Muni Service Cuts Haven't Happened Yet -- So Why Does It Feel Like They Have?

what can we do Eve? Do you know of any upcoming protests or sit-ins at a future meeting? Riders have voice in this matter!

Thank you for asking! I've updated the piece with that info. Get organizing!

Now that I think about it Eve, it does feel like the cuts have already happened. In the past week, I overheard a driver on the radio stating he was running five minutes late, my usual #18 bus arriving five minutes earlier than scheduled, and just yesterday I was reading nextbus for the 38L and notice the next 38-Geary Fort Miley bus was approaching in 15 and 16 minutes.

Service has been horrendous this week on every line I have taken (and I hear nothing different from my work colleagues.) One could play a round of golf between some of the bus times on the 23 during rush hour. The 43 has been all over the map, with the usual helping of one bus being packed to the gills closely followed by another that is empty -- both of which refuse to recognize the other's existence. In general the 43's frequency during commute hours, for a very busy line, has been far too long. Likewise, it took my friend 45 minutes on the N to get from Caltrain earlier this week -- during rush hour. Four stops. And let's not even talk about the operators' attitudes, which seemingly have reached new peaks of disdain for their customers as the word gets out about the transit union's role in all this mess. The whole system needs a thorough overhaul top to bottom -- no more studies. Everyone knows what the problems are.

Who is the tipster talking about the 21? Did he mean this week? I take the 21 regularly during rush hour, and I did so this week today and yesterday. I check nextbus starting when I get up around 8 a.m.

No 18 or 42 minute waits during the 8 o'clock hour on Tue or Wed. Perhaps during the 7 o'clock hour? Perhaps on Monday? Or, perhaps, a disgruntled Muni rider who is all-too-happy to make things up so that he can complain?

I find myself defending Muni a lot, which is ridiculous because I generally find Muni to be pretty unsatisfying. But I get the that some of the "complaints" are really just people being angry at Muni, and don't necessarily reflect real problems. (Again, not that there aren't real problems, just that we lose focus from them when people emphasize not real problems.) On the whole, the 21 has been massively improved since the TEP went into effect. But it still takes 20 minutes to get from Market and 10th to Market and Drumm.

Per the piece, this was not in the morning commute, it was Tuesday night.

And please rest assured, we don't run random tips from just anyone (who do you think we are, Willie Brown?), this comes from someone we trust!

Okay, I can admit when I'm wrong and I clearly could have read more carefully. (Also clearly, I'm not one of the reliable tipsters.)

I would point out that the NextMuni times for the 21 running outbound are notoriously inaccurate. Pretty good chance that it wasn't really an 18/42 wait. To be fair, a 38 rider shouldn't be expected to know that.

I feel like it's time to out myself (thanks for the kind words, Eve!) The rider mentioned in the piece was me. I'm a regular 5-Fulton/21-Hayes rider (6 years and counting), a casual 38 rider, and a faithful NextBus/NextMuni user. I don't have a car; I take the bus, metro, or BART all day, every day (minus when I walk). Last night, I waited over 25 minutes for a 5 or 21 and finally took a 5 (the third one that came by; the first two were too full to get on). Those waits were indeed crazy last night, as have they been "off" over the past few weeks in general (although not seemingly as bad as last night). But NextMuni seemed to be pretty accurate in predicting bus arrivals. I wish it would also tell us which buses, upon entering their fourth stops, would be too full to pick up the passengers that were, quite surprisingly, waiting fairly patiently.

Don't get me even started on the morning commute. In my head, it's entitled, "Will the 21-Hayes bus go out of service/break down turning the Shrader/Hayes corner? More news at 11!"

Muni has been worse than usual recently. (What exactly do we call worse than the worst ever?) I am having a hard time comprehending how overcrowded and late-running EVERY line will be after a 15% service reduction. I've also noticed trains pulling into stations before the previous train departs. I thought that was taboo after last summer's West Portal smash-up. WTF?

On a side note, I'm loving the new Muni Diary iPhone app, except that it doesn't seem to do anything with the entry. I log every ride, which is basically all I can do while you ride since these pricks haven't figured out how to provide 3G or WiFi service in the subway. Shouldn't this link sync up to some Muni watchdog organization so patterns can be studied and corrected? Also, it would be nice to be able to add a photo to bust some of the bad behavior of Muni operators.

When it comes to failure, Muni totally overachieves!

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I will give advice to any and all deciding to start shopping for a bike...