SAN FRANCISCO: Google Employee Bus Blocked By Protesters Who Demand $1B

Yesterday protesters in San Francisco blocked a shuttle bus for Google employees and demanded that the company pay $1B in fines for using the city's infrastructure without paying.

The buses have, for some, become a symbol of tech-fueled gentrification, economic inequality and soaring housing prices in the city. The bus, which was headed to Google’s Mountain View campus, had riders on board. A dozen protesters stood around the bus with signs saying “Public $$$$, Private Gains,” “Stop Displacement Now,” “Fine $271, Total Fine $1 Billion,” and “Warning: Two-Tier System.” The Google bus was parked at a 48-Quintara/24th Street Muni stop. The Municipal Transportation Agency in July proposed a plan to have about 200 Muni stops throughout the city serve as shared stops with private employee buses. The bus operators — private companies like Google, Facebook, Apple and Genentech — would pay for permits to use the Muni stops, and would give data to the city to help them plan their use. The 200 stops have not yet been selected, said Carli Paine, a project manager with the transit agency.

The protest spawned a Twitter feud between Google employees and local activists. Photo source.