eugenia

Eugenia Chien has been eavesdropping on the 47, 49, or 1 lines since the mid-90's. She lives by the adage, "Anything can happen on Muni" (and also, "That's not water.")

Punctuation mishap on Muni warning sign

August 15, 2016 eugenia Leave a comment

This sign on Muni is pretty much the equivalent of nails on a chalkboard for the punctuation-inclined (otherwise known as civilized people). Via @julesforrest on Twitter, who said: “Type crimes of Muni, quotation marks edition.”

It’s hard to know where to start with this “warning” sign: the existence of quotation marks, the not-so-smart quote, or the underline? Well, don’t worry, it’s just a “warning.”

The right quotation marks (or comma, in this case) make the world go ’round. Got your own Muni pet peeve? Send it our way @munidiaries on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

Hat tip: @mwichary

Category: Funny: Muni LOLs

Fast Pass prices go up September 1, in case you forgot

August 12, 2016 eugenia Leave a comment

fast passes price sheet muni diaries

In what’s become rather regular news every other year or so, you’re gonna have to shell out $3 more for your monthly A or M Fast Passes starting next month. So why must we squirrel away more change for the bus?

Since 2009, Muni fares have been set by Muni’s Automatic Fare Indexing Policy, which means that prices are determined by a formula based on monetary inflation and operations costs. The nitty gritty formula is in the fare indexing policy page here.

Here’s a handy chart for the different types of passes:
muni fast passes price increase 2016 muni diaries
Source: SFMTA

If you have automatic upload, you’ll see the prices reflected automagically on your statement in mid August for next month’s Fast Pass.

In the meantime, let’s take a little walk down Muni memory lane. When Fast Passes, at relatively bargain-basement prices, showed up more reliably than our buses in fabulous color combinations. Thankfully, many of them live on as art and keepsakes of the hella SF variety.

Category: News

BART’s Bart Simpson moment

August 11, 2016 eugenia Leave a comment

Local artist Elissa Patel had the brilliant idea to dress up 15 people as Bart Simpson and unleash them all on BART on Tuesday, to the delight of lots of riders. In the photo above by @MonkonJay, the riders looked like it was just another day on BART, but soon enough, everyone was taking photos and videos of the fun, which you can see on SFGate and UpOut.

Here are the Bart Simpsons waiting for their train to arrive. (Photo by @elissapatel).

Category: BART

Vintage Muni cars found in tiny Oregon town

August 10, 2016 eugenia 10 comments

vintage n judah muni diaries san francisco remembered

What are these old Muni cars doing in a town with a population of 398? Jen Q. posted these photos in the San Francisco Remembered Facebook group when she went to the tiny town of Brooks, Oregon, and saw these vintage Muni cars on display.

It turns out that the cars were a part of an exhibit at the Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society, thanks to some sleuthing from a commenter. And here comes reverse sticker shock: Do you know how much a Muni ride cost in the 1970s?

san francisco remembered old muni fare sign

Yup, look at this closely: 25 cents for a Muni ride. Anyone remember those days?

For more memories of the city, check out the San Francisco Remembered Facebook group, where you can find “vintage photos, family stories, and memories of the City that we love,” all of it post-1906.

Previously on Muni Diaries:

Here’s something else we’d like to bring back from the 1970s: groovy BART uniforms!

H/T: @mwichary

Category: News Tags: muni time capsule

Graceful Harp at Montgomery Street Station

August 3, 2016 eugenia Leave a comment

muni station harp

Did you see this elegant harpist at the Montgomery Street station the other day? Another harpist, last seen here, was delighting his fellow commuters on the bus with his mini harp! We’re all for buskers, like this chamber music quartet, this cellist at the 16th Street BART station, and especially this musician with this very unusual instrument.

Thanks to @commutelife for submitting this Muni moment to us on Instagram.

Category: Aww: Cute on Muni Tags: Montgomery Station

Can we please have 1970s BART uniforms back right now?

August 2, 2016 eugenia Leave a comment

1970s bart uniform muni diaries

Things that were better in the ’70s: Star Wars, hair, and … BART uniforms. Check out this amazing photo from BART’s Twitter account (@SFBART). These BART uniforms from the 1970s might be even better than flight attendant uniforms. The bows, the super fly collar, and that fabulous tie. Can we please bring them back?

Want more groovy blast from the past? Check out this 1980s Muni metro birthday party (we even have a video!)