Mission Mission

Friday night tends to blur a bit.

March 2011. And that ends today. Muni Diaries puts together a nice look back at the paper Fast Pass through the ages.

[photo by cbcastro]

@johnxorz sends us this Bay to Breakers costume honoring transportation lost. (I think you could fit a lot of beer in there.)

I miss that bus.

Any other Muni-related outfits? Maybe Nate Ford holding a giant axe and burning money?

Says The Perpetual Cold:

This is a picture I snapped of a kid writing on the bus. I feel like this was my encounter with a mystical snow leopard.

Link.

Previously:

Silly Kids, Tagging is for Adults

In The City We Trust

Twitterer @holleratme snapped this shot on MUNI:

That’s a bit harsh isn’t it? I prefer the kid-friendly signs at the Daly City BART station:

Biking to work down Market today, I noticed the Muni buses begin to pile up.  It was rather narrow to squeeze through but fairly safe since traffic was stagnant.  The drivers all had their doors open and were casually chatting with one another, and some were even hanging outside their buses.  Looks like this was a good day to take the Letters, unlike yesterday.

I finally approached the scene, but only emergency vehicles and the offending taxi remained.  However, my friend Aiko-Sophie witnessed the ordeal and provides the following account:

I was on the 21 and saw a pedestrian that had just been hit by a taxi.  His head was resting on the curb with his body still in the street.  Blood was coming from the back of his head.  His eyes were closed and he wasn’t moving.

Doesn’t sound very good.  Let’s hope this turns out ok.  Please be careful when crossing the street, pedestrians!  Those taxis can be maniacs, but you would not believe how many pedestrians just blindly cross Market street right in front of my bike (without looking) every week!

The taxi in question can be seen being inspected here.  MORE PHOTOS of the scene of the crime after the jump (always wanted to say that):

(more…)

Wow, this brings me back to the AOL days. It’s hard to imagine, but those Translink add-value kiosks are probably making these sounds somewhere behind the scenes. I wonder if it says “Goodbye!” after it’s done with your transaction.

MrEricSir might be able to clarify on this, but if it’s true, that’s OLD SCHOOL.

That being said, I guess if it aint broke don’t fix it. Oh wait, it is broke. On the bright side, when those kiosks go down, the bus drivers usually just wave me on when I flash my rendered-useless Translink card. Playing these odds probably works out in your favor when compared to the ever-inflating MUNI pass prices.

Get ‘em while they’re hot!  Just make sure you get a male, I hear the girl ones aren’t as good.

(Scrawled under the seat in front of me on the 22 this evening)

Squeal!  Eye on Blogs posted a video report about Muni street name mispronounciations.

The highlight?  Seeing the face of Ms. Muni Voice herself.  Feast your eyes on MS. DONNA REED:

Photo stolen from SF Chronicle

Swoon!  She’s just as friendly, authoritative, and subtly seductive as her voice implies.

Donna works for DRI, the company responsible for Muni’s digital announcements, in Houston, Texas.  Her thick Texan drawl is the reason you keep missing your bus stop.

I really love the way she says “Cabrillo.”  Kah-BRILL-ohhhh.  What’s your fave?

On my way home from work today, I caught what is sure to be my last glimpse of a dying beast: the 26 Valencia.  It totally made that mraaawwwghhhh sound that dinosaurs make when you shoot ‘em as it lunged away from its stop.

Unlike KevMo, I’m a longtime Muni lover, Fast Pass collector, and old lady seat offerer, so am sad to see this piece of shit bus go.  I think it only proper I write up an homage of my own to add to Kevin’s post (I’m the nice one, he’s the mean one, haven’t you been paying attention?).

Riding the 26 always made me feel like I was taking public transit in Santa Barbara.  I saw it referred to as the “rich man’s 14″  somewhere online today, which I thought appropriate.  One time I was on the 26 and a Norwegian woman started telling me about how certain types of  hamburger meat paralyzes you for life and also that I have really good skin.  Yes, this bus is totally useless, but how awesome was it to conveniently bump into it and ride the 4 blocks down Valencia you were planning on walking?

RIP, 26 Valencia.  There will be tears in my beer and on my Fast Pass tonight.