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A few months ago Muni began an experiment to increase capacity on Muni Metro by removing seats on one of the Breda light-rail vehicles, creating more floor space for standees.

Its 14 double-wide seats were replaced with seven single seats. It’s certain the change did not go unnoticed.

“Normally on the aisle of the light-rail vehicle it allows for two rows of people, and no one can get in between them,” said Supervisor Scott Wiener, who that morning boarded the re-configured car at Ninth and Irving streets. “Now you have people holding on to the handrail and an entire row of people could file in between them. To me it seems positive.”

A few months in, they seem to be working becasuse the SFMTA is looking to reconfigure more trains.

John Haley, director of transit, said riders could see more of these trains soon, but did [not] say when or how many more trains would be converted to the new seat configuration.

Riders were given a chance to take an online survey on whether they liked the new seat configuration.

Haley said surprisingly that the new seat configuration received more negative feedback than expected, but said riders who gave the negative feedback had boarded near the line’s terminal. Riders who boarded at the often crowded Carl and Cole streets N-Judah stop favorably rated the Muni train with fewer seats.

Removing more seats is certain to upset more riders, but trains are already at capacity, and with new trains still a few years away, removing seats comes down to the math that people stand in the space of one person setting.

The next generation Muni Metro trains will likely have longitudinal seating (benches along the side walls) that provides more space to stand.

Photo: SF Examiner