The downtown-elevator loophole

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Bart elevator.JPG
Photo by Simon Miller

Muni rider Beth has discovered a bit of an issue …

Many of us ride BART and Muni every day without even thinking about the elevators. They fit so few people, they’re slow, and their floors are often bespattered with mysterious liquids. (Sounds like a precursor for a ride on a Muni bus, no?) It wasn’t until I started taking my daughter in her stroller on BART semi-regularly that I discovered something really odd.

In the four downtown stations (Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell, and Civic Center), the elevators are outside the fare gates. That means you can go from the platform to the concourse level … and not pay.

Unfortunately, I found out the hard way that this has its consequences. I got on BART from, shall we say, a southern San Francisco BART stop, and went to Civic Center. I came up on the elevator and left the station without paying. I know, I know. It was not my most conscionable moment. Then I got back on at Civic Center, went down in the elevator, and went home.

That’s when I got charged a $5.20 “excursion fare” for my journey, which would have otherwise cost me $1.75.

However, if you only get on and off at one of the downtown stations, you could conceivably ride for free. And that’s BART or Muni — the elevators go to both platforms. (In fact, they’re the only way to get directly from the BART platform to the Muni platform without going to the concourse first.)

SFMTA PR Officer Kristen Holland says to watch out for fare cops. “The 42 SFMTA Transit Fare Inspectors who are out on Muni every day are very knowledgeable in the creative ways that people try to evade paying their fair share on Muni.”

I agree, you should pay the fare. But odd that nothing more is being done to address this specific situation. I suppose there’s not much BART and Muni can do about it, considering how hard it would be to build new elevators inside the gates, or gates just outside the elevators.

Category: BART

New Muni Shelters Are Small-Arms Fireproof

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New Muni Shelter
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.

Category: News

Not-Too-Loud American Seeks French Disciplinarian

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BUS ETIQUETTE
Photo by Flickr user Lulu Vision

Allie has a strange missed connection of sorts. Read on.

One of my friends and I have seen the same woman riding the 31 and 5 off and on since we moved to San Francisco five years ago to attend USF. We call her the French Woman. She has a French accent, seriously dislikes cell phones, and will tell you off if you are speaking or laughing too loud (by too loud, I mean louder than a whisper). Like… seriously tell you off.

Regardless of the day of the week, she will exclaim across the bus, “It is Sunday, a day of rest! Do not talk so loud!”

We hadn’t seen her in a long time until last week when we were disembarking from the 5 at Baker and she was waiting at the stop… Let’s just say I got a very stern look and lots of hand motions which insinuated that I was being loud and obnoxious. But I was outside and laughing (soberly and not super loud) around noon on a Saturday. Has anyone else run into this librarian-like French woman?

Category: Funny: Muni LOLs

North Beach Muni Riders Win OK Go Concert

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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)

Category: News
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