Paper Fast Pass Through the Years


Image courtesy samsast

Today is the last official day to use your paper “M” Fast Pass. As always (and this practice will continue in the future), SFMTA will grant a three-day grace period at the end of the month, so the absolute, drop-dead last day you can use a March 2011 paper “M” Fast Pass is Sunday. But today is March 31, and this month’s pass is the last that the agency will distribute on paper passes.

Let’s take this opportunity to usher the beloved Fast Pass to the netherworld, as we once did with Muni routes that were about to be taken out of service.

A few tidbits about the paper Fast Pass:

  • Ken Schmier is the man who came up with the concept of the Fast Pass. He’s also the mind behind NextBus. Strange, right? But also, not. This happened around 37 years ago, to the best of our knowledge. The first passes went on sale sometime in 1974. The earliest we could find an image of (below) is October 1976.
  • In a blog post from Chronicle Books, designers for the book publisher lamented the lameness of the Clipper card’s look, and paid homage to the beauty of the paper pass.
  • In 2009, local artist John Kuzich opened his Fast Pass exhibit at the de Young Museum. Kuzich asked for people’s passes on Craigslist, then assembled them on panels in really interesting and beautiful ways.
  • Muni Diaries commenter Dexter shares his recollections of the history of the Fast Pass: “I do remember that it came out around 1977 or so and the early ones just featured graphic designs. Later Fast Passes had odd-shaped cutouts to prevent counterfeiting (later removed). Then they switched to photos. I had a collection that was lost when I moved.” Too bad.
  • And of course, in November, we unveiled our first Fast Pass memorabilia product: T-shirts at the Muni Diaries Etsy store, and onesies and hoodies with the same logo available at Secession Art and Design in Bernal Heights. We also have very cool Fast Pass-looking Clipper Card holders at our Etsy store. Look for an awesome new design of cardholders very soon.

Check out these photos of the Fast Passes through time (presented mostly in chronological order) and how San Franciscans have incorporated images of the paper Fast Pass into our favorite holidays. Long live the Fast Pass!

1976 muni fast pass by cranky old mission guy
Photo by Cranky Old Mission Guy


Image courtesy samsast

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When Steven met Vickie, on the 22-Fillmore

billionaires
Photo by messtiza

At the Muni Time Capsule event back in November, KALW reporter Audrey Dilling spoke with several people who showed up that night to share their Muni stories. One of our favorites was this modern-day transit love story: Steven and Vickie met one day while riding the 22-Fillmore en route to the outer Richmond. Their initial attraction to each other survived a transfer to the 38-Geary, and the rest, as they say …

Listen to Steven and Vickie’s story

We’ve run a few stories about couples who found love amid the crazytrain that is Muni. Eric’s story of his future-wife’s hands is one of my favorites.

Do you know anyone who found a long-term mate on Muni?

Introducing Muni Time Capsule

Today we’re unveiling a new addition to the Muni Diaries community: say hello to Muni Time Capsule, a digital archive of transit ephemera from days gone by. We know that public transportation is an essential experience in our urban life in San Francisco, so what was Muni like before the present time?

The idea for Muni Time Capsule started when one day, Jeff’s former co-worker walked into the office with a box of Muni memorabilia. Inside were old schedules, service change pamphlets (sometimes for service increases, if you can believe it), maps, photos, and various ephemera that we couldn’t believe we were lucky enough to see.

You’ll see some of the great items from the box on the site, but that’s not all. As with Muni Diaries, Muni Time Capsule is a collaborative process. This is a place where you can help build a digital time capsule of life on public transit in San Francisco, and a place for you to share your favorite images and stories of Muni from back in the day.

We’re celebrating Muni Time Capsule and our collective love for the city today at the Muni Diaries and I Live Here:SF Happy Hour at SOMArts, 5-8 p.m.. There will be food carts, drinks, amazing photography and art, and you can even write your own Muni story and caption your own Muni cartoons. So, please, meander over to Muni Time Capsule, take a look around, and we will see you this evening!

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