"Boarding Through the Back Door" by Erik Wilson.

Billed as BART's "small economic stimulus program," riders will see a small reduction in fare in the next few months. According to BCN (via CBS 5), "The Board voted to spend part if its budget surplus on a four-month fare-cut to kick in later this year. " The small fare-cut amounts to a whopping 15 cent savings for, say,"a trip from Walnut Creek to downtown SF." It will last for about four months. The reduction, it seems, is some sort of reward for riders who've stuck with BART after numerous fare increases and cuts to service.

Are you one of those hapless souls who keep Muni buses from moving because your flimsy dollar bills just won't fit into the fare box? We sure are. And we hate it. We're always trying to cram our two worn-out bills into the tight slot. And we can feel the passengers on the bus wishing us dead since the driver won't move until we cross the sacred yellow line. It consumes us.

Fortunately, Ice Tubes has helpful tips on getting your bills into the slot. He suggests two things: either "[f]old your bill in half the long way. (Aside from making you look cool, this will make it easier for the fare box to catch the bill)." The slot isn't a scanner, so you can get it in there via the folding method. Which: ingenious.

Or, Ice Tubes also recommends "stack[ing] two bills on top of each other. (Two worn out bills combined to form one sort-of-kinda-decent bill)." Again: ingenious.

Read more here.

We could source any number of media outlets who've reported on it already, but let's give SFist's wildly insightful commenters a chance.

Commenter SFHope, who went to yesterday's SF MTA meeting regarding, among other things, raising the price of the F-Market, was there.

So I went there...

...the reaction to the $5 F Market plan was almost universally negative, including from the board members. I don't think it's going to happen.

One person, a cab driver, said he was totally in favor of them raising it because it meant the tourists will stop riding Muni and will take his cab instead. I think he was being honest, but he was also making a tongue-in-cheek point that it was a bad idea.

So, good for you, SF MTA board members. You are not "potentially horrible human beings." You're just human. For now.

However, SFHope goes on to point out:

They really seem to be dragging their feet on meter extensions and taking another shot at congestion pricing.

On Thursday night, according to CBS 5, "at least two BART board members said they might be in favor of a fare hike for riders using the trans-bay tube in order to close a budget deficit." BART already saw a 6.1% fare increase back in July. Although BART board meeting spokesman Linton Johnson had claimed that "that's just not on the table...right now," BART, facing a $25 million deficit over the next six months, could conceivably see another fare hike at some point this year. Stay tuned.

Apparently, the world won't come to an end for BART riders on July 1. It seems the strike probably, most likely for all intents and purposes won't happen. (That is some shitty news, Bay Area bloggers and media outlets. A Bay Area-wide public transportation meltdown would've been traffic gold during the holiday week. Alas.) But do you know what will happen on Wednesday? Wide-reaching fare increases. Yay! What are those changes, you ask? Akit's Complaint Department has the lowdown. the skinny. the scoop. On Muni, Adult fare (cash) goes up to $2; the same goes for AC Transit. Ferry service goes up a tiny bit. And BART will see a 6.1% fare increase for all riders (that is to say, "Inter San Francisco fare increases to $1.75." (Which, as Akit points out, is still cheaper than Muni.) Read more about the changes, right here.

Have you heard that BART and Muni fares are increasing? A news story that seems to pop up at least once a month? Or not? Anyway, BART prices will increase on July 1. And Muni will jump to $2 on July 1 as well. We're sure it's way more complicated than we could possibly imagine, rife with locals politicking, Excel spreadsheets, and lots of chin scratching. But feel free to lose your proverbial shit over the increase in the comments, even though both fares are still pretty damn cheap compared to other big cities. (Or not.)

There sure were a lot of passengers along the 21 route yesterday -- right next to the race, boy, it sure was busy. Think of how many fares they must've collected! Or would have, if they weren't sending out broken fare boxes along one of the busiest routes of the day. Whoops. Bus 5528 was a free ride for anyone lucky enough to catch it; and out guess is that lots of folks got lucky at Muni's expense.

Why is Muni always complaining about not having money -- and yet when you're ready to give it to them, they act like they don't want it? It's like a hobo eating out of a trash can, sneering, "I don't need your ."

After the jump: more complaining!

Let's get it started...

"All MTA employees get to ride for free, provided they have their employee badges with them." Question for the Muni Security Guy, isn't it illegal for the fare inspectors to detain a person? If so, are there any exemptions, for example an assault on the fare inspector or other Muni personnel?

Yes, MTA employees ride for free. This particular gentleman had an large overcoat over his uniform and refused to show his uniform, let alone show a MTA ID. He was apparently late and not all there (mentally) due to the way he went off and started the fiasco.

POP inspectors are trained to be customer service oriented so if he had ID OR otherwise shown he was legit, no big deal, but mr. muni driver did not do that.

This guy has a "reputation" for being against authority.

Here's what NOT to bring to Thanksgiving dinner:
Cabernet Sauvignon (for the love of God, don't bring Cab)
Merlot
Petite Sirah
Chardonnay (unless there is a crab dish)
The varietals above are simply too much for Turkey Day.

DO bring:
Beaujolais Nouveau - It's in season. But be warned...Stay away from this wine if you're particularly offended by floral, aromatic varietals.

Pinot Noir - Spend $20 or more and you should come out with something pretty decent. Stick to Northern California and Willamette Valley Pinots (pre 2005, if possible).

Champagne or Sparkling Wine - Again, spend at least $20 or opt for the pink-wrapped Sophia Coppola (a bargain and a fun conversation-starter). When in doubt, bubbly is always appropriate.
The varietals above will pair nicely with almost all Turkey Day fare.

Cheers!

"On Sunday, November 11 at about 3pm, two of our fare inspectors were assaulted by a MUNI driver in the subway. YEP, it doesn't get any better than this.

The short: Two "veteran" fare inspectors had a trainee with them, showing the trainee the ropes. The trainee encountered difficulty with the muni driver, off duty, who was in the subway and causing problems. One of the veteran fare inspectors stepped in to cool the situation down or attempt to and whala, the muni driver goes off and starts shoving the fare inspectors.

The inspectors took the muni driver down and held him until police arrived. The track personnel (muni too), came around, realized who the driver was and was trying to get the inspectors to back off and let the person go and get it handled internally. The inspectors did not back off and had the driver arrested.

Just another great day at muni."

And hey, have any questions for our Muni Security Guy or our Muni Driver? Well, send them along to Jon@sfist.com and we'll get your questions answered!

We recently revisited our old haunt, a popular destination in our college days, when the gooey cheesy Mexican fare, warm greasy chips, and pitchers of fruity wine margaritas (they don't have a hard-liquor license) seemed ours for the taking; err... in spite of our youth. Not that we EVER purchased or drank alcoholic beverages before the age of 21.

Our friend was having a birthday dinner there. So while we normally gravitate towards the plethora of great gourmet east bay Mexican restaurants featuring naturally-raised meats and sometimes organic produce (Tamarindo, Doña Tomas, Tacubaya, Picante, Cactus Taqueria), we found ourselves here instead.
We guess our minds are little, because at Juan's we only ever ordered one thing, and on this night, at least 10 years since our last visit, when facing what we're pretty sure is the exact same menu (except perhaps with higher prices), we picked it again: Green Chicken Enchiladas.