Giveaway: $100 Gift Certificate to Espetus

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Win a $100 gift certificate to Espetus Churrascaria on Market and Gough just by signing up with our fantastic mobile deal sponsor, Scoutmob. Go on, you deserve it. And it’s free!

Scoutmob has a super easy-to-use interface, great deals that come to your phone if you so choose, and awesome discounts on local favorites like Dalva and Weird Fish.

We’ve got only a few days left Today (Feb. 28) is the last day for the Scoutmob offer of a $100 gift certificate to Espetus for one lucky Muni Diaries reader. So sign up for Scoutmob so you can win $100 worth of delicious grilled meat!

Just for Muni Diaries Readers: Sign up for Scoutmob and win a $100 Espetus Churrascaria gift certificate!

Category: News Tags:

Muni Head Nathaniel Ford in the Running for D.C. Post

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Natl Airport_Washington DC_01
Photo by Michael Renner

Deja vu time: Muni chief Nathaniel Ford is a front runner for an exec position to run airport authority in Washington D.C., reports the San Francisco Chronicle. As SF Examiner rightly pointed out, Ford was rumored to be a candidate to run the Washington metropolitan transit authority earlier last year. The Examiner’s Will Reisman also mentions that some folks in the Washington media world are critical of his lack of experience in aviation matters.

How will this affect our commute? The Chronicle reports:

Ford should hear whether he has the new job around March 1, [SFMTA chairman Tom] Nolan said. If it’s a go, Nolan said Ford plans to remain as head of the San Francisco transportation agency for 45 days or longer.

His possible departure comes at a crucial time for Muni, the Bay Area’s busiest transit agency with nearly 700,000 boardings every weekday. The agency faces a $1 billion-plus budget shortfall over the next 20 years without deep spending cuts and/or new sources of revenue.

Management recently began contract negotiations with Muni operators, who, under voter mandate, are losing their guarantee of being the second best-paid in the nation. Last year, Muni cut service an unprecedented 10 percent and has yet to fully restore the lost service.

Will there be a job opening soon at SFMTA? We’ll keep you posted.

Category: News

Clipper HQ Answers Your E-Cash, $2 Fee Questions

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Muni Clipper Ticketing Machine - Civic Center Secondary Gates
Photo by AgentAkit

Last week on Muni Diaries, you asked lots of questions about Clipper cards, which prompted Clipper headquarters to respond in the comments of the post. We compiled Clipper’s responses in case you missed them.

My Clipper card is damaged and I need a replacement. What can I do?

Clipper recently opened two walk-up customer service centers in San Francisco that can replace a damaged or defective Clipper card immediately (you have to bring the card with you to the Customer Service Center.

The customer service centers are at the Bay Crossings store in San Francisco’s Ferry Building and on the mezzanine level at the Embarcadero BART/Muni station.

I’d like to use e-cash on the cable cars, but they don’t accept it yet. Any idea when?

It sounds like you take Muni and the cable car alot, so it might save you money to purchase a Muni monthly pass (the “A” pass lets you ride all Muni vehicles and BART within San Francisco and the “M” pass is good only Muni vehicles).

Muni cable cars will be getting handheld card readers that can deduct cash fares from Clipper cards. I don’t know when the cable car operators will begin carrying them, but they are coming.

Why is my benefits company charging me $2 extra to put a Fast Pass on my Clipper card?

Clipper does not authorize the $2 monthly fee for customers who get transit benefits loaded directly onto their Clipper cards.

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), which runs the Clipper program, has demanded that the Clipper contractor Cubic Transportation Systems and Commuter Check’s parent company, Edenred USA immediately discontinue the $2 customer service fee.

Stay tuned for more on this issue. You can check for updates on our website, “Like” us on Facebook (Bay Area Clipper) or follow us on Twitter (@BayAreaClipper).

Caltrain needs more Clipper card readers. Some platforms only have one reader.

Thanks for your feedback on the readers at Caltrain’s stations. We’ve heard the same feedback from other Caltrain customers and have shared the input with Caltrain.

If you’ve got questions about Clipper cards, ask them in the comments below.

Category: News Tags:

Do You Have a Favorite Muni Driver?

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22 Fillmore
Photo by coreythrace

Do you know your Muni driver? Rachel over at Fog City Notes has struck up a friendship with her favorite driver on the 22:

I got on the 22 this morning and the driver, my favorite 22 Fillmore driver, touched my arm and started to say something. I took off my headphones.
“Sweetheart, this is my last week on this route,” he said. “I’ll be driving the bus after this one.”
“Oh no!” I said. I squeezed his shoulder. “We’ll miss you. You’ve been great.”
“Thank you, thanks,” he said.
The end of an era, but hopefully our new driver will be just as friendly and thoughtful.

Rachel documents many of her Muni rides, featuring her favorite drivers and passengers. Check it out on Fog City Notes. We’ve featured many great drivers — including tales from the driver’s seat to another driver who held a party on the bus. What’s your story with your favorite Muni driver?

Category: diaries, reflection Tags:

Post-Chinese Parade Fight on the 1-California

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11623 Waiting with familiar Chinatown grocery bags in hand
Photo by geekstinkbreath

Tyler told us that he was assaulted on the 1-California by a man who tried to attack Tyler’s girlfriend and her daughter. Read his account here and please comment if you’ve encountered a similar situation on the bus.

After having waited more than 20 minutes for the 1-California to show up after the Chinese New Year Parade ended, my girlfriend, her 10-year-old daughter, and I got on the bus (along with others at the stop at Sacramento and Polk). We made our way to the back of the bus and found a kind lady getting out of her seat. Not to give it up, but to get away from a drunk man harassing her. The man then pulled the stop cord for the next stop and got out of his seat.

You could smell the alcohol on his breath from five seats away — one of those riders, you know. I noticed when he got up from his seat that his left fist was clenched. I moved as far against the side seats as I could to avoid him, but I didn’t feel right. I saw him motion his fist toward my girlfriend who was standing in front of her sitting daughter, who was a drummer in the parade hours earlier. I squared myself hoping he was going to just walk past and get off with out incident. He didn’t.

When my girlfriend turned her back to him to look down instinctively at her daughter, the drunk man drew back his fist and lunged it toward the little girl. Without hesitation, I stepped in front of him, taking the punch square on the bone below my left eye. He then fell backwards and tried to lunge again at me. I deflected his advance and he started running backwards trying to escape off the bus.

Who on earth tries to assault a 10-year-old and her mother? I’m sore and have a black eye that I’m nursing with a cold container of mint chocolate chip Breyer’s ice cream.

After the fact, I filed a report with SFPD, but if anyone was there and would contribute their two cents, please do.

Riders, be aware, be alert, and if you are going to be noble, be prepared.

Category: News Tags:
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