Category: News

Photo by cbcastro

• Transit benefits package unexpectedly included in fiscal cliff deal (SF Examiner)
• Muni takes note of success of holiday week service reduction (SF Examiner)
• Stronger Clipper card privacy policy under review (Bay Citizen)
• Muni Surveillance Cameras Help Nab Alleged Robbery Ring (SF Appeal)
• Corporate Shuttle Crowds Out Muni Bus (SF Weekly)
• Muni arrives in S.F.’s top overtime spot (Matier and Ross, SF Gate)
• BART Independent Police Auditor to hold community forum on Jan. 29 (BART.gov)
• Ratings for BART on-time performance, seat cleanliness rise in latest customer satisfaction survey (BART.gov)

Update (10 a.m., Friday):
How did the bus end up on the sidewalk Thursday morning? From SFMTAs spokeperson Paul Rose:

The operator lost control of his vehicle and jumped the curb. Four people were taken to the hospital with what appeared to be minor injuries. The SFMTA and SFPD are investigating to determine the specific cause of the accident. The operator has been placed on non-driving status per standard procedure pending completion of the investigation.

Original post:
A Muni accident this morning caused outbound delays in Bayview on Third and Palou, and we still don’t know how the bus ended up on the sidewalk. This photo came from reader ZA and Ariel D.

Another photo via Twitter:

Photo by @tweetsfromtheT

From @tweetsfromtheT:

Outbound T delay @ Palou due to #muni accident. 7:32 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013

We hope no one was injured. And also, WTF? We’ve asked the SFMTA for the latest and will update you as soon as we find out.

Photo via KTVU

An ad campaign using the controversial word “jihad” has launched on Muni buses, and the reception has been mixed. The “My Jihad” ad campaign from the Council on American Islamic Relations first launched in Chicago in December, and was started partly because of an earlier “support Israel” bus ad campaign by Pamela Geller. The Council on American Islamic Relations says that the goal of the “My Jihad” campaign is to “share the proper meaning of jihad,” according to the CAIR’s official website.

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Photo by MarkPritchard

I’m sure many of you will be thrilled to know that Muni is set to implement a $5.9 overhaul of its surveillance cameras. Thanks to a grant from the federal government, SFMTA officials will now be able to monitor sounds and images from Muni vehicles in real time. Yep.

Via NBC Bay Area:

“The information we receive from the surveillance video is very helpful for authorities and Muni personnel,” SFMTA’s Paul Rose said. “The authorities are able to investigate crimes and find out what took place and use that as leads for their investigation.”

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Photo by cbcastro

Starting today, SFMTA is accepting applications for the storied Free Muni for Youth program, which was finally adopted in December. SFGate’s City Insider has the story:

To be eligible for the program, kids must be San Francisco residents between 5 and 17 and from households with annual gross incomes below the Bay Area median income. That varies by household size but for a household of two, it’s $82,400; three, $92,700 and four, $103,000. Applicants must have or get Clipper cards.

Qualified youth will get a free Muni pass until they turn 18 or the program ends. It is scheduled to begin on March 1 and continue for at least 16 months.

To apply, go to SFMTA’s Free Muni for Youth page.