Muni Diaries

For some time now, it’s been rumored that Muni/SFMTA would test a new technique, formerly known as double-berthing, and now called “double-boarding.” The last update, if you can call it that, that we got was in December, when we linked to a Hoodline post saying that the testing had no timeline.

Then, yesterday, Hoodline reported a tip they received that Muni is set to start testing this week.

SFMTA spokesperson Paul Rose told us via email today that double-stopping will be tested during morning and afternoon commutes today at the three stations. He continued: “This is a new rider convenience tool that manages congestion in the subway and ensures that riders don’t have to wait for a train to clear the subway before exiting their vehicle. At these stations, the first train will stop further down the platform (closer to the end of the platform).”

Read the Hoodline post for full details. It will be interesting to see whether and to what extent double-boarding actually makes for a more efficient Muni Metro system.

Photo by Christina B Castro

Do you feel safer on Muni lately? Crime on Muni has dropped 18 percent from February 2015 to February 2016, according to SF Police Department Lieutenant Tim Paine. In a report by the SFMTA, the SFPD’s Muni Task Force, Muni Enforcement Team, and K-9 unit are using a combination of uniformed and plain-clothed officers on Muni to dissuade crime.

Wait, undercover police office on Muni? Here’s more from the report:

The Muni Task Force, or MTF, consists of plain clothes police officers who conduct covert and overt operations. They ride the lines as undercover officers doing active crime enforcement to target pickpockets, narcotics dealers and other illegal criminal behavior known to plague certain Muni lines and bus stops. Muni Task Force members also handle follow-up investigations where necessary.

The SFPD says that surveillance cameras on Muni buses also provide them with photos “as clear as a high school yearbook picture” of suspects, whom the police then distribute across the department.

Still, fighting, vandalism, and theft remain the top three illegal activities on Muni vehicles in February 2016, according to Paine. So keep your eyes up and your phones down, everybody.

Photo by torbakhopper