Google, Facebook, Apple and others will pay for using the city roads

Apr 2, 2014 08:52 GMT  ·  By
Google's busses will continue to carry workers in San Francisco, for a price
   Google's busses will continue to carry workers in San Francisco, for a price

It seems like it’s a never-ending saga when it comes to Google’s shuttles in San Francisco. On Tuesday, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to keep the proposed pilot program that would have tech busses charged for using public bus stops.

The city supervisors voted 8 to 2 to continue the plans for the program. Supporters of the program consider that it will lead to fewer cars on the road, Mashable reports.

On the other hand, there’s also been an appeal for an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) which should determine the exact impact on the local environment of the shuttle program. Opponents of the program believe that skipping such a report is illegal, while its supporters claim that this is not necessary since this is only a temporary solution.

Those who don’t believe that the shuttle program is a good idea say that the EIR is necessary because of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which requires state and local agencies to identify the environmental impacts of their actions and to avoid or mitigate them.

Since the city is already conducting an EIR for public transportation improvements in San Francisco’s busses and subway routes, tech companies should do the same for their shuttles.

The pilot program was approved after massive protests were held in San Francisco against the busses of companies such as Google. The problem was born out of the rising housing costs in San Francisco, which many believe is due, at least in part, to the presence of tech companies nearby and to the wealthy employees that have moved to the city.

In an effort to appease people, the pilot program seeks to charge tech giants $1 per shuttle stop, per day, starting with July 2014. There are over a dozen companies using these shuttles, which means that the city of San Francisco will get a few million dollars per year through the program.

Companies have also started seeking alternative ways to bring workers to the headquarters, including by boat.

Despite the fact that shuttle busses would help reduce pollution and traffic congestions due to fewer cars being on the road, many people in San Francisco continue to show their displeasure.

While Google’s name is the one that’s most used when it comes to this particular scandal, the fact is that there are plenty of other companies with headquarters nearby, including Apple and Facebook.