Author: jeff

Muni Missed Connections: Cupcake Edition

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Strawberry Macaroon Cupcakes
Photo by Flickr user Aaron Landry

We begin this latest round of Muni Missed Connections with a tale of cupcake kindness on the 19, of all routes:

u gave me a cupcake b4 u got off at 24th or 25th, thought that was really sweetie, would b nice if every1 on the 19 was sweetie like u, prob wont c u again since I’m not on the 19everyday(thank the lord) so its a good thing CL has this section4u2find me, very sweet

Next, this 30-something might have found his cougar siren, reading The Leopard, no less, on the mysterious 39L:

You’re probably a good 20 years older than me (and likely far too classy for the likes of a tattooed ne’er do well like myself), but every time I see you waiting at our bus stop, my heart starts racing…we almost always sit across from each other, if not very close, and every time I can’t keep my eyes off of you. You’re elegant, sexy, and I imagine what it’s like to be with you every time I see you… Thanks for making me feel alive! (and if you’re ever feeling daring…well, you get the idea)

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Category: diaries, reflection Tags:

Tell us: How are the service cuts affecting you? (with update)

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Broken 47
Photo by Flickr user Rubin 110

Update:

Perhaps as evidence of service cuts hurting everyone’s commute, rider JimmyD sent in pictures from his commute this evening and asks why a single car train is running at rush hour. Here’s the crowd at Embarcadero Station around 5:10 p.m. today:


Photo by JimmyD

How has your commute been this week?

Original post:

It’s now been five days since Muni enacted its latest service cuts, a whopping, decimating 10 percent reduction on just about every route in town. In less serious times, we’d be forced to joke about how service couldn’t possibly be reduced further, right? Wrong.

We see people’s toils and troubles on Twitter. We experience them ourselves in our commutes and our attempts to simply connect with our friends and colleagues. The cuts are real, and we feel them.

But now, we want to know how they’re affecting you. Share your stories in the comments, please.

(In related news, Streetsblog SF reports that the Board of Supervisors was set to discuss the SFMTA budget and the recent Muni audit at today’s 1:30 p.m. meeting.)

Category: diaries, reflection

Letter No. 2 From a Muni Operator’s Wife

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guardians of the secret
Photo by Flickr user catbagan

This week sure has seen an onslaught against Muni operators. First, we had the mayor slamming the TWU for not agreeing to a set of budget-reducing concessions. Then, on Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors-commissioned audit of Muni found that excessive overtime and other employee behaviors are costing the agency (and thus by extension, you and me) millions of dollars. Though, it should be noted, not nearly enough to have closed a $28.8 million budget deficit.

Hell, even Tara had a post this week griping about a bus driver’s behavior.

So, what do things look like from the other side, from the driver’s seat, so to speak? This brings me to a letter we received a few weeks ago from a veteran Muni operator’s wife. This is the second letter we’ve received from the spouse of a Muni operator (read the first one here), wanting give their views on what it’s like to drive the bus here. We want to share with you some of the salient points of this most recent letter.

My husband has been working for the past 30 years with Muni. … Not many people who may sit behind a desk or may have easier jobs (and don’t have to worry about being assaulted like this bus driver, who was recently dragged off the bus and beaten by thugs)  can understand that being a Muni driver is more than just driving a bus. I watched my husband change over the years and the abuse he has received as well as many operators.

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Category: News
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