Where the #$%! is Muni’s photography policy?

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The 311 On Muni's Elusive Photography Policy
Image by Plug1. Click here for a larger view.

Muni Diaries would have withered and perhaps disappeared if it weren’t for some of the amazing photographs we’ve published of life on Muni. We have a category here on the site for what we call “Photo Diaries,” little slices-of-life that take place on Muni. We like running our Weekend Photo Diaries over the weekend, when traffic on the site slows down and we give readers a chance to get away from their computers. Muni photos, in a word, are vital to the continued existence of this site.

That said, we’ve witnessed some particularly troubling events in the past concerning our (and by “our,” we mean you, us, the riding, internet-ing public) capturing and posting of photographs on-board Muni vehicles.

Well, veteran San Francisco photoblogger Plug1 has taken it upon himself to get to the bottom of Muni’s vague policy regarding this subject. Below is a chat he had on Twitter with 311, and after the jump is his take on what’s going on. It also appears on his blog, WHAT IM SEEING.com. Perhaps the vagueness won’t surprise you. But there is some hope yet …

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Category: News Tags:

The Snake-eating-tail Problem of Muni Fare Increases

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shattered
Photo by Flickr user eb78

This sad story comes to our inbox from Muni rider kevinas:

I was riding the F line on Saturday morning, going toward downtown. The car stopped in front of DeLessio’s cafe, near Valencia, to pick up passengers. One young man got on and placed a dime in the fare box. The driver told him, “The fare is $2, not ten cents.” The kid said, “That’s all I’ve got.” The driver replied, “That’s not my problem.” The kid got off through the back. Shortly after the car started going again, he trough a rock or some similar object at the car, smashing one of the windows, and covering a terrified woman in broken glass. Fortunately, it did not appear that she was hurt. I briefly considered chasing the kid down and doing my best to whoop the shit out of him. But I thought better of it.

Yeah, we know the $2 fare can seem steep. But smashing a window? What’s that really gonna solve, eh, kid?

Category: diaries, reflection

Muni’s new insurance policy — too late to cover this weekend’s West Portal crash? (update)

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Trainwreck4 copy
Photo by 2girls1queen

Update (August 6, 2:17 p.m.): SF Appeal helps answer the question this post asked 18 days ago. Thanks, guys!

Original post: Regular service has resumed after yesterday’s West Portal accident, but the fallout is far from over. The SFAppeal reports that 48 people were injured, four of them critical. Ahem, anybody smell a lawsuit coming? This brings us to a KCBS story that a reader sent to us about how the MTA board approved the purchase of something known as catastrophe insurance, which pays for lawsuits. Pretty sad that such a policy is warranted.

But lo and behold, a mere three days following the board’s vote, an accident more or less validates that decision.

Since the MTA board just voted to purchse the “catastrophe insurance” last Wednesday, we’re not sure if a further vote is necessary to enact the insurance policy. Or does the Board of Supervisors need to approve this?

And does the policy cover Saturday’s crash? We doubt it, unless this is a magic policy that’s magically already in place. It would be nice, if only to cover Muni’s already-broke ass. If the policy isn’t in effect, we foresee the potential for multiple lawsuits. If that happens, does Muni fall into an even deeper hole? Ugh.

Category: News Tags: , , ,

Really, Muni operator? Manicure on the bus?

13 comments

image
Photo by Denay

Muni rider Denay sent this jewel to our inbox:

My friend and I were riding the 33 to our local friendly Comcast (sarcasm) and we witnessed an off duty muni driver clipping his fingernails in the back. He didn’t even bother to collect the freshly shorn nails off the floor!

Can we get a “ewwww”? We all know that people who ride Muni should not resort to manicures on public transit. But now operators are doing it, too? As Charlie Brown would say: Good grief!

Category: diaries, Funny: Muni LOLs, WTF: Weirdness on Muni Tags: , ,

Smoking Bus Driver Caught on Video

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[Regrettably, the video originally embedded in this post has been removed from Flickr.]

Last week, we posted a photo by crow_soup that purported to show a Muni bus operator smoking inside his bus. This blogger believed the evidence shown there, but some commenters questioned what was actually being shown.

So crow_soup went and shot himself some video. Video showing irrefutably that the driver in question is indeed tokin’ it, right there in the comfort of his comfortable bus driver’s seat.

Anyone care to argue now? Oh, and hey, crow_soup, I’m also with Rachel: Are you going to report this outrageous behavior?

Thx: @crow_soup

Category: diaries, Funny: Muni LOLs Tags: ,

Is That Guy Doing Crack? A Muni Villanelle

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38 Geary
Photo by Flickr user mojito

What with all the heavy Muni news of late, we decided to end the day with some light-hearted fare. Beth, the newly minted Muni Diaries poet laureate (who happens to have a daughter named Laurel, aka cutest baby in the world), has penned this villanelle* for us all:

The Muni bus is lurching side to side.
The driver barks at riders to move back.
I clutch the germ-infested post and ride.

A pee-soaked man and teenager collide
While a third dude hits them with his backpack.
The Muni bus is lurching side to side.

A skeevy guy is humping my backside.
Two kids are eating transfers as a snack.
I clutch the germ-infested post and ride.

Someone’s cologne is strong; it hurts my eyes.
A woman boards, live chicken in a sack.
The Muni bus is lurching side to side.

An N-Judah nearly hits us, broadside.
Taggers scrawl their names in ink of black.
I clutch the germ-infested post and ride.

A dropped hamburger dinner starts to slide
Towards my shoes. Is that guy doing crack?
The Muni bus is lurching side to side.
I clutch the germ-infested post and ride.

“What’s a villanelle,” you ask? Well, clicky that linky up there to find out more about the somewhat-obscure poetic form.

Here’s another Muni-inspired poem by Beth, posted at New Verse News.

Category: diaries, reflection
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