8AX/8BX Bayshore express buses to return to service between Vis Valley and Chinatown starting April 18

(SAN FRANCISCO) The community members in Visitacion Valley have voiced their demand for months, SFMTA announces the 8AX/8BX Bayshore express lines which serve between the Valley and downtown as well as Chinatown will return to service on weekdays starting April 18.

Both express lines had been a major public transportation service for the Chinese and Asian community in San Francisco for decades. The buses from both lines connected the residents in Visitacion Valley and southeast sector neighborhoods to downtown and Chinatown. It is estimated that between one fourth to one third of the workforce in Chinatown are the residents living in the southeast side of the City including the Portola and Visitacion valley neighborhoods.

But both lines were suspended since the beginning of the COVID pandemic in March 2020. Since then, the residents in Visitacion Valley have relied on the 8 line which runs local routes from the Valley via San Bruno Avenue in Portola to downtown and Chinatown.

For the past two years since the pandemic, the local 8 bus line is not only taking longer time for commuting and traveling, it poses a more dangerous situation for the riders who wait for the buses at the bus stops, especially under the anti-Asian hate and violent sentiment. Community members have advocated for the return of two express lines for months since last year.

In the meantime, there have been challenges to the City’s Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) during the pandemic, including the staffing shortage of the bus drivers. “Now we are able to overcome the issues and two express lines will be back into service beginning next Monday on April 18. We will have a celebration by riding an express bus from Visitacion Valley to Chinatown on the first day of service,” said Jeff Tumlin, Director of SFMTA.

“SFMTA is hiring for different positions, including bus drivers. We encourage more Asians to apply. We want more Chinese speaking and bilingual bus drivers. The City will have a career fair at Civic Center Plaza on April 23 from 10am to 2pm. People who are interested in being bus drivers can come to the career fair to apply. More job information is available at the career fair, “ said Tumlin.