A long-anticipated downtown route extension of Muni’s Treasure Island bus service will allow residents out on the island to take greater advantage of amenities on San Francisco’s mainland.

Starting today, the Muni 108-Treasure Island bus will continue past its previous final destination at the Transbay Terminal to terminate at the Caltrain station at Fourth and King streets.

Treasure Island has no grocery store or other commercial amenities, although redevelopment plans for the future include such conveniences.

Residents have complained that the Transbay Terminal, located at Mission and First streets, doesn’t bring them where they need to get to.

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The Caltrain station, with a nearby Safeway grocery store and an expansive Walgreens, is a far better alternative, according to Mark Connors of Good Neighbors of Treasure and Yerba Buena Islands.

“The Transbay Terminal is a pretty depressing place,” Connors said. “We really feel like we’re going to be able to improve our quality of life by being able to take the bus all the way to the Caltrain station, where we have access to Safeway, Walgreens and a public library, among other things.”

The extended route, which will start every day at 2 p.m. and run through 10 p.m., is the result of strong public support for the plan, said Judson True of the Municipal Transportation Agency. The continuing development of local services at the Fourth and King location also played a large role in the decision to expand the service, True said.

“We’re very pleased to give Treasure Island residents access to important amenities like a grocery store and Caltrain,” True said, adding that the extended route would cost the MTA $534,000 annually. The agency’s current operating budget is $687 million, according to True.

In another improvement for Treasure Island commuters, Muni will begin more frequent service of its 108-Treasure Island bus, starting Thursday. During peak hours, the 108-Treasure Island will run every 10 minutes, instead of the current 15-minute intervals.

Sherry Williams of the Treasure Island Homeless Development Initiative said residents have pushed for expanded service routes for the past decade. When she began working with her group on the island in 1997, Muni buses would make just one hourly stop for 12 hours a day, Williams said.

“The expanded service is something that residents have been expressing support for in community meetings for years,” Williams said. “I think everyone around here is real excited about the changes.”

wreisman@examiner.com