SFIC "TRANSIT TECHNOLOGY SURVEY" RESULTS REVEAL DIGITAL DIVIDE

March 11, 2014 - Results of the "Transit Technology Survey" conducted by the San Francisco Interfaith Council (SFIC) challenge a core SF Municipal Transit Agency (SFMTA) policy assumption and call into question whether all San Franciscans have equal access to City services.

Disseminated by the SFIC to its 3,200 e-subscribers from February 5-26, 2014, congregation leaders were asked to make hard copies and administer the survey at the fellowship hour of their primary worship service to ensure that all in attendance could participate.  Completed forms were returned to the SFIC by post, compiled, tabulated and analyzed.

Twenty-three congregations in all but one supervisorial district participated. 601 congre-gants from eleven faith traditions responded.  67% of respondents travel to worship by automobile; 19% by public transit; 2% by bicycle and 12% walk.

Of the 558 who responded to the "age range" demographic question, 2.5% fell into the 18-24 age range; 12.5% in the 25-33 age range; 16% in the 34-44 age range; 20% in the 45 -54 age range, 25% in the 55 -65 age range; and 24% in the 66 or older age range.

Of those surveyed, only 17% claimed to have downloaded and use the SFMTA "Pay by Phone" application.  SFIC Executive Director Michael Pappas commented, "Congregation leaders who conducted the survey credit this dramatic disparity to the reality that many congregants lack the technical aptitude to download and utilize applications.  They also expressed concern that, as a result, more elderly and linguistically challenged congregants did not have equal access to City services, particularly in more vulnerable neighborhoods."

19% of respondents expressed interest in learning more about SFMTA programs that promote options to take MUNI, bike and walk to worship services.

Pappas concluded "The interfaith community wholeheartedly supports multimodal transpor-tation, biking, walking and taking transit to worship services.  The ethical question for the SFMTA, raised by these findings, is whether the agency's strategy for budget balancing should be based on technological barriers and the resulting parking tickets issued.  That just doesn't seem right or fair."

Congregation leaders are encouraged to re-post this communique

on their social media, weekly bulletins, monthly newsletters 

and share with their congregants from their pulpits.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michael G. Pappas, M.Div., Executive Director

San Francisco Interfaith Council

Interfaith Center at the Presidio

P.O. Box 29055 

San Francisco, CA 94129

415.425.9631 (Cell)

415.474.1321 (Office)