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<\/p>\nThe problem affects vehicles responsible for tackling San Francisco\u2019s hilly, narrow streets. The agency said the issue did not pose a safety risk to riders or operators.<\/p>\n
Jul 2, 2026<\/p>\n
Updated 1:31 pm PT<\/p>\n
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The 39 bus drives through the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco on June 30, 2026. The transit agency identified the brake issue in early June.
\n\u00a0(Martin do Nascimento\/KQED)<\/p>\n
\u201c\u200aWhen an issue like this one happens, the vehicle simply stops because of those redundant systems,\u201d said Judson True, SFMTA chief of staff. \u201cWe are 100% confident that none of our riders or operators faced any safety issues from this incident. Safety is our top priority, and our response to this issue demonstrates that.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the short term, SFMTA said it plans to replace the brackets with new ones of an identical design, as parts become available. The agency said brake chamber brackets are not part of a normal maintenance inspection schedule, but the agency will now inspect the part once a month or every 2,000 miles.<\/p>\n
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The 39 bus drives through the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco on June 30, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento\/KQED)<\/p>\n
In the long term, SFMTA said the manufacturer Meritor is making new reinforced and redesigned brake chamber brackets for its buses, and that it plans to install the component in the next few months. The fleet, made by El Dorado National California, first hit city streets in 2022, and the last was delivered last year.<\/p>\n
The problem forced the agency to modify service for the 35 Eureka, 36 Teresita, 37 Corbett, 39 Coit, 56 Rutland, as longer replacement 40-foot buses couldn\u2019t navigate some of the routes\u2019 tight turns and narrow streets. Service has since been restored on all routes except the 36 and 37.<\/p>\n
Theresa Flandrich, 70, a longtime resident of the city\u2019s Telegraph Hill neighborhood, said she panicked when she found out her regular stop on the mountainous 39 route would no longer be serviced.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought, my God, what are we going to do?\u201d Flandrich said. \u201c\u200aWe have so many seniors who have lived here for decades and decades and now really depend on this bus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Flandrich said she learned the news from fellow riders while waiting for the bus, and later from her neighborhood group, the Telegraph Hill Dwellers<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was very discombobulating to essentially have one day\u2019s notice,\u201d Flandrich said.<\/p>\n