A chilling video that surfaced in late 2025 captured the N-Judah Muni train traveling through San Francisco at speeds exceeding 50 mph, with footage showing the operator dozing at the wheel. The incident, which occurred in September 2025 in the Sunset Tunnel near Duboce Park, caused the train to jolt passengers as it navigated a curve, narrowly avoiding a more severe outcome. Passengers were flung about the cabin with alarming force, some falling and striking their heads against a window amid the chaos. In the sudden aftermath, distraught and tearful riders shouted, “Open the doors!” The operator blamed a mechanical failure. “It wouldn’t stop,” she is heard insisting on the video, as she tries to calm the shaken passengers. However, the newly released footage appears to show the driver nodding off, suggesting a grave lapse in vigilance that put the train in peril. With an estimated 150–200 morning commuters aboard, a derailment or collision could have resulted in multiple fatalities.
The near-miss has renewed scrutiny of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and potential contributing factors, including operator fatigue amid broader operational challenges. In 2024, according to TransparentCalifornia.com, some 2,669 SFMTA transit operators received $41 million in overtime pay, in addition to an average salary of approximately $93,000 for full-time employees. Through overtime pay, employees received an extra 24 percent of their base salary, equivalent to an average of about $22,550 per operator.
Ninety-one percent of transit operators received some overtime in 2024, suggesting a structural dependence on extended shifts rather than expanded staffing levels. The agency’s total overtime expenditure reached about $41 million that year, an amount that could theoretically fund more than 400 additional full-time positions at prevailing wages.
SFMTA’s scheduling practices can heighten fatigue in daily operations. Overtime is often structured by adding up to four hours to an existing shift, which could result in 12 hour shifts. This is common practice to cover vacancies caused by absenteeism or staffing shortages. When asked how many hours the N Judah operator had worked in the 24 hours before the Sept. 24 incident, SFMTA only stated that the operator had worked 58 hours in the two weeks preceding the incident, a response that does not clarify the operator’s schedule that day or whether overtime was involved.
The top one-third of overtime earners accounted for two-thirds of overtime payout ($27 million), while the top 30 individual earners collected $2 million combined in overtime pay.
Overtime was concentrated among higher earners: the top one-third of overtime earners accounted for two-thirds of overtime payout ($27 million), while the top 30 individual earners combined collected $2 million in overtime pay.
Transit operators typically select shifts multiple times per year through a seniority-based bidding process, with overtime often assigned or volunteered in advance for entire shifts. Seniority generally grants priority access to desirable routes or those offering higher overtime potential.
Compounding the problem is long-standing attrition and absenteeism. Although SFMTA ceased public reporting of these metrics after 2018, the last published figures showed an astonishing 25.6 percent absenteeism rate and a 40 percent attrition rate among new hires in their first year. Several factors can be contributing to this, including the inability to pass the Commercial Learner’s Permit tests after being hired for the paid training. Hayden Miller, a Lowell graduate, longtime Muni user and a transit advocate, says it’s also stress and safety, as new drivers get the worst routes and times, for example, the 2 a.m. shift in unsafe neighborhoods. There are also assaults on drivers, even though it is the passenger stories that get the most coverage on Muni. Further, there is a high attrition rate for fare inspectors — a job with higher risks for public safety in San Francisco due to increasing rates of drug addiction and related assaults for service and front-line workers.
Persistent rider concerns over safety and cleanliness have driven ridership well below prepandemic levels, further straining the agency’s operational efficiency and raising serious questions about leadership and resource management at SFMTA. SFMTA countered this narrative by claiming that “78% of customers rate their Muni experience as excellent or good,” yet failing to mention that this positive rating was driven more by survey sampling bias than an overall assessment. According to a 2023 citywide survey of residents, Muni riders rated Muni a B- or 3.3 (N = 2,072) and noncurrent Muni riders rated Muni a C or 3.0 (N = 444). Oddly enough, in the 2023 citywide survey, key aspects of Muni were mysteriously dropped from the survey, including safety, reliability, and cleanliness. The controller’s office said they would conduct their citywide survey this spring, the first under the helm of Mayor Lurie, but what details about Muni services will actually be captured?
Against this backdrop, Mayor Lurie has advocated for new revenue to address SFMTA’s $307 million budget deficit, which is projected to balloon to $434 million within five years. Mayor Lurie is leading efforts for a proposed parcel tax measure on the November 2026 ballot, which would generate an estimated $160 to $187 million annually from San Francisco property owners to help stabilize Muni funding, prevent planned service reductions, and support operations. This comes as Lurie has also directed city departments to identify at least 500 position eliminations and $100 million in personnel savings across the General Fund to address the city’s broader budget challenges. The juxtaposition of these operational and financial pressures raises questions about efficient resource allocation and long-term sustainability as the city weighs more taxes to prop up transit.
This article has been updated to cap overtime shifts to 12 hours for transit operators.
