Support for increased spending on public transportation came from an odd source last week, when the San Francisco Chronicle pointed out that the free rides BART provided on ‘Spare the Air’ days caused an increase in downtown commerce. For transit advocates, the news didn’t come as much of a shock, as many have been arguing for years that better public transit means better access to businesses for city residents. But the fact that the usually car-centric Chronicle, which advocated for less parking fines and fees instead of cheaper Muni fares last year, had finally connected the dots came as a welcome surprise. Now, as three important proposals for improving the city’s transit come down the line, the city’s business groups will hopefully take notice and become allies in the fight for better transit instead of adversaries.

Last Friday’s Chronicle editorial on ‘Spare the Air’ days noted that when BART offered free rides, downtown streets seemed far more crowded, and almost everyone “seemed to be clutching shopping bags.” The observation prompted the Chronicle to state, “It's time for local governments to consider the idea that subsidizing public transit, especially in off-peak hours, pays off in other ways.”

For some, this is a no-brainer. Cheap, fast, easy-to-navigate public transit means tourists can cross the city a few times a day, enjoying restaurants, shops, and sights, instead of staying cooped up in their hotel rooms. It means residents with cars unwilling to fight traffic and limited parking don’t think twice about hopping on a bus to patronize businesses throughout the city. And it means those without cars, either by choice or because they can’t afford one, can access every neighborhood and enjoy whatever that community has to offer.

All this means a tremendous boon to San Francisco’s business owners, from the largest corporation to the smallest mom and pop. But in order to reap those benefits, businesses will have to make some tough decisions in the coming months, and the Chronicle’s editorial serves as a perfect reminder that it’s in the economy’s best interest to improve public transit however possible.

The first item in the pipeline could spark a major resurgence of businesses in the Richmond – Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on Geary Street. By creating a remarkably quick alternative to the current buses that serve the area, Geary BRT could bring a host of tourists and residents out to the Richmond interested in patronizing both businesses in the blossoming Asian community on Clement Street and the variety of shops on Geary itself.

Unfortunately, one Geary Street business owner named David Heller has declared war on the project. Hopefully, his colleagues in the area will see through his rhetoric and recognize that better public transit to the Richmond means better business for the neighborhood’s merchants.

Two other major proposals for funding public transit are also in their initial stages, both of which could bring the exact sort of benefits to business outlined in the Chronicle editorial.

The first involves a Municipal Transportation Authority (MTA) study currently underway looking at the various ways downtown properties could be taxed to fund Muni. While news of the study prompted outrage among some business leaders, a closer look at its potential benefits could change some minds.

Due to the MTA’s current structural deficit, without a major new source of revenue soon, fares will continue to climb while service continues its tailspin. A downtown fee on transit could rescue Muni from the course its on now, and if the city implemented a tax system that was graduated based on the ability of a business to pay, the pain to merchant’s pocket books would be relatively small.

The benefit to all merchants, however, would be great. Downtown businesses rely on Muni to get their workers to the front door day after day. Should public transit quality continue its downward slide, desirable workers will be less willing to move to the Bay Area for a job, and current employees will be more likely to demand more parking or leave their position for a position that's easier to commute to.

Small businesses could be the greatest benefactors. With large corporations providing a much-needed financial shot in the arm to public transportation, local merchants throughout the city could see increased revenue as residents and tourists find it easier to travel to their shops.

The San Francisco County Transportation Authority is currently researching the second major proposal in the pipeline – a congestion management fee.

Forwarded by Supervisor Jake McGoldrick, this idea originally came from London, where cars are charged a fee once they enter a specified area downtown, and the revenue goes towards public transportation. The results there have been phenomenal, with transit improving greatly citywide while traffic congestion has decreased rapidly.

So far, the biggest opponent has been the Chamber of Commerce. Yet their opposition seems misplaced – not only would the fee bring more shoppers to downtown stores because transit would be cheaper and faster, but by reducing congestion downtown the area could become a far more enjoyable place to be, making it more of a destination area for tourists and residents alike. Workers could make it to their jobs easier, and once again, small businesses citywide would benefit greatly from the improved transit system.

In the past, business owners and corporations have sometimes been transit advocate’s biggest enemies. In light of the enormous success of ‘Spare the Air’ days, here’s hoping the consequent increase of commerce can turn the two into allies in the quest for better public transit in San Francisco.