BREAKING: Fast Pass prices going up in July

April 2009 Fast Pass
Photo by eviloars

The SFMTA just announced a fare increase beginning in July 2011, mostly felt in the passes that the agency issues.

“A” Fast Passes, which allow riders unlimited Muni rides and BART within San Francisco city limits, are currently $70 per month, but will increase to $72 per month.

On the eve of its last regular day of usability, SFMTA announces that “M” passes, which are for Muni only and are currently $60, will increase to $62.

Other passes will also increase. Cable car rides will go from $5 to $6 per ride.

See all the new fares here (PDF)

Baseball begins today — will you ride Muni to AT&T Park?

DSC_3764.jpg
Photo by Steve Rhodes

Last week, SFMTA asked San Francisco Giants fans to consider riding Muni to baseball games this year. Tonight’s exhibition game against the Oakland A’s is your first chance.

Muni Diaries is officially in the bag for our hometown 2010 World Series champs, and we gladly welcome the beginning of the 2011 season. And we’re all for riding Muni when possible and realistic.

We wanna know: Will you be taking Muni to the games? Or will you be one of the many pissed-off, non-baseball fan throngs who huff and puff and curse Muni and all things baseball beginning around this time each year? Let us know!

Weekend Photos: Gone in Eight Seconds


Photo by Bob at All City

This photo of the N-Judah, eight seconds into the Powell station tunnel, is by Bob of the website All City. Actually, this photography collective isn’t quite new: All City is the new web digs for the photography crew formerly known as Caliber. So check them out for more excellent city photography.

This week on Muni Time Capsule, we bring you a photo by milantram showing the 41-Union and 12-Ocean Avenue kicking it at … 26th and Mission? Read the post to see how the 41 and 12 ended up in what would soon to be hipster-central.

There has been a lot of Muni news in the last few days, especially about Muni chief Nat Ford’s possible departure to take a job in Washington, D.C. So, in Muni news this week:

  • America’s Cup could aid F-line streetcars (SFGate)
  • Fort Mason Streetcar a Step Closer (Market Street Railway)
  • Muni Says It Has No Plans to Conduct a Seismic Report on Its Tunnels (KTVU)
  • Six injured when big rig hits Muni metro (Muni Diaries news roundup)
  • Muni starts enforcing employee parking rules (ABC7)
  • SFMTA Board member Cameron Beach remembered as dedicated transportation professional (Streetsblog SF | Market Street Railway)
  • Muni chief Nathaniel Ford would leave legacy of mixed results (SF Examiner)
  • Punks pilfer purses all over San Francisco — one incident happened upon exiting Muni (SF Examiner)
  • Muni chief Nat Ford to staff: I’m not going anywhere — for now (City Insider)
  • Embattled Muni chief Nat Ford meets behind closed doors with his bosses (City Insider)
  • David Chiu calls for Muni hearing amid uncertain future of transit boss (SF Examiner)
  • Muni board considering honoring Cameron Beach by naming streetcar after him (SF Examiner)
  • Muni overtime pay, subpar citation revenue still draining SFMTA budget (SF Examiner)
  • Discussion of Muni switchbacks set for Monday (SF Examiner)

Looks like the weather is letting up a little, which leaves you free to track down those endanger buses for the Endanger Bus Photo Contest! Money, publication, and small fame might be in your hands.

Enjoy your weekend and these photos.

Weathering
Photo by Melissa Shapiro

Temporary Transbay Terminal
Photo by Sergio

Icons
Photo by Curbed SF

Car 1 burn-in run
Photo by Jeremy Whiteman

Muni 8355 Mkt & 5 9-9-10
Photo by Paul Sullivan

Endanger Bus Photo Contest: Juror Announced!

Endangered Species - Mission Blue Butterfly wrapped @sfmta_muni bus is awesome!
Photo by Anthony Brown

Deadline extended to May 20!

You can win $150 and publication in Bay Nature magazine by submitting your photo to our Endanger Bus Photo Contest! The contest will be judged by Cheryl Haines, director of Haines Gallery and executive director of the FOR-SITE Foundation, which she established in 2003 to support art about place.

The contest challenges you to photograph these beautifully wrapped buses roaming around town, courtesy of the EndangerBus project by artist Todd Gilens.

Instead of thinking about buses an advertising space, Gilens wondered if buses can be a vehicle for other kinds of communication. He raised money to wrap four buses in photographs of the Brown PelicansCoho SalmonSalt Marsh Harvest Mouse and Mission Blue Butterfly.

The contest ends on April 10, so peek at the details of the contest:

Endangered Species buses Photo Contest
Find the Endangered Species buses (see bus tracker below) and catch them with your camera in motion or at rest.
Enter up to four images by emailing them to endangerbuscontest@baynature.org (minimum 1500 pixels in length or width)

Prizes

First place receives $150 and publication in Bay Nature Magazine.

Second place receives two tickets to the San Francisco Zoo and two $10 Clipper Cards.

Five other entrants will be picked at random to receive $10 clipper cards.

ENTRY DEADLINE: 11 p.m. April 10, 2011 Deadline extended to May 20th!

To find the Endanger buses, check out the real time bus tracker that Gilens created with GreenInfo Network on the EndangerBus.org website:

Switching from TransLink to Clipper


Image courtesy SFist

Until yesterday, I still had a TransLink card. It stopped working last weekend, spontaneously. I guess it had served me as long as it was willing to, and put in for early retirement without letting me know.

So yesterday I decided to trade it for a Clipper card. The entire experience was relatively painless. If you, like me until yesterday, held onto your TransLink card through the arbitrary and expensive rebranding to Clipper, there is no need to switch unless your Translink card has stopped working (usually because of a scratch or crack or other mishap). But if your Translink card has stopped working, here’s what to do:

(This step-by-step is for riders whose e-cash TransLink card is set to autoload.)

  1. On the Clipper website, disable your autoload.
  2. Go to a Clipper service kiosk. There’s one at the Embarcadero BART station, one in the Ferry Building, and one at Geary Boulevard and Presidio Avenue. Ask for a new card, and they’ll set it up with your existing account. The money in your account should be fine, but if they don’t offer that information, ask.
  3. When you get home, register your new card on the Clipper website. Go to Register Another Card on the left navigation bar, and follow the steps.
  4. Also on the Clipper site, you’ll need to reactivate your autoload. Use the Set up Autoload option on the left navigation bar.

If you have your Fast Pass on TransLink and want to make the switch, call the Clipper customer service (877.878.8883) to make sure the Fast Pass is loaded onto your new Clipper card. While my experience was rather seamless (the correct cash amount appeared on my card the first time I used it after activating it), we’d love to know what your experience was when you switched over. Let us know in comments, please.

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