San Francisco recently found itself in an awkward spot after details surfaced about a plan that would have charged homeowners and businesses a yearly fee just for having a driveway.
Yes, you read that right—a driveway tax.
This idea was aimed at helping the city raise money for local bus and rail services, but it quickly turned into an embarrassment and was promptly dropped.
What Was the Driveway Fee All About?
The concept came from the Muni Funding Working Group, a task force put together to figure out new ways to plug a massive $322 million budget hole for the city’s Municipal Transportation Agency.
Their proposal? Charge property owners $100 a year if their driveway included a “curb cut”—basically, that sloped section of sidewalk where cars enter and exit.
According to the group’s report, San Francisco has more of these curb cuts than most big cities because, unlike many East Coast cities that use back alleys, here most homes and businesses have direct driveway access from the street.
The working group argued that these curb cuts are a sort of “permanent privatization” of public space, and charging for them would be fair, encourage people to give up unused driveway cuts, and generate significant revenue for public transit.
How Much Money Would the City Have Raised?
The city estimated that with 196,000 curb cuts around San Francisco, this fee could have brought in almost $20 million a year.
However, collecting and managing the fee would have cost around $3 million, cutting into the final revenue.
Still, the potential millions were seen as a helpful boost for transit funding.
Why Did the City Backtrack?
Despite the detailed report, officials quickly put the brakes on the plan.
A spokesperson for the Municipal Transportation Agency told the San Francisco Chronicle that charging driveway owners isn’t “on the table” and acknowledged there would be big legal and administrative challenges.
For one, the agency’s board would have to approve the fee, and if it counts as a new tax, voters would need to sign off too.
How Did People React?
The proposal didn’t sit well with everyone. Willie Brown, a longtime San Francisco political figure and former mayor, slammed the plan as “nonsense.”
He argued that if members of the task force wanted to donate $100 to fund public transit, that’s fine, but it’s unfair to penalize the rest of the city just for having a driveway.
Different Perspectives on the Driveway Fee
Not everyone dismissed the idea entirely. Daniel Sperling, a transportation expert from UC Davis, saw it more like a property tax increase, which cities often use to fund schools or libraries.
Meanwhile, Luke Bornheimer, from a nonprofit that supports walking and cycling, called the fee “a more equitable way to use public space.”
He pointed out that giving free access to curb cuts essentially subsidizes car owners while leaving people who walk, bike, or take transit at a disadvantage.
Still, even supporters agree it would be a tough sell to residents, many of whom probably don’t want another tax on their property.
What’s Next for San Francisco’s Transit Funding?
For now, San Francisco has shelved the driveway fee idea, but the city’s transit funding challenges remain.
Like New York City’s controversial congestion pricing—which took years of planning, political battles, and even court fights—San Francisco’s leaders will have to navigate complex bureaucracy and public opinion to find sustainable ways to support their public transport system.