Category: News

Photo by Thomas Hawk

According to a release from SFMTA, on Dec. 27, a new sales kiosk will be opened at Presidio and Geary. Riders will be able to buy Clipper cards and all other types of tickets, including Lifeline Passes.

Here’s the text of the release:

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which oversees the Municipal Railway (Muni) and all surface transportation in the City, today announced that it will open a new Muni sales location at the corner of Presidio Avenue and Geary Boulevard on December 27. The $829,000 project, paid for by grants, includes two new sales kiosks. The second kiosk will replace the current one at the Powell and Market Cable Car turnaround.

Locating the kiosk on Geary Boulevard at Presidio Avenue will provide an additional sales outlet for Clipper cards and all other Muni fare media, including Lifeline Passes.

“The SFMTA continues to seek out ways to improve our customer service,” said Nathaniel P. Ford Sr., Executive Director/CEO. “The volume of customers that passes the location on Geary near Masonic makes this an ideal spot to expand our efforts to the west side of town.”

The proposed location on Geary Boulevard is at the intersection of multiple high-volume Muni routes that serve the western portion of the City, including the 38 Geary and 43 Masonic. This location is also within blocks of four other major east-west Muni routes including the 2 Clement, 21 Hayes, 31 Balboa and the 5 Fulton.

…

Photo by Joe Gratz

SF Weekly reports the dubious news:

Muni will end its practice of surprising riders by curtailing service mid-route, according to a new report delivered to the Board of Supervisors. The practice, known in the industry as “short-turn,” occurs in response to situations where light-rail trains bunch up because some are behind schedule. In order to avoid a bottleneck in the Muni Metro Tunnel running underneath Market Street, managers and inspectors will sometimes turn a rail car around mid-route, leaving surprised passengers high and dry to wait for the next train.

When I read the article, I kept hoping this new “policy” would apply system-wide. Alas, no. Not the case. In my experience, the 49-Van Ness looooves to make unannounced stops at Market, or sometimes 14th Street. That practice will remain, it seems. So hang onto your Magic 8 Ball for those bus rides, folks!

Read the rest of SF Weekly’s article.