Mission Stops
On a recent morning, a crowd of about 30 casually dressed workers in their 20s and 30s gathered near a city bus stop at the corner of 18th and Dolores streets. Just before 9 a.m., a white double-decker coach with the sign “GBUS to MTV” -- for Google bus to Mountain View -- arrived to pick up the employees, who showed their security badges as they boarded.
Near the stop, trendy bars, restaurants and furniture stores are continuously opening, and residential rent prices have surged past the city average.
“We’ve lost a lot of staff that are moving up to Portland because it’s less expensive,” said Sam Mogannam, owner of Bi- Rite Market, which specializes in organic groceries and has stores near two bus stops. “We’ve definitely seen a major transition in the customer base -- a lot of old faces that we don’t see anymore.”
Apple Rider
Jordan Price, a 34-year-old software designer, recently worked as a contractor for Apple and rode the bus from San Francisco to Cupertino. He called the buses an “easy target for a complex situation,” because even well-compensated programmers can have a hard time keeping up with the rising living costs.
“It wasn’t like people on the bus were a bunch of millionaires,” said Price, who grew up doing graffiti art around San Francisco. “I definitely overheard people who were hyper-aware of their budgets.”
Christopher Carrington, a sociology professor at San Francisco State University and 25-year resident of the city, sees a cultural rift between many longtime residents and technology workers. The buses feed a perception that the tech community is insular and detached from a city where civic engagement is treasured. He used the example of a friend who works at Apple and took off his corporate T-shirt before going to a local bar.
“He said, ‘I can’t wear this out, I’ll get too much grief,’” Carrington said.
Good Times