Muni Diaries

Photo by bmevans80

Well, folks, it looks like we’ve been hornswaggled. We reported back in February that a $2 service fee being charged to some Fast Pass holders who use WageWorks or other commuter services to load their passes to their Clipper card each month was a fluke, a mistake, a one-off. Clipper didn’t authorize the surcharge, and MTC, which oversees Clipper, demanded that the commuter service cease charging pass-holders.

Then last week, friend of Muni Diaries Akit (of Akit’s Complaint Department) informed the public that the fee was, in fact, here to stay. Ever the helpful one, Akit also offers a few ways to get around the fee that are, well, less than environmental.

Muni Diaries Editor and WageWorks user Tara received an incredibly confusing email from WW about the fee. Here’s a particularly juicy excerpt:

In order for you to continue to use [the direct load feature], WageWorks must comply with new terms of the program by making you aware of the new processing fee and requiring that you “opt in” by re-electing the direct load feature and agreeing to the new terms and conditions.

Commenter Jeremy and a few others have confirmed that the charge has showed up on the bill for their May passes, also.

Yeah, it’s just $2. But when the agencies in power make the switch to the cards mandatory, sneak this fee in, tell us it was a mistake, then renege and say (in a whisper) that it’s here to stay … and oh, there’s a small increase ($2) in the price of Fast Passes coming this July … sorta makes you feel nickled and dimed, dunnit it?

What if you could replace the ads in bus shelters with messages of your own? What if public spaces spoke to you, instead of projected ads at you?

This is what the team at Wooster Collective did earlier this month in Madrid. More than 60 contributors woke up at the crack of dawn and surprised Madrid’s bus riders with a message take over.

Check it out:

We were honored to be asked to participate in the latest PublicAdCampaign project: the Madrid Street Ad Takeover project. Last Thursday at 5:30 AM over 106 messages replaced advertising in light boxes around Madrid. 4 teams of 16 dedicated folks took only one hour to complete the takeover. Though removed within about 5 hours, most were documented and can be found here. Luckily, there were no arrests.

Contributors were asked to send in text that was printed in black on a white background. People involved included artists, lawyers, teachers, sociologists and gallery owners. Everyone submitted a sentiment about what they would like to see in public space to create a vision of what the public environment could be.

You can read more about the takeover and see more pictures at Wooster Collective.

Though advertising in bus shelters is probably a necessary revenue generator, I can’t help but wonder what kind of messages we would put in our Muni bus shelters if we had the choice. Ideas?