SF Weekly: Muni Maintenance Dismal Compared to Other Agencies
Photo by fchrist2
Muni doesn’t have enough mechanics, and its vehicles break down more than those of other agencies, according to this week’s SF Weekly cover story by Joe Eskenazi. Comparing to other agencies across the country, Muni employs fewer mechanics per vehicle, and statistically, its buses and trains “fail significantly more than those are other agencies.”
Eskenazi details how maintenance issues are recorded and processed for Muni vehicles, and makes a case that Muni should have installed a barcoding system to keep track of parts and inventory. Efficiency and automation are also problems for the agency, according to the SF Weekly report.
You can read the rest of the report over at SF Weekly.
Unfortunately, that’s nothing new. There are news stories going back 26 years that detail Muni Maintenance problems. Also a retired Muni employee once mentioned going through a sort of good/bad bus roulette when he went to work as a rookie. He’d get a bus and start out hoping it wouldn’t break down. (If it kept going, good; if not and it was close to the yard, walk back and start over.)
I read this well written article yesterday…but it does seem appartent that all Muni staffers quoted are pointing the finger at someone else… if they really cared, they (starting with just one person) would start doing it the “right way”…. get a job done quickly, vs waiting & having it be an OT job; or just figuring out a way to not have the process be so paperwork intense. They are basically saying “it’s broken, I can’t do anything about it” instead of taking the lead. Here is a chance for the Union leadership to shine – take on the issue, figure out a way to fix it, do it….. if they did that, I’d be much more in support of them.