Ask a MUNI Driver
Before we get started, we should mention that English is not the first language of our driver. It's not even his second language. So, don't be a grammar hater. We are really lucky to have this feature going on and we're really happy to be able to do this for y'all so be nice.
And remember, if you have any questions you'd like answered, send them to editor@sfist.com
We begin here with his disclaimer:
"The information presented here is not approved or sanctioned by MUNI or its management. I do not speak for MUNI nor do I claim to have all the answers. The purpose here is to educate and promote more customer satisfaction. Also, it is to encourage passengers to be active participants in The Municipal Transportation Agency's efforts to solve issues. For official information, please go to WWW.SFMTA.com."
1) Everyone wonders about bunching up of buses, why doesn't somebody watch out on all this and coordinate so they don't bunch up?
This goes back to the last question about why you see buses bunch up. As mentioned, it does not take much to get a backup of buses.
The first bus is supposed to pick up every other stop if there is a bunching up. This spreads the work load to the buses behind it.
Buses are usually rerouted back to where they are supposed to be at the end of the line.
When buses are running more than 5 minutes late, operators are to contact Central Dispatch about what is going on.
According to MUNI, a bus is ON TIME if it is one minute ahead of schedule or 4 minutes late.
Because of the budget crunch, there is a shortage of Street Supervisors to facilitate line operations. These Supervisors are responsible for troubleshooting on a street level. The Central Control has primary overall system wide responsibility. They coordinate and remedy situations upon being notified by operators.
Word has it that more supervisors, mechanics and operators are to be hired in the near future.
The ridership is encouraged to call in 415-673-MUNI for complaints. The more complaints registered, the more management takes notice of recurring problems. Don't get discouraged by the complaint system.
2) When buses get to the end of the line, why do they just stay there for awhile? What do bus drivers do then?
Buses leave their terminals at their assigned time. Operators are prohibited by MUNI to leave the terminal ahead of time without proper authorization from management.
If a bus is late, it leaves immediately. But departure time might be delayed by last minute stragglers. And the whole process starts again.
If the bus is really late then it will go out of service so that it can jump to where it is supposed to be. When it is that late, the 'follower' (the bus behind it) is usually there to pick up the slack.
Some buses, at the end of the line, become another line. For example, a 54 Felton bus might do just 2 trips on this line then it becomes the L Taraval.
There are extra buses assigned during peak hours. After 2 to 3 hours or so, these buses return to the bus yard.
Drivers take a break if there is time left on each trip. If there is a restroom at terminal, the driver might elect to use the facility.
If the bus is not moving for more than 5 minutes, the driver is to announce or make known what to expect for the passengers.