Muni: You aren’t responsible to pay when a Clipper card reader is broken

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This week, SFGate reported on a phenomenon that many Muni riders know all too well: when the Clipper card reader is broken and you don’t have a Fast Pass on your card, you might get a citation from fare inspectors. But yesterday, we were informed by the SFMTA again that you shouldn’t be cited in this situation.

In 2010, we asked SFMTA about the policy for fares when the Clipper card reader is broken. They told us that when the machines are broken, drivers are not supposed to make cardholders pay, regardless of whether the rider has a monthly Fast Pass loaded on the card. We even got the document SFMTA says they sent to operators notifying them of this change in procedure in 2010 (see above).

Has Muni’s fare policy changed since our 2010 story?

SFMTA spokesperson Paul Rose told us yesterday, “The policy has not changed. We are not going to hold passengers accountable if there is no way to tag your card.”

According to the SFGate story, about 55,000 people have been cited since July. And:

Since July, 8,700 Muni riders have complained they were wrongly cited for not paying the fare, many times because of broken scanners, according to appeal records. Roughly 175 of the riders succeeded in getting their ticket dismissed.

So there you go, folks. Whether the inspectors and drivers were misinformed, now you have the word (and the memo) to protest your tickets.

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Muni ‘man sitters’ beware

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Image via feministing.com

We still don’t get why you do it. Yeah, you: crotchy sitters.

Firstly, you’ll not only be shamed on the internet—not that we have ever, ever shamed so-called man-sitters on Muni who’ve got big balls and they cannot lie…oh, wait, yeah we have, a lot.

But now, you’ll endure an added layer of emasculation when those big ones are Photoshop neutered in favor of (duh) cats. I mean, if you are actually saving room for cats, per Feministing.com, we’d be OK with it, just let us know.

h/t our friends at Tiny Rides

Category: Funny: Muni LOLs

A Fix for Those Who Are Nostalgic for Paper Fast Passes

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Image via John Kuzich’s Fast Pass Nostalgia

You might have read about the all-but-extinct Muni Fast Pass in your history classes. Maybe not. Maybe you’re old* enough to remember the once-fancy paper free-ride passes. Or maybe you’ve seen people dressed up as Fast Passes on stages in San Francisco.

Whatever the case might be for you, John Kuzich has gone and made a website for those who miss the old colorful paper Fast Passes. We caught up with John after he alerted us to his new site.

Muni Diaries: Can you tell us little about you and your background. Are you an SF native?
John Kuzich: I’m from Detroit, Michigan. Took up fine art in high school and won the Regional and the National Scholastic Art Awards Competition with four gold medals and a scholarship. Trained to be a graphic designer in Los Angeles and came to the Bay Area in 1969 where I worked at a design studio before going out on my own and serviced clients like Del Monte/Chevron/SF Symphony, and many others. All design work from my 30-year career can be seen on my site called IN RETROSPECT. I’m retired now and began to devote my life to fine art in 1999.

Basically my whole life has been about color and design. I see it everywhere and in everything and it makes for a rich life. I consider it a blessing.
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Category: Aww: Cute on Muni Tags: ,
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