Bus Operator. Sometimes poetry, sometimes carto, sometimes transit, always San Francisco. Tweets are my own, and do not represent SFMTA positions or policies.
I’m a driver. I drive in bus only lanes every chance I get, I stop in virtually every bus zone I see, and I am absolutely ecstatic whenever I hear a car gets ticketed for it. Because I drive the bus. Wish you had interviewed a transit operator, we could explain why this is just.
Have you been hit with a $100 bus-camera ticket in D.C. recently? More than 145,000 citations issued over the last 9 months.. totaling nearly $15 million in fines.
Maryland drivers lead the way, then DC, VA, and all over.
Here's what some drivers we spoke with had to say:
This is the look I give passengers when I stopped too far from the curb. Good bus stops are hard. I hope you enjoyed my thread as much as I enjoyed this scene.
But really I just want you to support public transport by riding the bus more and driving a personal car less. Support policies that fund public transport, and support policies that prioritize people over parking spots.
Our bus operator, played by Michael-Anthony Taylor, discovers his service brake isn't working. He's mashing on the treadle (pedal) and not stopping. That's terrible! And he's wearing earphones. That's terrible. He definitely could be charged with an avoidable incident by SFT.
This is top quality bus driving. Also get the line "Every time I try to drive a bus I get yelled at" which a) lol and b) that's just being a bus operator. We get yelled at whenever we try to drive a bus too.
Unfortunately I think this guy isn't going to keep his job as a bus operator, though. I'm glad he's ok, that was a nasty knock he took. Let's hope he lands on his feet. Maybe he'll drive charters?
Now we are heading west on California at Mason St, and this is a serious hill. There could very well be cable cars in the way. Not to mention this has been a 40 minute bus ride from 21st and Noe, minimum.
I Laughed. So. Hard. at the stop request gag. Saw it coming from miles away OMG. On Muni, someone would absolutely have used this within 20 seconds of the start of the fight.
This helps us keep our attention on steering the bus, to avoid cars that will definitely make illegal left turns in front of us all day every day. Powell and California.
And thank your operator when you get off the bus. Every "Thank you" makes our day on the road a little better. I'm still a rookie operator, new to the job, but it make a difference to me.
Quick digression on how Air Brakes work. Energy sword arm man cut the brake lines, which would let all the air out of the system. When this happens, a backup, mechanical brake called the Spring Brake activates.
The spring brake held open by air pressure. If there is no pressure, the brake is applied, and the wheels will not turn. Air brakes have a warning, that is audible as a very loud, continuous buzzer, whenever the air pressure drops below a certain threshold.
This is the parking and emergency brake. This is what the operator should have pulled way back when Shang-chi threw the first punch. If you are ever in a situation where you are unexpectedly in a run away bus and need to stop it, this yellow handle is the thing to grab.
The rear view mirrors are bus operators best friends. We cannot safely turn the bus if they aren't adjusted properly. I would take a moment to check and make sure they are how I like them after this.
A bus operator will stop the bus when this low air pressure warning goes off, because if the air brakes keep loosing pressure, the spring brakes WILL activate, and the bus is going to stop very very suddenly.
I'm impressed that she knew how to operate the door lever. When the doors are open, an interlock activates that prevents the bus from moving. This would also have been an option to try for an out of control bus. Also, that's where you keep your coffee canteen, true facts.
Some operators really do sit with the seat all the way down and the wheel up and forward, but I find this very uncomfortable, like driving with your chin. When a bus operator takes over a bus, they immediately start by adjusting the seat to their preference.
Also mad props to all the talented people involved in bringing this scene to the screen:
@SimuLiu
and
@awkwafina
and Michael-Anthony Taylor and
@big9nasty
(energy sword arm man, or razorfist, I learned)
And also the special effects teams that put in I am sure untold hours to bring this scene to life. Huge congratulations and thanks to those who brought us this entertainment.
Brad Allan and Andy Cheng, choreographers for the scene, and the stunt performers, and the stunt driver (Kial Butler, Andrea Berchtold, and Cameron Ambridge have stunt driver credits in the film)
I need to add a coda to this thread. First of all, amazing to see it get so much attention. I did not expect this. I guess this is where I make a soundcloud plug?
@SrahHernandez
Generally where it’s permitted for motorists to turn right out using the bus lane, the solid white line will become dashed and the red paint will be intermittent up to the intersection. That’s how we do it in San Francisco, expect it’s similar in DC.
OK, SO: Simu Liu, the actual Shang-Chi, found my thread. I am flabbergasted! I have no idea what my mentions will look like when I get home from my shift tonight. Twitter is wild.
This evening, while driving the 44 O’Shaughnessy, I picked up a passenger at Silver and San Bruno. She came onto the bus and asked me if I could help her.
I am not done dunking on this. By his own admission, this guy has committed ~$400,000 worth of parking violations and is mad that he is being cited now. I see hundreds of illegally parked cars in SF, these citations are the actual
#doingbetter
this guy calls for.
Since this tweet has ‘blown up a bit’ I will post my SoundCloud: I want you to support public transport by riding the bus more and driving a personal car less. Support policies that fund public transport, and support policies that prioritize people over parking spots.
@SrahHernandez
When you do this, please be considerate of any buses in the lane, let them go ahead and follow after rather than cut in front. Thank you.
@jonnaldj
This may come as a shock to you, but fewer lanes available for traffic is directly correlated with less congestion and less driving overall. The only traffic reducing intervention that is more successful than fewer lanes is fewer parking spaces. Bus only lanes can do either!
So an
@Waymo
with nobody in it made a last turn from Clayton onto Fulton in front of my 5 bus. The waymo had a legal system obligation to yield to me, but did not. Fortunately I have enough experience with these things that I was alert to this possibility.
Today is my one year anniversary as a Muni Operator. My job is challenging and stressful and rewarding and meaningful and fun and surprising. I love it.
I’m still improving my skills, there are so many things I am still learning. No longer a rookie, not yet a veteran operator.
I made a map! It shows the area of San Francisco connected to Golden Gate Park by a single Muni ride. Please share this around to help spread the word about
#CarFreeJKF
#KidSafeJFK
so we can keep this miraculous street Open to People, Closed to Cars.
When an autonomous vehicle causes a collision, it wasn’t tired, or intoxicated, it didn’t get distracted or try to get away with something it knew better than to do. It “believed” it was driving correctly. They don’t work as advertised, and they shouldn’t be on the road.
While working today I had an idea that would make muni service quicker and more reliable, bus stops safer and more accessible, and would bring some needed fun to both muni operators and transit riders alike. I offer this idea for free to
@jeffreytumlin
and SFMTA.
Today I graduated with Muni Training Class 03TM21. I am officially a Muni Operator. Tomorrow I will work my first full day on my own operating a route for
@sfmta_muni
. For me a dream come true.
Today I operated a bus in revenue service, picking up and dropping off passengers on the 48, from Dogpatch to Ocean Beach. Totally fulfilling feeling. Validation that I really can do this job.
I got Operator Mail again. Always a moment of suspense when opening mail because you never know if it will be Good Mail or Bad Mail. I’ll be smiling wider for a week at least after this commendation.
This morning, a little San Francisco Magic occurred at Sutter and Sansome. My day had not had an auspicious start. I wasn’t thinking clearly and didn’t have time to make myself coffee before going to work.
Transit Operators are the real MVP and the kids Know. This operator retrieved the kickball for Daniel Webster Elementaries epic kickball matches. Texas Street has claimed so many balls. But today, the Bus was there to save the day.
At 9th and Judah, I reiterated the instructions, “Just take the 6 or 43, whichever comes first, it’s only a few stops to the emergency room. There are signs, you’ll be there soon. Say hello and let me know how things are when you see me next on the 29.”
In the film It's A Wonderful Life we are told "every time a bell rings and angle gets wings". In San Francisco it would be "every time the Ahoooooga sounds an Asshole gets a fine". A little whimsical addition to the music of the city.
The motorist in a great big masculine F-250 pickup with the unladen truck bed may think he is making a point when he punish passes me and brake checks my bus, but the truth is this: compared to my 40,000 pound bus, his stopping distance may as well be as short as his d**k.
I’ve held my peace on this long enough. I must speak out. The Lunchables bus wrap advertisement is a crime against the urban fabric and transit lovers.
My dad died yesterday.
When the message came
I was in the air and I received it when I landed. During the trip home I could barely function but I could remember his face perfectly by thinking of him singing The Song of the Seals.
Because I make stop announcements, she made a connection. Because it is my job to take people where they need to go, I was able to help her get to her loved one in this time of crisis.
Somehow, she felt safer and more confident in this small corner of what was clearly a momentous and terrifying chapter in her life. Because she could make a human connection, and get help, of any kind, simple transit directions, with someone who felt somehow familiar.
Here's a thread by me, a friendly bus operator, about how buses pull into stops safely, and some tips for what people who want to board the bus should and should not do to stay safe while this is happening.
We muni operators don’t get a lot of room for creative expression on our buses, but we do have more or less unfettered control over a 3 digit numerical display. I’m putting mine to work tonight.
#49ers1
@49ers
Yesterday I drove a bus at night, on the 39 Coit route, stunning nighttime views. On Tuesday I take my most important test, the DMV road test, which will grant me my Class B commercial drivers license. I must pass to continue as a Muni Operator. Please wish me good luck.
Today I drove the 54 Felton inbound from Daly City BART to Newhall and Hudson. 40 turns through tight, steep streets. I am told if you can drive the 54, you can drive any route.
I think the Ahoooooga sound would become legendary and beloved. Think all the passengers cheering when they hear it and the bus gets to go again. And it would become a sound that would strike fear in the heart of every person who blocks the bus for "just a second".
After a long time letting it gather dust, I am finally making some progress on my lego Sutro Tower. Very satisfied to discover it tops out at almost exactly 42 inches.