Muni Diaries

West Oakland BART reopened after protesters chain themselves to train

November 28, 2014 eugenia Leave a comment

west oakland bart protest john sasaki
Photo by @johnsasaki1

The West Oakland station has just reopened after Ferguson activists chained themselves to a BART train this morning and closed down the station all morning, according to @SFBART. As of 3:07 p.m., the station has just reopened and BART continues to experience delays.

protesters jill tucker
Photo by @jilltucker

The San Francisco Examiner reports that about 15-25 protesters chained themselves to trains on both sides of the West Oakland station, and passengers were evacuated. Because of the protest, trains cannot travel to and from the Transbay Terminal. The protest was first reported around 10:45 a.m., the Examiner reports. CBS Local reports that several protesters were arrested.

Category: BART, News Tags: bart

Super San Francisco Black Friday Gifts

November 28, 2014 eugenia 2 comments

We hope you’re not breaking a sweat (and your wallet) at the mall right now, because here are some very cool, super San Francisco gifts that we found from our favorite Etsy sellers. We found some cool prints, stationery, and apparel, including a Muni belt buckle! Check ’em out.

To wear:

Great Muni tees by SunSet Apparel to show your Muni line pride.

Appropriate for any rush hour ride: Muni Sardines tee by DSF Clothing Company

Category: Photos

“Don’t sit there”: Five things to be thankful for on Muni

November 27, 2014 eugenia 2 comments

As we give our thanks and sit down to our feast of choices, it’s really the little things that I’m thankful for as a Muni rider.

1. A friendly warning to weird substances on the seat. Aw, look at this friendly Post-It note on a Muni seat to warn you away from questionable liquid on the seat (rule number one: it’s not water.) Photo via @3nsnared_in_the_brambl3 on Instagram.

2. Cute animals riding the bus. Aw, a kitty in a shopping basket on Muni? How can you resist? Thanks @tashahasfun for spotting this cutie.

3. Getting the bus all to yourself. Those rare times when you’re the only passenger on the bus. It’s like your own $2.25 chariot.

Photo via @cburg319

4. When the bus driver waits an extra second for you as you sprint up the block. Makes my day every time.

Photo by @chrisdav1d

5. People yelling “Back Door” for fellow riders. It’s a San Francisco tradition, really.

Photo by @jtwg.

Category: Funny: Muni LOLs

Riding Muni with Saint Jude

November 26, 2014 eugenia One comment

saint on muni

It always helps to ride the bus with the patron saint of desperate situations, as observed by @nutcheese on Instagram. Just so you know, famous peeps do ride public transit, like the Most Interesting Man in the World, Chewbacca, and the governor, even.

Who did you see on the bus today? Our Instagram inbox is hungry for your daily musings!

Photo by @nutcheese.

Category: Funny: Muni LOLs Tags: strange-cargo

Bus powered by human poop is a reality

November 26, 2014 eugenia 4 comments

A bus powered by human waste is up and running in the U.K., says Mashable. How, you ask? The bus is powered by biomethane gas, which is made from human waste. And in case you wonder if poop-powered bus might smell like poop (or just smell like how Muni usually does), Mashable says that the biomethane gas actually doesn’t smell much like anything.

From Mashable:

The “Bio-Bus” seats 40 passengers and can travel up to 186 miles on one tank of the smelly stuff. The amount of biomethane gas it takes to produce one tank is roughly how much is produced annually by five people. The bus currently travels between Bristol Airport and Bath city center.

If you’re worried about the bus smelling like poop — which, let’s be honest, most buses already do — you can calm down. Impurities are removed to create “virtually odorless” emissions. The gas itself is stored in tanks on the roof of the bus.

Well, we know that most of you have smelled (or even seen) poop on the bus – could this be our future? Or maybe on BART, because we know where to find poop on BART!

Photo via Wessex Water/Rex/Associated Press

Category: News

Muni Approves $6.6M for 71-Haight-Noriega Line

November 24, 2014 eugenia Leave a comment

A big bag of money is coming to the 71-Haight-Noriega line, with the goal of shaving off six minutes for each round trip. The San Francisco Examiner reports that the SFMTA approved $6.6 million as a part of the “Muni Forward” effort to add pedestrian improvement and improve service reliability.