Tag: driver story

Wanted: Your Singing Muni Driver

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The word on our Twitter stream is that a few Muni operators have been adding some light-hearted fun on your commute:

  • “My Muni driver is announcing all the stops in a Donald Duck voice. It’s kind of amazing.” — @thelynchbox
  • “The 71L bus driver is singing the stops instead of yelling them. So awesome.” — @Grahamcrackersf
  • “This J line operator keeps doing a Donald Duck impression over the PA, and it’s freaking me out.” — @mrfb
  • “I swear my Muni driver is singing out the stops…” — @simplelife9
  • “this 38 Geary bus driver srly thinks she’s a flight attendant announcing every stop and tourist trap in a sensual voice. Lol” — @MMMeliO
  • “in response to people angrily yelling “BACK DOOOR!” on the 49,driver is now repeatedly yelling it into his own mic. Won’t stop” — @kailielaine

 

 

 

In the craziness of getting across town, I can definitely appreciate drivers who have a great sense of humor. Does anybody have audio or video of such entertaining Muni operators to share?

Category: Funny: Muni LOLs, Story Archive Tags:

From the Driver’s Seat: Shake What Your Mama Gave Ya

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Eze (@Eze415 on Twitter) has been an operator on Muni and AC Transit and recently started a blog called Bus Driver Stories about what he sees from the driver’s seat. If you think as riders we see a lot of antics, wait until you read about what Eze witnesses every day, like these silly antics from some female passengers:

 

8:03PM Inbound

I get to La Salle and load up one passenger that was at the bus stop. As I’m closing the door I see about 6-7 girls running from down the block to get on the bus. I leave the bus door open because I’m not gonna roll up and pick them up. They can run to the bus since I know most of them will ask for a ride so they can earn this ride by running to it. So I load them up and 3 more are still running up and I wait. I mess with them and close the door and the look on their face is hilarious. So I open up the door and they get on.

Their conversation goes something along the lines of boys, one of the girls had a birthday that day, jeans/blouses/underwear, and alcohol. As they get off the bus they pass in front of me and one of the girls says something to another and right in front of the bus she starts booty shaking hahahaha all of the girls are laughing, and I’m laughing too. It’s hilarious because it was so random. I close the doors and take off laughing.

Read more from this ride and some of Eze’s tales from driving AC Transit and Muni.

Category: Funny: Muni LOLs, Story Archive Tags: ,

Best of 2010: Driving Muni with a smile

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In San Francisco, you really notice when people are nice. It’s not that we’re a mean town. It’s more that we are, uh, a little into ourselves. In our bubbles. Under our headphones. Zoned out. And we often exhibit little to no patience with one another, often understandably so.

And of course Muni is SF magnified times infinity.

That’s perhaps why it was so refreshing and uplifting to learn about Muni operator Tammy. Rider Greg shared his story of Tammy’s last days driving the 33-Stanyan (she now drives the 24-Divisadero) back in May. And oh how it resonated.

Nearly eight months later, it’s still my favorite diary of 2010. What’s yours?

Category: From MD Editors, Story Archive Tags: ,

Edible Gifts From Muni Drivers

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A gift from the MUNI driver (only in sf):

The above photo shows a gift received from a Muni operator, according to jasontoff, who took the picture. Nice photo, but, it raises the question: Would you eat a gift like candy from a Muni driver? Is this like that creepy neighbor who only wears sweatpants and hands out apples at Halloween? You know, turn it over to mom first for inspection? Or, is it … kinda totally rad and a great-day-maker?

Well, what would you do if a Muni driver gave you some candy?

Category: From MD Editors, Story Archive Tags:

San Francisco Character – Vivienne, Muni Operator

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Rider Madeleine sent us a story about Vivienne, who drives the 108-Treasure Island. Vivienne has been a Muni operator for 20 years and is “very humble as to the importance of her job,” Madeleine reports. Madeleine, who is Swiss, tells us one reason why she enjoys having Vivienne on her bus:

I like her calling me ‘sweetie.’ I know, this is nothing unusual around here, but given that I am Swiss and used to Swiss public transit operator attitudes, the idea of being called ‘sweetie’ by a Swiss bus driver just amuses me… they are waaay too stiff and formal to do something like that.

Vivienne told Madeleine about what happened during a graveyard shift on the 91-Owl when she picked up a man on Van Ness who said he had just been hit by a cab. Read the rest of the story at Madeleine’s blog, SFCharacters.

Got another Muni driver who made an impression on you? Let us know. Or even better, are you a Muni operator? We want to hear from you!

Category: Story Archive Tags: , ,

A Party on the Delayed 33-Stanyan Outbound

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full-bus

NextMuni.com says my bus arrives in 18 minutes and the next one comes in 32 minutes. Next I check it’s 9 minutes and 23. Then the ETA jumps up to 12/18…then 13/16…and finally 4/4. By the time I get to my stop, both buses are pulling in together. Just another typical morning waiting for the 33 in Upper Haight.

I hop on the first one, frustrated that yet again it would have been faster to drive. The bus driver apologizes, saying the two buses that were supposed to be in front of hers aren’t running today. Then she offers me my choice of wrapped candy from a dish by the fare machine and for the first time I actually look around at bus 2442 driven by Tammy.

It’s like a Fourth of July party inside Tammy’s bus. There are red white and blue streamers, balloons, coils that say “happy,” banners and party lanterns hanging from the railings. Large handwritten posters adorn the windows thanking her riders and spouting truths such as “Until Muni realizes that without our passengers there’s no Muni!” and pretty much everyone has a smile on their face.

As I sit in the bus watching new passengers board, I witness a Muni miracle: a sea of frowns turn into big grins as people enter and see what awaits them. I overhear nearly every newcomer commenting on the scene to either Tammy or their fellow straphangers. “How cool is this,” they ponder aloud. “Is this for Mother’s day?” “Is someone retiring?” “I can’t believe I got candy.” Even the woman on her cell phone discussing how her doctor just found a lump in her breast seemed upbeat, enjoying her Tootsie-Roll lollipop with her lips curled up from ear to ear.

Read more

Category: Aww: Cute on Muni, Story Archive Tags: , ,
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