Muni Diaries

Muni Diaries iPhone App Review: Routesy Pro 3.0

December 2, 2010 jeff One comment

Muni rider and perpetual student Angela helped Routesy developer Steven beta-test the newest version of his app. Here’s her review:

As a longtime SF public transportation rider, one of the websites I visit the most wheatear it be on my phone or my laptop, is NextBus.com. For the most part, NextBus does what it’s supposed to do, and if you’ve visited their website on your smartphone, you know that it’s visually bare and very basic. There are no maps or bookmarks. Every now and again, I would use the free Routesy app. But the reason I don’t rely on the free Routesy app often is that the app would crash on me and was just too unreliable.

Muni Diaries was looking for testers to play with a beta version of the new Routesy app. I volunteered and have been using the new app for a few weeks, mainly to look-up Muni schedules. I have to say, I like the new and improved Routesy. My first impression: this is a whole new app compared to the free Routesy I’m familiar with. They’ve updated their icon, an homage to the old Muni FastPass (RIP) and added two new transit schedules: Caltrain and AC Transit.

I initially had some issues with the GPS map feature after installing the app, i.e., it didn’t seem to know where I was. But this was fixed by closing and re-launching the app. I think this was a fluke because the GPS has been accurate eversince. As for the app crashing, well, it happened twice, but that’s it. I don’t know if this was due to my phone having too many apps running or AT&T’s notoriously bad service. My guess: it’s a little bit of both.

One of the first things I noticed with the new Routesy is the GUI. It’s much better compared to the old version. The list of Muni lines is much easier to see and read. The new app now gives you a list of Muni bus/metro lines with a drop-down menu giving you a choice of inbound or outbound route, which will then give you an arrival schedule. In the old app, I had to choose a route first, inbound or outbound, then pick the bus line to get the arrival time. This could be just a matter of preference (since it’s the same amount of steps to get the schedule), but I like the new version better. It made more sense to me. The only thing I would change is for the drop-down menu to be hidden or close automatically after getting the schedule. Right now, after you’ve chosen a bus/metro line, it stays open, and there is no way to close the drop-down menu.

The bookmark feature that I love in the free app is the also in the new app. This is such a great feature and a time saver! My favorite stops right there, no need to look for them every time. I also like the “other routes” option and map that shows up on the Muni bus/metro line that I’m looking at. I like that it gives me a heads-up that while the 14-Mission bus I’m waiting for won’t be here for another 20 minutes, the 49-Van Ness will be here in 5 minutes, and it will take me where I want to go. I don’t know whether any of the other transit apps have the bookmark or other routes feature. I know my old standby NextBus.com doesn’t have them.

As for arrival accuracy and when I compared it to NextBus.com, the new Routesy is off by a minute or three, but this doesn’t bother me too much as long as I know the bus I’m waiting for is on its way.

Would I pay $5.00 for the app? The price is a little on the high side but reasonable considering you’re getting Muni, BART, and now Caltrain and AC Transit schedules on your phone. And if the developer keeps updating and improving the app, I wouldn’t mind paying $5.00 for it.

You can buy the pro version of Routesy 3.0 here, or download the free version (2.5.5, does not include many features found in Pro 3.0) that Angela refers to above here (links open in iTunes).

Category: News Tags: reviews

Santa’s sleigh? A Muni bus, of course

December 2, 2010 jeff 4 comments

On Tuesday, we posted a photo of Saint Nick waiting for Muni, proving that even he isn’t immune to the worst tragedy in all our lives.

Then yesterday, we spotted this eye-witness pic taken by @atasteofcyn of the old guy strap-hangin’ and stylin’ his merry way … back to the North Pole?

Category: diaries, Photos

How not to get jacked in the back of the bus

December 2, 2010 eugenia One comment

Photo by Yesica

Two people at the SOMArts exhibit of I Live Here: SF had back-of-the-bus tales to share:

A group of happy-go-lucky teens jumped onto the bus and then realized that some of them needed money to complete their journey. They walked over and asked me for a buck or two — I complied, having been in that predicament myself before. A second teenager asked me for more change for his friend. “No luck,” I replied. I didn’t have any more change. Then I blurted out, “Hey man, I just gave you two bucks!” I had a big grin on my face because I was impressed by their preseverance.

They grinned in response and said, “We could jack you. But you’re nice so we’re not going to jack you.”

We all laughed and I learned again that it pays to be nice. At least on Muni.

This one’s from Christine:

While riding the J, I noticed that a man behind me reeked of cigarette smoke. That wasn’t unusual, but it started getting stronger. Finally, I heard another passenger say, “Ok, we all sat here while you smoked the first one, but that’s enough!”

I turned around just as the guy crushed out his second cigarette.

Reminds us of one of the first diaries not written by us: Rob’s story from July 2008 of breaking all the rules on Muni.

Category: diaries, Funny: Muni LOLs Tags: J-Church

And the Great Muni bus shelter goes to …

December 1, 2010 eugenia 2 comments

A bus shelter turned into public art? Next time you see a bus stop, think again: this may very well be in our near future.

In internet time, it seems like forever ago when we were looking for someone to give a 30-Stockton bus shelter a good home. Thanks to the generosity of SFMTA, the bus stop has been a fun addition to Julie Michelle’s I Live Here: SF exhibit at SOMArts. Last week you voted for who gets to take the beast home, and the winner, receiving 1,616 votes, is Michael Burstein. He has been rumored to have changed Bush Street to Obama Street, installed swings on BART, and placed mistletoe throughout the city last Christmas, among other things.

Michael has said that the bus shelter should be “public art” and promised to use it for something “whimsical, interactive, and possibly flammable.” Interesting! Thank you to everyone who participated in the poll. We’ll keep you updated on what happens to the bus stop.

All the enthusiasm for the bus shelter only made us realize once again how much public transportation is a part of our daily lives. If you spotted something funny on Muni or overheard a conversation that made you think, share it here with your fellow riders. Let’s blow up the party talk!

Category: News Tags: announcement

Waiting for Muni, playing bus stop videogames

December 1, 2010 jeff 3 comments

The other day, Tara and I stopped in to test one of the Yahoo Bus Derby touchscreen videogames we reported here last week. We just really want an OK Go show in the Mission, okay?

Well, I won’t give away the ending of the video above. But I will say that my neighborhood is better than yours. Oh, hell yeah! (By the way, I think the last game I played before this was Space Invaders, but I can’t be sure …)

Have you played yet? Here’s a list of all the locations. Send us video or stories of your experiences, and let us know which hood you’re playing for.

Go!

Category: diaries, reflection Tags: video

I Live Here: SF, Muni Edition

November 30, 2010 eugenia Leave a comment

All photos by Julie Michelle

Julie Michelle’s I Live Here: SF exhibit closes tonight at SOMArts. Many of Julie’s portrait subjects mention Muni in their stories, proving once again that public transportation is an essential fabric of living in San Francisco. You can’t really describe living here without throwing Muni in the mix:

“No day I live here is ever the same. It might be the same Muni train, but there are new characters. It might be the same brunch place, but the stories shared always change. The people I hold dear will always be there, but our roles and relationships are always evolving.” – Kimberly

“The San Francisco I grew up in isn’t the one people imagine from watching reruns of Full House. Ingleside is a working class neighborhood served by the K Muni line. While riding the K along Ocean Avenue, I can spot tired people napping in their business suits, young couples saying goodbye at their stops, and parents reining in their rambunctious kids. While some neighborhoods can be easily pinned down with a few stereotypes, I don’t think I can say the same here.” – Anna

“San Francisco is the cool breath of fog, standing on a street corner cursing at Muni, Monday night Guinness in a North Beach pub.” – Jax

“The young dispatcher I worked with on Sunday mornings told me I should consider urban planning as a vocation, and lent me a copy of Jane Jacobs’ The Death & Life of Great American Cities. He’s a Muni driver now, and I see him occasionally on the system around town. There’s never time to thank him for illuminating my purpose, and I keep meaning to return his copy of the book.” – Megan

“Having lived in major cities for the last 10 years, I was surprised at my initial trepidation about riding the Muni. The 19 and the 47 are my lines. Today, I appreciate them because they get me from here to there and everywhere in between with a little bit of flare, if you will, but in those first few rides I distinctly remember my shoulders at my ears and a look of confused horror that was most assuredly ill-masked by my please-don’t-notice-me-I’m-just-sitting-here-minding-my-own-business face. Thanks, Muni, you really make this town feel like a city.” – Nell.

“Undeniably, we’re also a pretty random town. Each slide of the Muni doors is a theatre-like lottery where two bucks can really change your life. People are almost never what they seem.” – Chris

“I love how this city whispers all these sweet forevers to my heart… In this city I have experienced the kindness of Muni drivers who allow me to hop on when I do not have enough money to pay the fare. I always think that they allow me to ride for free because they know that I should not be out in the streets that late at night.” – Mayanin

“Now, when people ask where I live, I can hardly contain my pride, my sense of life, when I say San Francisco. There’s nowhere quite like it on earth. From twisting drives up Highway ‘1’ North, with barely a second without a world-class view, to late nights in the Mission. From evenings in a tub overlooking the bay, to friendly heart-warming conversations with complete strangers on the Muni. From the madness of the never-ending stream of street-parties to the calm of the Botanical Gardens – all just a cycle away.” – Tom

These photos are just some of the more than 180 subjects who are featured in this exhibit, presented with art by Chris Rusak and film from Rick Prelinger. Your last chance to see this exhibit is tonight (Tuesday Nov. 30) — we’ll be celebrating from 5-7 p.m. at SOMArts (934 Brannan Street between 8th and 9th Streets). And yes, you’ll find out who will take home the 30-Stockton bus shelter too. See you there!