We all had a great time piling on Muni last weekend, foaming and ranting about service to and from the park. But what was going on behind the scenes? We asked Muni how they strategized their service around Outside Lands. Here's what they had to say:
"Over the weekend, the total number of extra buses was 118 -- that was divided between the 5 and 71 as needed. They even used extra buses on the N line Friday night," wrote spokeswoman Kristen Holland via email. "these vehicles functioned as Limited service. They followed established routes but made limited stops along the way."
We're not sure why Muni used established routes -- for Limited service, arteries like Oak might've been faster than Haight. And why didn't the extra buses show up on NextBus? According to a well-placed transit source with whom we emailed, adding these "special" buses to the NextBus system would have been a lot of work, and probably not worth it since most concert-goers wouldn't ever see them.
When the concert ended, Muni folks were out on the streets doing "real-time management," relaying information to dispatchers who then sent the buses to the areas that needed them most. But how did concert-goers find their way to transit? According to Kristen, "The locations on the street were designated by portable lighting in the park. SFMTA on-street staff worked together to assist Muni customers onto the buses and trains."