Free Muni For All Youth (FMFAY)

By Winnie Liao

In 2013, the FMFY program was piloted to allow moderate-income youth aged 5-17 to ride free on San Francisco’s public transportation. However, due to the intricate application process and lack of outreach, this program was unable to benefit those who needed it the most. Free Muni for All Youth (FMFAY) was proposed by the 2019-2020 San Francisco Youth Commission to ease access to transportation and to reduce SFMTA’s administrative tasks. 

FMFAY’s pilot program was launched for 1 year, until August 14, 2022, and it was approved in the SFMTA FY 2023-2024 budget to continue the program until June 2024. It was successful due to strong advocacy to the Board of Supervisors from commissioners and public support. Overall, it has significantly benefited youth and families in San Francisco. More youth have received access to transportation, relieving parents of the need to send their children to school. The accessible transit system has also allowed for more youth to explore different parts of the city.

One thing that could’ve been improved was expanding this initiative to other forms of transit. There are other forms of transit in San Francisco and the Bay Area, and it would benefit even more youth if this initiative was expanded. 

Image credit: KQED