Reader Bob Loblaw sends us yet another rant about Muni in the mail bag and this one details another thing about Muni that annoys everyone to no end. And remember folks, if you have questions or comments or need to do some kvetching, send those cards and letters over to us.
Dear Mr. Ford
Dear Mr. Ford
Muni driver is no longer with us, but that doesn't mean the questions won't keep coming. Reader RK sent us this last week and his completely frustrating experience is something we've all been through. And just why do they sometimes stop trains in the middle of the run anyways? And why can't drivers at least tell everyone why?
The Return of Dear Mr. Ford
A reader writes in to ask one of the biggest questions there is about MUNI:
Dear Mr Ford
SFist Reader Caitlin poses the same question many of us have asked: "Why does Muni seem to have fewer (and, therefore, packed) buses running than scheduled?" And we're sure the problems Caitlin describes aren't restricted to the 43.
Dear Mr Ford
SFist Reader Michael has had it! And we're sure he's not the first person who has had it with the Series of Unfortunate Events (way to take ownership of your screwups, Muni!) we call a transit system.
Dear Mr Ford
I just completed a prolonged trip from 30th and Mission to Mission and Excelsior on the 14 Mission bus. This trip was prolonged not because of anything I was doing, but because I waited 38 minutes (between 8:00pm and 8:38pm today) for either the 49 Van Ness or 14 Mission to arrive. Once one of those buses came into view, it appeared as though I hit the jackpot because there were five buses in a row! My road-weary eyes deceived me, I was sure, since I'd been staring up Mission for the better part of half an hour. I don't possess the necessary math skills to help out in scheduling buses, but I do have enough anecdotal evidence, gathered in the field, to understand that this isn't how the buses are supposed to run.
Dear Mr Ford: We Go First Person On Your Ass
So, I'm on the N Judah this morning, around 8:45. I'm seated when I feel someone leaning on me. Lord help me, I look up, all annoyed, when I realize that the guy standing next to me has lost consciousness, and is falling.
Dear Mr Ford
We've seen a renewed interest in tidiness (not their own) from Muni drivers, and we couldn't be more thrilled. For example, this Tuesday we recieved a lecture from our N Judah driver on the neatness of the tear we made as we removed a pass from our booklet. The irony of getting harassed for an uneven perforation by a person driving a train that smelled strongly of urine and hard liquor would have made our head explode, were we not more concerned about the mess we'd make. We're sure that this attention to detail is the harbinger of a new era of Muni cleanliness.
Dear Mr Ford
Warning: Contains loud profanity, so depending on where you work...
Dear Mr. Ford
Per SFist Rita's joke in the comments last week, we have found ourselves living in the "NOT IN SERVICE" district. Man, does it feel good!
Dear Mr Ford
SFist reader Bob writes in with an issue we hear about almost every holiday: Muni buses that appear to be running, but blow by stop after stop after stop with "Out Of Service" on their displays. We not-so-fondly recall Thanksgiving, 1998, on which we had not one, not two, but six 5 Fultons pass us by. We have to wonder if drivers are celebrating by running their routes sans passengers!
Dear Mr Ford
Reader Nick quite intelligently sent his feedback to Muni, and even more cleverly sent his experiences to us. Here's hoping he gets a response from Muni on his concerns -- Nick, keep us posted!
Dear Mr Ford
This was the scene at the Church street Muni tunnel yesterday at 4:50 p.m., where 5 Muni trains were at a complete standstill.
Dear Mr Ford
While we encourage you to report all immediate commendations, concerns and complaints to Muni directly, we'd also love to hear about them. Venting can be fun, and our clever commenters can frequently provide you with a solution or, at least, some sympathy. Send your good and bad Muni tales our way!
Dear Mr Ford: Special Bay To Breakers Edition
SFist reader Caroline sends us this rotten story of Muni misery, which we have also encouraged her to submit to Muni's complaint department. While we're always thrilled to get your Muni tales both good and bad, we hope those of you who can will make sure to send your complaints and commendations to Muni, as well -- and let us know if they follow up with you!
Dear Mr Ford
Thanks to the super-secret source who sent us the email address of the Executive Director of Muni, Nathaniel P. Ford! We emailed him to let him know about this column, and to request an interview. So far he hasn't written us back, but we hear he's really busy with work. Never fear, we're not giving up until we get an answer from him or his people. But when (not "if") we do interview him, we plan on bringing up the concerns all of you have raised to us, so please send your Muni stories of happiness and sadness our way.
Dear Mr Ford: Good (Kind Of) And Bad
Wait 15 minutes, then drink two beers at once -- and join us for another installment of Dear Mr Ford, the column where we come to praise and bemoan Muni. Send said praise and moaning here!
Dear Mr Ford: Sometimes They Write Back
It looks like not all our complaints about Muni go into the void we might think they do.
Dear Mr Ford
Aw, crap. We were all ready to do a "Muni Does a Good Job" post -- it just seemed like time to take a break in the parade of Muni madness. But you, our dear, dear readers, have given us another week of Muni disaster. When will it end?
Dear Mr. Ford
Remember when SFist Matt emailed Muni about the 21's schedule? Well, he followed up again, and here's what he learned:
Dear Mr Ford
By our count, The new head of Muni has been in office about 7 weeks, but so far the most interesting thing we've heard from him is his letter to employees, in which he states:
Dear Mr. Ford
Another week, another crazy Muni story. It's kind of amazing -- we're ordinarily a pretty fickle person, but our capacity for Muni discussion is infinite.
Dear Mr. Ford
Did you see that CalTrain is running a poetry contest? Why do you think Muni doesn't? Well, nothing's stopping us from having an unauthorized Muni poetry contest of our own -- send us your finest Muni poetry by next Monday, and we'll publish our favorites and send the winners the SFist item of your choice.
Subway Disruption Illuminated
At about the same time that Nathaniel Ford takes over as the new head of Muni, using the subway is going to get very confusing. But don't panic: we've got tips here for avoiding delays, and also predictions about how Muni could make this a smooth process, but will instead opt to completely f**k things up. (PS: And don't forget to submit your Muni stories for our Dear Mr Ford feature!)
Dear Mr. Ford
Our posts on Muni are among our most popular with our commenters, right up there with pizza, coffee, and copy-edits. Every post we do on bus madness is greeted with a thousand stories, each better than the last.

