Baby Witnesses a Series of Blunders on the 21-Hayes

did you know it's legal to drink on muni?
Photo by arlen

Ever tried explaining what happens on Muni to a kid? Muni rider and mom June has this story to share:

On Tuesday at about 5 p.m. my 19-month old daughter and I boarded the 21-Hayes inbound for our trip home from daycare. We took seats up front in the handicapped section; the bus was fairly empty so I let my daughter have her own seat rather than keeping her on my lap. Sitting directly across from us was a surly, obviously drunk man. He was issuing a stream of salacious comments in the direction of woman who had taken a nearby seat, to the tune of, “You’re a fuckin’ skinny bitch but you have a big BUTT!” After a few minutes of that she replied, “Asshole!” and moved to the back of the bus.

Now my daughter and I were the closest targets. He looked straight at my daughter and said, “Well you’re a pretty little baby! You look just like my…GRANDDAUGHTER! Want to see a picture?!” He pulled out a cell phone, poked some buttons, then leaned across the aisle to show us a photo of a baby girl (cute, actually).

At that moment the bus was headed up the steep bit of Hayes near Alamo Square. The drunk man lost his balance and rolled about 6 feet down the aisle toward the back of the bus. He landed pretty hard on a row of seats and shouted, “OWWW! I broke a rib!”

The bus came to a halt in the middle of the street, passengers started screaming, some people got up to help the guy – pandemonium. The doors were open so I decided it would be a good time to exit. My daughter, who is just learning to talk, told me, “Ride bus. Man fall down. He owwie.”

Indeed.

Be like June, and share your Muni stories here on Muni Diaries.

So I lost my Clipper card…and my Fast Pass

Muni Clipper Ticketing Machine - Civic Center Secondary Gates
Photo by Agent Akit
When Geoff (he of the other spelling) tried to replace a cracked Translink card, he found that he would be without his Fast Pass until the new Clipper card is mailed to him. Since the Fast Pass is already a $60-$70, would this be a problem for you? Here’s an excerpt of what Geoff experienced when he called Clipper about the card:

The Situation: I give my wife a TransLink card (pre clipper design) loaded with a Muni M Fast Past (Metro Only, $60 value) to use for her daily commute.

The Problem: On her third day of using it, a small crack occurs on the TransLink card, near (but not including) the chip. The card is now broken, and completely useless (doesn’t even fail when you tag it, nothing at all happens).

My Solution (hopefully): Go down to the Embarcadero Station and trade it in for a new card, and get the Fast Pass transferred. Seems like a logic and easy thing to do, given that this is the information age. Take the Fast Pass off of one card, add it to another, voila!

Reality: I head down to the station, and the agent at the desk tells me to go get a new Clipper card from the newsstand across the way, and contact Clipper Customer Support about transferring the Fast Pass. I am a bit frustrated that I have to call but I figure it should still be a cut and dry situation. When I called Clipper Customer Support, at first I am told that the balance on my card cannot be transferred to my new card until the old card has been “blocked” (or deactivated) for 24 hours. They then can move it to the new card.

Then the customer service agent realizes I am trying to transfer a Fast Pass, and not a cash balance. She informs me that she needs to block the original card, and then she can mail me a new card with my Fast Pass on it. This seems illogical given that I am holding a brand new card ready to go. Can’t use it at all.

Geoff said he talked to a very “calm and collected” supervisor at Clipper who said that their system cannot transfer Fast Passes from one card to another the way Geoff had expected this to work. It would take about three days to get a new card mailed to him. I’ve only transferred cash from one Clipper card to another and was also told that I had to wait for the new card in the mail. It took about a week to receive my new card. Since it was cash (and the service agents I talked to were pretty nice), it was a small inconvenience for me, but for riders with a Fast Pass on Clipper, should Clipper come up with a better way to replace your lost/damaged card?

A Friendly Muni Trip From the Beach

8454
Photo by Whole Wheat Toast

Looks like there’s no sickout today. Phew. Earlier in the week: Delaine is new to Muni and San Francisco. One of her first brief encounters with Muni turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

Hubby and I decided to try our Clipper cards on Muni, being fairly new to the city. It was hot in our apartment on the bay on one of those sunny days last week, so we decided to head to the beach. We took the first train that came into the Embarcadero station–L Taraval, which took us to the zoo entrance, but also Ocean Beach. After wandering around for awhile in the cool, cloudy, breezy weather, we made our way back to the waiting train, and stood on the platform, unsure of where to get on.

After awhile the driver came around the corner, and politely pointed out to us novice Muni riders that we needed to stand at the “bus stop” to be able to board. He also gave us tips on using the Clipper card. Didn’t catch his name, but he was so very nice. I know we hear stories about rude Muni drivers, but I just want to say that we have had good service with our brief experience. I love the idea of a card I can use on all transit.

There’s been some questions about the Clipper cards on our Twitter feed. Seems like time to update our Muni newbie orientation!

At the Giants Game: Phyllis’ Grandkids Learn the Stops

I was sitting in front of my computer yesterday afternoon thinking: I wish I could be sitting outside in this beautiful weather and drinking a cold one… Then Jeff reminded me that FlipCam was taking Muni Diaries to a Giants game that very evening. How did FlipCam read my mind? How did FlipCam know that the weather was going to be freaking perfect? How did FlipCam know I was willing to pay $9 for a Coors Light?

So we took this opportunity to ask throngs of Giants fans on Muni about their Muni-riding experiences. As much as the metros were packed, most of the folks we talked to were pretty satisfied with riding Muni to and from the games: “No big problems…yeah it’s crowded but that’s how it is, you know?” Perhaps it’s the non-Giants-watching riders who have more of a beef with the packed trains.

And then we ran into rider Phyllis, who told us how you can tell whether your grandchildren are real Giants fans (see above video; 0:32 if you’re impatient and don’t wanna peep Jeff’s mad video-editing skills).

Also, Jeff would like to add: the Giants totally dogged Denver!

The 38-Geary Fairy Princess

Spin
Photo by squant


Muni rider David shares this charming tale:

She and her Mom had been getting on the 38 at Ft Myley/VA Hospital for three or four days. She had been visiting her grandfather. She was probably 4 or 5 years old. Dressed in her best fairy princess outfit with the wings and the tiara. She carried her wand with the star on top.
She was quiet those first few days when she saw us. Us with our canes, walkers, and wheelchairs. The last day I saw her, she was excited and bright eyed. She told us she had helped cure her grandfather with her wand. She then went around to each of us and gave us a light tap on the head. I don’t know about the others, but I felt very much better for quite awhile.

And Your Favorite Muni Ad Award Goes To…?

godless
Photo by size8jeans


@grahamhancock is stoked:

Muni buses are now sporting some cool Legend of the Guardians ads. Excellent!

The ads on Muni sometimes provide as much fodder as the ride itself. Got any ads you’ve seen on Muni that you’ve grown fond of or some that downright piss you off?

Here are some of the more memorable/interesting ads on Muni via Flickr:

Is nothing really better?
Photo by revger

My Thoughts Exactly!
Photo by flamk

rambo and rimbaud
Photo by TheJosephBoys

Eating Disorder Awareness Ad on Bus Stop = Appetizing
Photo by davitydave

Cartoon Penis on City Bus
Photo by dlprager

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