Photo by Whole Wheat Toast
For one of today’s “100 Muni Stories,” Brandon takes a stroll down memory lane with the 54-Felton.
Some days, I’d get to that intersection right as the bus was leaving. Other days, the driver for some reason felt he/she could drive on right past me without opening those doors to let me on. Still other days, the bus would be there to carry me part of the way home.
I remember there was this old driver in his 60s, and he made my day every day. He smiled when he saw me, lowered the bus so that the tiny version of me could step on, and then he’d give me a transfer after I stuck my 35 cents into the payment machine.
I would ride the bus for less than five minutes; in reality, waiting for the bus often took longer than simply walking home, but the bus was a part of me, and I had to take it no matter the wait, which would sometimes be hours long.
On the days I did not take the bus or lost my transfer by accident, I’d throw tantrums because of how disappointed I was. Back at home, I’d often draw pictures of Muni buses as a pastime. Muni was every bit as much a part of my childhood as school, and I’m glad that today, years down the road, I have the opportunity to express my feelings in literature and share it with others.
Read other great Muni memories in our “100 Days, 100 Muni Stories Muni” Centennial celebration. And we’re still collecting your stories, the best of which will end up on ads on Muni buses! Send us your stories today.
Ah, the 54. For years I used this route to visit close friends on Holyoke off Bacon. Often it worked well, but late evenings were a crapshoot. Not only were there the fabled missing runs–an hour between buses scheduled at 20 minutes, but far worse the shortcut drivers. The Holyoke stop is on a dogleg off Bacon which drivers would often ignore going straight up the hill. I learned to walk down to the previous stop in self defense. Getting off the 20 minute apart BART trains at Balboa Park, I often saw the 54 just down the block meaning another 20 minute wait.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
The short cut drivers… yes I remember them :) The bus was supposed to come from down the block, but at my stop, there was a street in front of me. After about 10 minutes waiting, a 54 came shooting down the street in front of me to my surprise. When I walked on, the bus driver couldn’t stop laughing cause well, she probably wasn’t expecting anyone to be at that stop right smack in the sites of her taking a short cut (or maybe even an excursion of her own).
Like or Dislike:
1 
0