The primary reason for Leap quick exit from the private transport scene was their failure to comply with the San Francisco regulations. Besides not having requested permission from the city administration, they committed a second infringement when they removed the front door ramp which by law should be present in bus so as to make the vehicle accessible to people with disabilities.

Furthermore, although their service might have been useful, it was seen with a mix of dislike and outrage. The original inhabitant of the city generally seemed to dislike bus services that seemed to be aimed at the new “tech population” that came into the city and they even went so far as to protest their very presence. Another complaint was also that the buses also congested the SF streets.

Leap had not enough passengers to make a decent profit, even if they charged them $6 per ride. When the California Public Utilities Commission issued a cease and desist notice to the company they halted their operations.

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Go on Reading

• NY Times: Behind the Failure of Leap Transit’s Gentrified Buses in San Francisco
• CityLab: Leap Transit Is Dead. Long Live Public Transit
• Crunchbase: Leap Transit