Your place to share stories on and off the bus.
And now for a little levity, this sleeping rider has zero fucks to give and is my hero of the week. Just as we thought we had already crowned the new Muni Sleep champion, this rider swoops in and takes the title.
Here are 10 more sleeping positions to consider on the bus. Have a sweet nap, everyone.
Photo credit
And here’s the best way to show how much you heart San Francisco forever. This tattoo was spotted at Dolores Park by @gtiewh02 on Instagram. You can’t describe what it’s like to live in San Francisco without making Muni one of the essential characters. We’ve found a few more amazing Muni tattoos:
Muni transfer tattoo honors family, Bernal Heights
Tattoo honors driver dad
Muni makes an appearance in tattoo declaring San Francisco love
Doug has been driving Muni for 17 years, so he’s really seen it all. In this Muni Diaries Live video, he shares stories about being a Muni driver, including secret hand signals, tricky fare boxes, and how a Muni driver can tell if you’re really ready to ride this bus. Doug still has his “day” job working nights on the Mission Street buses, including the 49-Mission. He’s written two books about driving Muni. His first book, The Dao of Doug: The Art of Driving a Bus or Finding Zen in San Francisco Transit, is a behind-the-scenes look at being a Muni driver, with his philosophy on how to maintain dignity and peace when the going gets tough.
This is quite possibly the most San Francisco Bay to Breakers costume ever. This awesome woman dressed up as “Muni Doors Closing”, reppin’ the daily annoyance that only Muni riders can understand. Cue the annoying beeping and eye rolling from fellow passengers! And more props to her for running a 12K in this get up. Thanks to Lindsay N for the photo.
Got more “only in San Francisco” moments? Tag us on Instagram @munidiaries!
There are hella threads in the fabric of Muni. This week, we chose those that speak the truth. They run the gamut, indeed.
This edition of Things on Muni is brought to you by fellow Muni riders @sheurich, @imAnnieB, @shazamethyst, @mythopoeists, and @simONErrr. Do your civic duty and share with Muni Diaries on Twitter.
Photo by ki-rose
Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown is so over Muni like you can’t even believe. Yes, he who raced Muni down Market Street has concluded that investing in Muni is “a waste,” and he has a much better alternative for you: Driverless cars. Can’t make this stuff up.
In his San Francisco Chronicle column, the ex-mayor first addresses the very important issue of texting while walking, then he makes this pronouncement about Muni’s budget:
Mayor Ed Lee just announced that we are going to spend $48 million to try to fix Muni. What a waste.
It’s time to accept the fact that Muni will never run on time, spend enough to keep the system from collapsing and start thinking about alternatives like driverless cars.
SFist’s Eve Batey points out that Brown was the one who, in 2014, reportedly stepped in and ended that Muni operator sickout. But clearly he’s had a change of heart:
Obviously you want bus systems that will take people out of their cars. But, just as obviously, people aren’t getting out of their cars easily. That’s why San Francisco should volunteer to be the testing ground for driverless cars.
Get Google or whoever is building them to offer 100 cars to the city and let us see how they work. Think about it. You step outside, punch in a phone number and catch the next available car. They go from one stop to the next. They don’t need parking. They just keep moving.
And you don’t have to worry about them hitting anyone. Traffic is so gridlocked downtown, I doubt a driverless car would ever go faster than 10 mph.
Not that I’ve had the years of experience running a city or anything, but a transit option that requires a smart phone? Kinda reminds me of something else you recently hated here.
Photo by Steve Rhodes