Submitted by Muni rider Jared
Last April, I picked up the 38-Geary around Divisadero and rode it to the Outer Richmond with my brother and friend who were visiting from back east. The bus was pretty crowded for a while so we stood close to the front. After one of the stops around Arguello, two consecutive seats on the right side of the bus opened up so my friend sat down in one of them and I went to do the same next to her.
As I moved close to the seat, keeping the conversation going with my friend, I suddenly felt a hand on my butt. I looked to the right and saw that an elderly Hispanic woman had placed her hand on my ass of steel to prevent me from sitting down. Confused, I looked around and saw a group of people giggling. One guy then says “you don’t want to sit there.”
“How come?” I asked.
“Because a guy was sitting in that seat earlier, picking the scab on his leg and rubbing the blood in circles.”
I immediately look down at the seat and, what I once thought was probably dirt or a soda stain, is in fact dried blood in a swirly twirly pattern. The guy then proceeds to tell me I’m the fourth person he’s stopped from sitting in the seat. I told him he should be proud of his good-deed-doing.
Ever since then, I carefully inspect every seat before I sit down. If the only options look suspect, I’ll stand and grip the poles like my life depends on it (which it usually does).
If you liked this Muni diary, you might like:
Like Sex, Love, Lust … Muni? Click 
Ride Muni like a boss. Our Fast Pass Clipper card holders and Muni Diaries T-shirts are all on sale 
That is so nasty. Last night I thought I sat without looking, but it turned out the seat was just cold.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
[Reply]
And now I will share my last Muni-riding experience (I’ve since switched to BART and stayed there, preferring to walk the few extra blocks). I was not having a good day. I had to take a J at Montgomery to get to Church to pay rent. There were two empty seats facing forward. I sat in one. I sat in a PUDDLE OF URINE. No one stopped me and I jumped up, pissed (if you will) as all hell and glared daggers around me. And no one stopped the elderly lady who boarded just after this and sat down in the same PUDDLE OF URINE (I was so upset I couldn’t intervene myself) and moved to a different section of the streetcar because I was so furious with all of those indifferent TURNCOATS
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
[Reply]
Let this be a lesson to us all to look before sitting. Even on BART with those…absorbent seats and all. I’ll stop there.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
[Reply]
Ugh…and I ride the 38 sometimes too! $#%#$^$#@%!! Ah hell, next time I am just gonna stand. At least I can use some hand sanitizer after grabbing onto the pole.
Maybe we should take note of the bus number that these incidents occur on…? Just an idea =)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
[Reply]
I saw what looked like blood once on the 19. I moved away after I found out it was some nasty $h!+.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
[Reply]
I got onto a pretty empty 49 bus last night and sat down without thinking. Then I immediately thought of your post! Thank god the seat was clean (ish). It wouldn’t have been a very good night if I had gotten some of that nasty dried up blood on my cream color coat. Ugh, I’m grossed out just thinking about it!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
[Reply]