Category: reflection

The Snake-eating-tail Problem of Muni Fare Increases

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shattered
Photo by Flickr user eb78

This sad story comes to our inbox from Muni rider kevinas:

I was riding the F line on Saturday morning, going toward downtown. The car stopped in front of DeLessio’s cafe, near Valencia, to pick up passengers. One young man got on and placed a dime in the fare box. The driver told him, “The fare is $2, not ten cents.” The kid said, “That’s all I’ve got.” The driver replied, “That’s not my problem.” The kid got off through the back. Shortly after the car started going again, he trough a rock or some similar object at the car, smashing one of the windows, and covering a terrified woman in broken glass. Fortunately, it did not appear that she was hurt. I briefly considered chasing the kid down and doing my best to whoop the shit out of him. But I thought better of it.

Yeah, we know the $2 fare can seem steep. But smashing a window? What’s that really gonna solve, eh, kid?

Category: diaries, reflection

Is That Guy Doing Crack? A Muni Villanelle

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38 Geary
Photo by Flickr user mojito

What with all the heavy Muni news of late, we decided to end the day with some light-hearted fare. Beth, the newly minted Muni Diaries poet laureate (who happens to have a daughter named Laurel, aka cutest baby in the world), has penned this villanelle* for us all:

The Muni bus is lurching side to side.
The driver barks at riders to move back.
I clutch the germ-infested post and ride.

A pee-soaked man and teenager collide
While a third dude hits them with his backpack.
The Muni bus is lurching side to side.

A skeevy guy is humping my backside.
Two kids are eating transfers as a snack.
I clutch the germ-infested post and ride.

Someone’s cologne is strong; it hurts my eyes.
A woman boards, live chicken in a sack.
The Muni bus is lurching side to side.

An N-Judah nearly hits us, broadside.
Taggers scrawl their names in ink of black.
I clutch the germ-infested post and ride.

A dropped hamburger dinner starts to slide
Towards my shoes. Is that guy doing crack?
The Muni bus is lurching side to side.
I clutch the germ-infested post and ride.

“What’s a villanelle,” you ask? Well, clicky that linky up there to find out more about the somewhat-obscure poetic form.

Here’s another Muni-inspired poem by Beth, posted at New Verse News.

Category: diaries, reflection

Where does the jurisdiction end for fare inspectors?

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Catch Me If You Can
Photo by Flickr user Troy Holden

Muni rider Andrea sent this tidbit to our inbox just now:

This morning about 8am at Embarcadero Station I saw a Fare Checking Officer check someone’s proof of payment OUTSIDE the POP area.

The man did exit EMB station, and as there was only one Fare Checker checking fares, she didn’t see everyone’s pass. I doubt she saw my pass as it was pretty crowded. I did what most of us did which was take out the pass and hold it out for the Fare Checker to see. Whether she saw me or not is anyone’s guess. The man walked over to Peet’s to get coffee. As he was waiting for his morning latte, the Fare Checker left the POP area and asked the man for his POP. He produced his fast pass without incident.

My question is this, did this man need to show his payment status? He was outside the POP area. If he didn’t have his fastpass on him would his ticket for a violation been valid? Did the Fare Checker have the authority to check someone’s fare outside of the proof of payment area?

So, yeah, what’s the protocol here, eh? Should inspectors have the right to chase people down outside the POP area? Doesn’t that in turn prevent their checking for POP inside the ordained POP section? Our heads are spinning a little over here. Help us out in comments, please.

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Cable Car Confessions: The new cable car and its presidential guests

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Presenting the July 2009 edition of Cable Car Confessions. This month, Laura tells us all about the newest addition to the fleet, as well as some of its VIP first riders. Our last president and his family never dared set foot in our little burg, much less hitch a ride on one of our historic treasures.

“Ding ding. All aboard. Next stop Powell Street Chinatown. Tickets please, show me your tickets please.” I heard about the unveiling of the new #15 San Francisco cable car from a blogger friend, who lives in Arizona. After hearing about this great cable car confession, I immediately talked to some of the conductors to hear their thoughts on the new car and the special guests riders.

Max, a cable car conductor, told me, “Even though so much has happened and changed in San Francisco, our cable cars are still the center of the inner workings of our city. To us San Franciscans, the sounds of the cable car bells chiming day and night are the natural sounds to the city. “

In fact, I must confess to you that when I travel and can’t hear the cable car bells at night, it feels too quiet. I can’t get to sleep! And if you told me this when I first got to San Francisco, I would have never believed you. I now can’t live without hearing passing cars, car alarms, foghorns and the ringing of bells. Read more

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I Dream of Muni: Locomotive Streetcars

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sflocomotive

Beth W. has sent us another of her Muni dreams. This one is possibly even more exciting than the first:

I dreamed on Thursday that I was in Noe Valley and I meant to get onto the J-Church train, but instead got onto another train by mistake that took me to the far eastern part of San Francisco. I wound up by the Bay, which was clear and bright blue, like a tropical ocean, and the sand on the beach (yes, there was a beach!) was sparkling white. The roads were wide and smooth, and the medians and crosswalks were “paved” with pebbles in many shades of brown and gray. The best part was that the rail line, which ran through the center of the boulevards, had cars that looked like miniature locomotives rather than the usual LRV cars or streetcars. I’ve never seen anything like them. They were black and each one had a “smokestack” on top and a “conductor” at the front who took your money or looked at your rail pass. There were no buildings in the area, just vast stretches of blue water, sandy beach and all those pebbles. It was really beautiful.

If you’ve got a Muni dream to share, this is the space to do that in. Send us your dreams, fantasies, and real-life experiences.

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