Author: eugenia

Photo by Jaymi Heimbuch

Frequent Muni Diaries contributor and wunderkind Whole Wheat Toast shares this diary:

I was at 6th and Harrison waiting for the 8X to take me into Visitacion Valley for some photowalking. The bus comes.

But instead of the usual “show the driver the pass and go in,” I was greeted by a male, probably the same age as me, maybe older, that said very loudly, “PLEASE MOVE TO THE REAR OF THE BUS!” I thought he could be somebody hired by Muni, but then again, I couldn’t find a Muni badge on him.

As the bus pulled away from the bus stop, he kept yelling repeatedly for people to move behind the yellow line. People kept telling him that there was no room to move.

The bus enters the highway. Shortly after the bus merges onto the freeway, the person catches another guy, telling him, “CAN YOU PLEASE MOVE BACK BECAUSE THE DRIVER NEEDS TO SEE THE MIRROR!” That’s when I noticed he was in front of the yellow line.

But, that’s not all he does. As the bus neared the exit to Silver Avenue, he startled me as he called out the stop. “SILVER! SAN BRUNO AND FELTON!”

Alas, it gets more interesting. As the bus approaches Felton, he heads to the front door. As soon as the driver opened the door, he jumped down the stairs, and stopped everyone who wanted to get on from getting on. “STOP! LET THE PEOPLE OFF!” Everyone that was getting off at the stop got off at the back, and because he blocked off the entrance of the bus, the people that wanted to get on got on through the back.

He eventually got off the next stop, at Bacon. After he got off, a sigh of relief by the passengers on the front of the bus.

Then again, I’m glad this guy was dedicated to doing something the driver was unwilling to do; we need more Muni drivers like him. But then again, I kinda feel sorry for the driver for having to deal with this guy.

Photo by Brandon Doran, taken in front of the Transbay Terminal

We’ve been admiring Brandon Doran‘s photographs almost all year. For someone who is new to photography, Brandon certainly could have fooled us. We talk to Brandon about what he loves best about photographing Muni.

Tell us a little about yourself and how you got into photography.
I got into photography about 6 months ago when I bought a DSLR for the birth of my daughter. The idea of photography always sounded interesting to me but I never took the step to research the gear or learn basic techniques. Since then I have become obsessed with photography and I rarely go anywhere without my camera. I find I am more observant now, always looking for something that would make an interesting photo. San Francisco is an amazing place to shoot. It’s really a photographers paradise.

What is it about Muni that inspires you to take photos there?
San Francisco has so many postcard shots but there’s also a lot of grit. Both are great to photograph. Muni encompasses both the grit, with lines like the 38 and 14 and the postcard, with the cable cars and street cars. I like to find interesting photos in the common everyday situations and Muni is a great example of that.

Got a favorite Muni line?
My favorite Muni line would have to be the 38/38L. This is my daily commute. It’s never a dull ride. An incident that stands out in my mind occurred on the 38 when a homeless man decided he wanted off and proceeded to climb out of one of the top, side windows of the moving bus.

Photo by Brandon Doran, taken at the Transbay Terminal.

Photo by Brandon Doran

You can see more of Brandon’s photos on his Flickr page. Want more interviews of photographers whose images of Muni inspire us? Check out our interviews of Brian Brooks and Kristen Holden. And don’t forget to add your Muni photos to our Muni Flickr pool.