San Francisco to Vote on Tech Employee Shuttle Regulations

San Francisco transportation officials are voting on a new plan to regulate employee shuttles for companies like Facebook, Google and Apple and charge a fee for the use of public bus stops by the private vehicles.

The city’s Municipal Transportation Agency is expected to approve the pilot program at its meeting Tuesday.

The private shuttle buses transport thousands of workers each day, but have also created traffic on the city’s narrow streets and become a symbol of economic inequality and the area’s rising housing costs.

Protesters blocked a Google shuttle bus Tuesday, hanging a sign that read “Gentrification & Eviction Technologies” on the side as police officers moved in.

The city and companies say the shuttles remove thousands of vehicles from local roads, and reduce carbon emissions.