“I just wanted to say not everyone at Google is a millionaire,” Ms. Sholts said.
During many of the comments in favor of the shuttles, including those by Mr. Wiener, members of the crowd hissed loudly.
“This is class warfare, this is not an accident,” said Steve Zeltzer, 64, a filmmaker who has lived in San Francisco his whole life. “You allow these companies to illegally use public spaces.”
Mr. Zeltzer described the tech shuttles using public bus stops at no cost as “unbridled capitalism” and accused the transportation agency officials of taking directions “from the tech barons.”
The meeting began several hours after a few dozen activists allied with the group Heart of the City briefly blocked two buses — one for Google and another for Facebook — from beginning the voyage down south.
“We hope people get the message that it’s unacceptable to give away public assets to rich companies when evictions are at the highest rate in 12 years,” said Leslie Dreyer of Heart of the City.
Bus proponents note that the shuttles, which serve hospitals and schools as well as tech companies, eliminate 45 million vehicle miles traveled and 761,000 metric tons of carbon a year from the Bay Area’s roads and air.
