Category: News

Get ready for a long goodbye to Clipper cards

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clipper card by akit

It seems just like yesterday (actually, six years ago) when we bid farewell to colorful paper Fast Passes and welcomed Clipper Cards into our lives, but as the Ingleside-Excelsior Light reports, it’s already time to prepare yourselves to part ways with your little blue fare cards. Clipper card’s contract with Muni ends in 2019, and the agency is drafting a wish list that new technology could address.

Diana Hammons, revenue manager at MTA, updated the Citizen Advisory Council on issues in the current system such as the 3–5 day wait after loading cash onto the card online, and other problems that have existed since the 1990s, when the system was first installed.

More from the Ingleside-Excelsior Light:

In response to considerations like these from all of the transit systems, the Municipal Transportation Commission, which manages the Clipper system, is drafting a Concept of Operations, or what Hammons called a “dream system list.”

Other items on the list included demand based pricing, real time fares—every bus is connected and sends transaction information immediately—and more flexibility with fares. However, Hammons cautioned, incorporating too many features might bog down the system by making it too complicated.

The new system should address some of these big technical issues, and maybe even look a little prettier while we’re at it. For you nostalgic types, here is a look at Fast Passes through the years.

H/t: SFist, Muni rider Matt

Photo by Agent Akit

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Muni driver uniforms may get a redesign this spring

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muni uniform ad main
Muni drivers may be ditching their brown uniforms this spring, depending on how they vote on this important decision, reports the Examiner. Voting ends Feb. 8, and right now gray is the leading choice. A little sneak peek about the new look, according to the Examiner:

The newest uniforms include a polo shirt option and new jacket options, according to SFMTA documentation. The Muni logo on the gray shirts would be stitched in red, whereas the logo on the brown uniforms would be stitched in white.

Alison Cant, an archivist and museum manager at the San Francisco Railway Museum, told the Examiner that Muni’s first operators in 1912 wore navy blue uniforms. This lasted until about 1968.

The operator uniforms then went from navy blue to green (with a maroon tie!) to the now familiar brown. Looks aren’t the only factor here. Drivers also told the Examiner that the current uniforms are not comfortable and they’d like to have a more breathable fabric.

This reminds me of that one Project Runway episode where the designers tried to redesign the U.S. Postal Service uniform, and the poor mail carriers ended up with a flowy hooded cape, a fur-lined cap with ear flaps (ok I liked that hat, but still), and pants that unzipped into shorts. I hope Muni drivers end up with something comfortable with a little bit of flair.

H/t our friends at SFist

Oh by the way, here are three times when Muni drivers were being awesome human beings:
Muni driver leaves note about lost work ID

The day my Muni driver stopped the bus

Muni driver’s unexpected kindness warms one rider’s heart

Photo credit: Petrelisfiles

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Muni adds safety pole near locked seats

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muni seat by josephbergen flickr

SFMTA is adding new metal poles near those seats that have been locked up since 2014 for safety reasons, according to SFBay News. These poles (heh heh) are for your safety, folks, but if they happen to inspire some new dance moves like these sexy beasts on the L here … well, it wouldn’t be the first time!

More from SFBay News:

SFMTA spokesman Paul Rose said the transit agency is making an effort to make it safe for riders who stand in that area by providing an extra pole connected to the locked seats for riders to hold onto.
Rose said the transit agency is testing the new pole on 50 buses and will make an assessment in six months on the added safety measure.

In 2014, SFMTA locked up these front-facing seats with a safety message because the bus manufacturer feared that there’s nothing stopping you from flying forward if the bus were to suddenly lurch.

Unfortunately, even with the safety pole installed, you still can’t sit in those, seats so they will continue to mock you on any crowded bus until SFMTA replaces its fleet.

Photo by josephbergen

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Muni strikes back!

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muni-shuttle-smash-main-3

Take that, silly tech shuttle!

Karmic justice and schadenfreude collided (combined?) this morning downtown, when a Muni trolley’s electric pole came offline and smashed through the window of a (probable) tech shuttle. SFist has the story:

An electric Muni bus antenna collided with the window of what appears to be a tech shuttle downtown, though which vehicle may have been at fault remains unclear. From the photo above, it appears the antennas had come loose from the overhead wires and were sticking off the rear of the Muni bus when the shuttle possibly drove into them.

Photo by unknown Instagram user, via SFist

Category: News

How Super Bowl construction will affect your life on Muni

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super bowl muni construction

Construction for the Super Bowl pregame activities start next weekend, so here’s a closer look at how Sports Bowl will impact your transit life in the next few weeks.

The short story is: Don’t drive downtown. If you’re reading this on Muni Diaries, you already got the memo. Even though the game will be played in Santa Clara at Levi’s Stadium, a “fan village” called Super Bowl City (free to the public) is being built at the foot of Market Street, and a “pro football interactive theme park” will be at Moscone Center.

The pregame events open on Jan. 30, with hundreds of thousands of people are expected to descend on our city in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, which is on Feb. 7. Officials expect to spend about a week after the event tearing everything down, according to SFGate, so the whole shebang might last from Jan. 22 to Feb 12.

You can see the construction area in the map above. Details from the SFMTA:

  • All Muni lines will operate downtown except the E-line.
  • Muni Metro will continue to run in the subway.
  • Some bus lines that run downtown will be re-routed to nearby streets and may have a stop a block or two away from their original location.
  • The F Line will be truncated with streetcars continuing to run from the Ferry Building to Fisherman’s wharf. Buses will replace streetcars for service from the Embarcadero to the Castro.

San Francisco will spend about $4 million in taxpayer money to host Super Bowl, including $1.7 million for the SFMTA for increased services, according to the Examiner. The Examiner also says that the city hopes to make the money back through tax revenue during the event, according a memo by the mayor’s office.

Category: News

Check out the bad ‘ol days from this 1940s Muni Map

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old muni city map curbed

The good people at Curbed have combed through lots of old San Francisco maps, including this 1940s Muni map (courtesy of our favorite map nerd, Eric Fischer). You’ll see that the F used to go through the Stockton tunnel, and there was no M line at the time. Click here to see a bigger version of the map. Oh, and here are some more Muni maps from 1920s and 1930s.

The Curbed story has lots more old fascinating maps of our city. Go on and check ’em out!

h/t our friends at Tiny Rides. thanks, guys!

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