Silent but Deadly
Dear San Francisco Motorist,
Please be advised we have at least 9 active cameras in our buses, and one points directly out the front windscreen towards the scene in front of our bus. If you plan to let someone out of your car, check your rearview mirrors to see if a trolleybus or motor coach is approaching from behind.
When I was new I always laid on the horn when a taxi was intending in our zone. I have since learned that often the delay is in the riding customer who is not ready. They can cause a blocked zone through no fault of the driver. This being said, it is important that Rideshare and taxi hailers be aware of where to stand when being picked up or dropped off.
They say one photo is worth a thousand words. One photo from a Muni bus is worth up to 400 dollars!
So don't sweat the asshole bus driver honking at you from behind--it's the silent but deadly bus driver using the camera's event marker button you need to be concerned about.
Getting to the Zen zone keeps this in balance. I certainly have had to deal with these demons at the bus stop, or when someone is running to get to the door.
excerpt from Finding Zen in SF Transit: https://books2read.com/b/3R1JqR?edit=maybe-later
First Stop
Know Where to Stand
When I pull out in the morning, I always smile and say hello to my first customer. I try to make this an important barometer for how the day will go. And it gives me an instant check-in to see where I am at in my head, and whether or not I am present to be of service. Yes, the job gives great paychecks, but I have always followed the precept; do what you like and the money will follow. Even though I believe most city employees think more about their paycheck than the service they provide to get it, I do know placing service first is actually my best action to create job security.
I found out I am not a rush hour downtown bus driver. I am a crosstown guy who avoids being on that inbound trip at 8:30 a.m. or that 5:15 p.m. trip outbound. Crosstown is where it’s at for me. The Muni meaning behind “doing homework” means checking out the paddles: to see where the run is in the morning and in the afternoon. Paddles are the individual timetable for each bus driver’s run. You can usually see this on the visor above the operator. People always ask me what the bad line is. I say there are no bad lines: Only bad leaving times.
Read the full story below:
We Got Air!
On a recent week the temperatures stayed above 90 degrees. And a funny thing happened in the news about Muni. Nothing. All surface trolleybuses stayed in service. There was no Muni Meltdown! Thanks to John Halley and Ed Reiskin's overseeing new trolley purchases we had no news, which is good news! We also have air conditioning in our new trolleys. It's like having a new job!
The High Line
On my recent visit to NYC, I got to walk along an old elevated rail line.
Along the west side of Manhattan, an old rail line for produce delivery to the south end, has been converted to a walking trail. Here is a photo showing the old tracks covered over by the plantings for shade along the way.
Muni Heritage Day
Cockpit of the Mack
Meet the MACK, a 1950's Motorcoach still in mint condition.
"Yes, I can make change."
Just like Tom Hanks in Polar Express, we still made change and punched tickets.
Mack Window side control dash
These old toggles still work great and are a lot more durable than the knobs we have now: this was built to last.
Turning Tricks
Turn signal cowling on the 1969 GM Bus on display by Ferry Plaza on Muni Heritage Day 2019.
The Fishbowl
"To the moon Alice, to the moon."
