Your place to share stories on and off the bus.
The ubiquitous Plug1 tweeted a photo by crow_soup showing a Muni bus operator smoking not only on the job, but inside his bus:
The last time we posted about Muni operators smoking on the job, the operators in question at least had the decency to step off the bus. I love how this guy is all “FTW (the original meaning of the term), I’m smoking in my seat, bitches!”
Photo by Flickr user warzauwynn
Update: SF Appeal reports that the L-Taraval is running again. No injuries have been reported (yet?).
Original: I’m seeing a few tweets about a possible crash involving the L-Taraval and a car. Namely:
@cellojules Just heard a MUNI collision involving an L and another car. Yes, heard. Avoid 19th and Taraval and expect L delays. Glad my bus not involved
@cwbuddha Getting reports of an SUV/Muni collision at 19th and Taraval. Situation Snarled.
Please comment if you know more, and of course if you were on the LRV or saw this happen. Or have photos/video.
This humorous little anecdote arrived in our inbox yesterday from reader Joe:
About 8 years ago, my wife and I were on either the 14 or 49, going from the Mission to the Metreon to see a movie. I think it was a Sunday morning, because the bus was very empty – fewer than 20 passengers the whole trip. At the front of the bus was a mother and her developmentally disabled son. The entire trip, he was talking to himself – nothing crazy, really, just normal stuff. When they got to their stop, the kid turned to the entire bus and yelled, “So long, stink-town! That’s Homer Simpson!”
My wife and I just about fell over laughing – we had just seen the episode of the Simpsons in which Homer says that line. I guess the kid had, too…
If you’ve had funnies happen in front of your eyes on Muni, let us know.
Holy euphoria! Thanks to your votes, Muni Diaries just nabbed San Francisco Bay Guardian’s Best of the Bay Reader’s Poll for Best Local Blog! We are breathless with excitement and so thankful to everyone who voted for us, especially those of you who submitted your gross, funny, and poignant Muni stories, reenacted them on stage at our spoken-word party in June, or gave us your two cents in the comments section.
We created Muni Diaries as a place where anyone riding Muni can share stories and talk about our public transit system — one of the few common experiences shared by San Franciscans of all stripes. We created the space, but you made the blog, so thank you, thank you, thank you! Our sanity as bloggers depends on our supportive network of blogger friends such as whatimseeing.com, SFist, SFAppeal, MissionMission (winning editor’s choice for “Best Virtual Mission“), MissionLocal, I Live Here: SF, Eye on Blogs, Tenderblog, and Broke Ass Stuart’s Goddamn Website (which won “Best Local Website” this year!). Our transit blogger friends like Muni Manners, N-Judah Chronicles, and Transbay Blog also keep us in check.
So please keep the stories, photos, and videos coming! We can’t get enough.
xoxo, your Muni Diaries crew:
Eugenia, Jeff, Jenny, Suzanne, and Tara.
Photo by Flickr user moppet65535
Originally written on Wednesday, September 10, 2008. From the Muni Diaries submissions inbox:
It seems like every time I am on the bus and it becomes crowded, I notice this one thing: Everyone expects for someone else to do what they’re told to do, rather than being initiators and following suit with orders. Recently, the buses have been installed with “new” bus announcements, telling people to “move to the back of the bus for others’ convenience” and also to “clear the front seats for seniors and disabled persons.” I know the bus drivers are able to press these buttons when they need to, because I hear these announcements only when the situations arise.
But unfortunately, nobody else seems to pay attention to them. People stand in the doorways, in the front of the bus, trying to ignore the announcements about moving to the rear of the bus so others could board. Is it so hard to show courtesy? Does it make THAT much of a difference of where you are standing?
Photo from Plug1
You might have noticed (we have, on buses, trains, and Twitter) a few more Muni fare inspectors lately. A few more, or, in some cases, 10 more.
It’s happening. Muni is finally getting very serious about ensuring that all riders pay and/or show proof of payment.
The following just arrived in our inbox from the tireless Plug1:
as i off-boarded my T Train this morning at EMB/Folsom, i was greeted by no less than 10 SFMTA Fare Inspectors, accompanied by 4 officers from the SFPD. it was definitely a very thorough operation, almost like a dragnet or DUI checkpoint. everyone was checked and several tickets we administered. naturally, i fired off a few shots with my iPhone. i also met Robert Wolfgang, who is the (new) Security & Transit Fare Inspection Manager. we talked about Fare Evasion, Fare Inspector #32, and how Judson True might in fact be the hardest working man at Muni. Mr. Wolfgang seemed fairly serious about enforcing Proof of Payment, acknowledging that far too many people evade paying fares daily, some even running off when confronted by a Fare Inspector.