special bathroom breaks approved, with no eating or phones allowed
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco Muni bus drivers now have to ask their bosses to go to the bathroom during unscheduled breaks, and their union is not happy about it.
It's part of a slate of rule changes.
The SFMTA says it's to keep buses on the road and help the agency's struggling budget.
Several Muni bus drivers told ABC7 News they are upset over the new policy that limits break time and allows for no smoking, eating, or use of cellphones.
"I want to eat, in the 8 hours I need to eat, and I need 15-20 minutes to eat, it's that simple," said one driver, noting that other drivers share the same frustration.
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The new policy refers to what is called Operator Personal Necessity incidents, or 702s for short. They are used for unscheduled bathroom breaks or time to destress. 702s have to be requested by the driver and are now limited to 15 minutes.
Muni says these 702s have led to 400 hours of out-of-service time each month, costing the agency 1.4 to 1.6 million a year, and leading to a 15-20 minute average delay. They aim to reduce that but drivers remind me they don't get lunch breaks, rather 10-15 minutes of recovery time after each route. They say these breaks are almost always shortened. Making a 702 break is important not only for the restroom.
"No eating? Come on. You have to eat," said a Muni driver. "Yeah you have to eat. I start at 2 o'clock and I haven't eaten yet."
The president of the operators union is angry and tells ABC7 News that other city employees don't have these kind of restrictions.
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ABC 7 News insider Phil Matier's thoughts echo that.
"I can understand putting limits on the time you take during your break to make sure the buses are rolling, but to tell people what they can and can't do on what is supposedly their break, that's something I've never heard or seen before in any city-type job," Matier said.
"I think it could affect people who have special needs," One driver said. "Maybe they take a little bit longer because they have a crutch. I know some drivers that have a crutch and have certain disabilities but they're able to still operate the bus."
SFMTA says, "The new procedure is designed to strike a balance between safeguarding the well-being of our operators and minimizing service delays for our passengers."
The union president tells ABC7 News he plans to attend the SFMTA Board of Directors meeting on September 2 to represent the drivers and voice his concerns on this new policy going forward.
This story was first reported by our media partners The SF Standard.
