44 rant

This is something that’s been on my chest for four years. Four years! I used to ride the 44 line religiously each day at the start and end of my very, very long commute to Mountain View. I even dedicated a personal journal to the 44 just to vent my frustration in a positive way. So I figured I’d share my woes with you guys on Muni Diaries.

For those of you who still ride the 44, I hope the line has improved its on-time performance. It really couldn’t have gotten much worse. The 20-minute interval between buses as displayed on the Muni schedule is a bunch of packed-in crap. Just writing all this now takes me back to the days when I’d wait and wait and wait for the bus, sharing my angst with fellow Muni goers. I guess you could say that the 44’s habitual inconsistencies brought the community together. But I’d rather engage with fellow San Franciscans at an antique show at the Cow Palace than stand around talking about how long we’d all been waiting for the bus. And I hate antiques.

Before I begin my rant, let me share some 44 facts with you: The line runs from the Richmond (where I used to start my journey) across Golden Gate Park to Inner Sunset (doesn’t it feel like everything goes through Inner Sunset?), to Laguna Honda Hospital, around Twin Peaks, to Glen Park (where’d I’d get off), finally to Bernal Heights. The route takes you through several city parks, which would seemingly make the ride enjoyable had you not otherwise been waiting for the pick-up for a good part of your morning and afternoon.

Now on to my succinct, four-year festering rant:

The 44 is my nemesis. Today I waited 20 minutes for the rush-hour bus, only to miss my connection; yesterday, it broke down; two Fridays ago, I waited 30 minutes for it to arrive, and consequentially missed happy hour with friends because of it. If this line only had a face and a body to tackle, I’d kick it in its belly, scream obscenities into its ears, and hold the mother down while force-feeding it raw habanero peppers. This line reminds me every day that I’m subject to some really shitty rules and schedules made up by others. It pisses on the very idea of public transportation because it fuels my growing, yearning desire to just say “screw the environment, screw my beliefs, screw the society. Just give me my keys so i can drive outta here.”

Ahhh. That felt good. — Jenny