Category: News

SFMTA’s Broken Clipper Machine Policy Unchanged

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Back in July 2010, we reported on official SFMTA policy for when a Clipper reader onboard a Muni vehicle is broken: the vehicle’s operator had to allow passengers with Clipper cards to board. We even posted the official memo from SFMTA for you to print out and carry with (much as it made our stomachs turn to encourage dead-tree-ism).

But, lately, there were mumblings that the policy wasn’t being enforced systemwide. So, we got in touch with SFMTA, who verified that the policy hasn’t changed:

The policy has not changed.

Any customer who receives a citation that they feel is unwarranted may certainly protest the citation. Here is a link from our website to the page about paying or protesting a transit fare citation: http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mfares/AdultMunitransitviolationonorafterFebruary42008.htm. We appreciate customers alerting us to malfunctioning Clipper readers via 311.

So, when you encounter a broken Clipper reader, insist on boarding the vehicle. Protest a citation if you receive one, using the guidelines in the link above. It’s probably a good idea to note the coach number, the driver number, and the date and time for reference.

The more you know, and all that.

Category: News Tags:

Muni News: BART failures, BART non-protests, Muni station doors

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SF downtown, August 6 2011
Photo by YUNCHUNG LEE

  • BART data-device failure shows deep system flaws (SFGate)
  • SF Mayoral Candidates Need to Tackle Transportation Funding (Streetsblog SF)
  • One Year In, Officials Say Transbay Terminal Construction On Schedule (SF Appeal)
  • SFMTA Advises Muni Customers about Metro Station Door Replacement (SFMTA)
  • Rumored protests at BART, Muni in SF on Thursday stall out (SF Examiner)
  • Transit ridership surges throughout Bay Area (SJ Mercury News)
  • BART Officer Contradicts Spokesperson, Says Transit Agency Did Block Cell Phone Service Thursday Night (SF Appeal)
  • Weekend traffic and transit advisories (SF Appeal)
Category: News

Muni Riders Nab Suspect in SOMA Theft and Assault

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Backseat View
Photo by Sergio

Fellow passengers make for good Samaritans, as Bay City News reported this morning. A woman was robbed of her cell phone by two men on Muni near Ninth and Folsom, but fellow passengers helped nab one of the suspects. Bay City News via SF Appeal reports the dramatic turn of events:

The 31-year-old victim was approached from behind on the bus by a man who grabbed her cellphone from her hands, according to police.

The suspect and an accomplice ran off the bus, and when the victim gave chase, the accomplice pushed her up against a wall and began choking her, police said.

At that point, another passenger on the bus got off and put the suspect, a 25-year-old man, in a stranglehold and detained him until police arrived and arrested him.

Are you the brave passenger who put the suspect in a stranglehold? Or were you in a similar situation on Muni? We want to hear your story first-hand, so please get in touch!

Category: News

Vent Your Frustrations: Subway Punching Bag

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Subway riders in Shanghai arrived at their morning commute to find that three of the columns at the platform had been transformed into punching bags for them to vent their frustration. Huffpo reported about this hilarious ad campaign by Adidas. The punchbags have slogans that read, “Every year you have to wait on the platform for about 1,824 minutes. Don’t waste your time, come and have some punch!”

Unfortunately, the nice kids interviewed in the news clip didn’t have much to say about their frustration other than, “I saw this other guy punching it with his fists. I thought it was interesting so I tried kicking it.” Is the subway system in Shanghai so efficient that the riders don’t have more colorful complaints? I can only imagine a swinging punchbag at the Van Ness station. Good times.

Read the rest of story at HuffPo.

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BART protest could snarl evening commute in SF (updates)

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BART police barricade Embarcadero substation
Photo by Black Hour

Update (1:38 p.m. Thursday): SFist reports that a protest will take place at Civic Center Station today at 4:30.

Update (7:35 a.m. Thursday): BART was pretty cryptic in their message last night. We found this on SFGate: Possible protests related to July BART Police shooting.

Original post: I just don’t know what this could be (too many possibilities, really), but from the BART.gov website:

Please be advised that protesters may attempt to disrupt train service during August commute periods beginning as early as Thursday, August 11, 2011 in downtown San Francisco BART stations.

Read the rest of the advisory on the BART website. And plan ahead?

Category: BART, News Tags:

Peek at Your Future BART Seats

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If you haven’t sat down on a BART seat or even so much as touched anything on BART since the fecal matter report, you should check out the new renderings of proposed BART seats asap. Designed by BMW Group DesignworksUSA, these proposed seats will replace “the oldest fleet in the country” and feature easy-to-clean seats and “no musty carpets.” See all the proposals in the official announcement from BART.

Word is that the project won’t be completed until 2017, but you should tell BART.gov what you think of the seats via the feedback form or at the open houses that BART will be hosting. The photo above is option A, featuring a center arm rest and head rests for window seats.

Here’s option B, featuring an “informal, open-style lounge” in the middle of each car.

Option C features artistic “S” shaped poles and “portals at the end of some cars for kids to see track and tunnel walls whiz by the front of the train as it speeds down the track.”

Here’s a nifty video of the proposals, set to music, even:

Of course, we know many of you have your own ideas of seating on public transit. And these proposed seats don’t look much like the comfortable subway living room in Prague. But maybe that’s a good thing.

Hat tip: Curbed, SFist.

Category: BART, News
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