Category: News

Photo by Thomas Hawk

This week on Muni Time Capsule, we bring you the first-ever printed Muni time table. In 1972, Muni driver Richard Morley decided that riders deserved to know when to expect buses. So he set out on his own to print schedules for riders. Yep, the first Muni time table wasn’t even published by Muni, but by a courteous and courageous driver.

In Muni news this week:

• Car restrictions on Market Street help Muni, may become permanent (SF Public Press)
• Editorial: Muni haphazard on accident-prone drivers (SF Examiner)
• SF Supe Pushes To Get Free Muni Rides For Kids (KTVU)
• Next phase begins for SF Central Subway project (KGO)
• Empty Muni bus rams into light pole, fire hydrant (here on Muni Diaries)
• Supes Getting Impatient With Muni (NBC Bay Area)
• Muni Employees Now Have to Pay to Park — Just Like the Rest of Us (SF Weekly, California Beat)
• APTA Survey: Transpo Bill Delay May Force Job Losses in U.S. Transit Industry (Streetsblog)
• BART Puts More Police on Trains (SF Weekly)
• Half Marathon disrupts Sunday morning Muni service (SF Appeal)

Don’t forget to join the fun on the Muni Diaries Facebook page by “liking” us. It’s like Twitter, but with more character(s) 😉

Enjoy these photos and your weekend!

Photo by Jeremy Brooks

Photo by Chris Saulit

Photo by Frank Chan

Photo by ohad

Photo by Jamison Wieser

You know that the new Muni shelters don’t protect you from rain, but did you know that they are protected against small arms fire? From the San Francisco Business Times:

Clear Channel is cagey about what it is spending on this, saying only that kitting out each bus stop costs the equivalent of “several luxury cars.” Part of that goes into the “military grade” screens — the sort used in tanks, capable of withstanding small-arms fire. They are expected to last five to seven years, though the units can be upgraded incrementally.

(Earlier, Gizmodo and Popular Mechanics reported that the shelters cost about $30,000 each.) Wow. Those Yahoo! Bus Stop Derby games are really safe!

The shelters are also wifi-capable, which I think will be enabled in 2013. “In exchange for watching one advertisement, users can also get free WiFi Internet access from a 4G superfast hotspot and use it as long as they want. The hotspots can extend up to three blocks and into nearby buildings,” the San Francisco Business Times reports.

For the last two months you’ve seen the Yahoo! Bus Stop Derby games all over town, pitting neighborhoods against one another for a free OK Go concert. We even tested out the game and pitched a few points for the Mission and Pac Heights. Alas, we were no match for the fierce bus riders waiting in North Beach, who edged out all the other ‘hoods to win a free concert this Saturday at the SF Art Institute (800 Chestnut Street).

From the folks at Yahoo! Bus Stop Derby:

The entire city is invited to rock out on the rooftop at the SF Art Institute, from the toughest competition (Mission and Tenderloin—so close!) to the slightly less tough (Noe Valley, thanks for playing). Come enjoy a variety of street food, games, and mingle with your fellow neighbors on February 5, starting at 3:30pm. Concert doors open at 5:30pm—but come early, since only the first 800 people will get wristbands to the show.

P.S. Take the bus. Parking at the block party is very limited so hop on the Muni (nearby lines: 45 Union/Stockton, 30 Stockton, and 41 Union) or ride your bike.

Will there be treadmills or puppies on stage with OK Go, or will the band incorporate some Muni antics into the show? Only one way to find out!

(Hat tip: FunCheapSF.com)