Muni Diaries

What do Muni newbie riders need to know?

Because most people I know are seasoned transit riders, I tend to forget that Muni gets brand-new riders every day. Rider Melissa has just made the transition from BART to Muni, and told us:

Funny how different the commuter scene is. Lesson for today in Muni Riders vs. BART Riders: Muni Riders just don’t give a fuck! (Excuse my language…but it’s so true.) Doesn’t matter if you’re elderly, handicapped, young…Muni riders are all out for themselves. You just have to be aggressive and don’t take anything personally. Everyone is just trying to go where they need to go. [I’m] slowly learning and transitioning to a daily Muni rider….we’ll see how it goes.

Despite her skepticism, Melissa took a picture of her very first Muni pass to share with us, above.

I’m not sure I totally agree with Melissa’s assessment because I feel that on any Muni line, if you don’t know to step down, the rest of the bus will let you know. And if the back door doesn’t open for you, more than one rider will yell “Back Door” on your behalf. I’ve seen riders organize half the bus to move back for a wheelchair passenger to get on the 22. But maybe there’s something about BART riders that I don’t know?

Whenever I have visitors in town, this is my usual Muni-orientation talk:
– $2, try exact change or 3-day pass.
– Keep your transfer; it’s good for any direction.
– Step down to exit
– Some bus signs are simply painted on telephone poles (I think visitors find this consistently confusing).

Then I just give them a route map and they’re on their way.

What else would you tell a Muni newbie?