Update: Google Maps and Some of 511 Ready for Muni Changes this Saturday

Some good news from my last posting...

Google Maps transit planner now reflects new schedule changes as long as you tell the system a date on or after September 4, 2010.

However, 511's trip planner program still reflects the old schedule when I asked it to show me the time schedule for the 18-46th Avenue for my regular commute.

On the brighter end of 511, the Muni timetables are ready for the schedule changes. To view your bus schedule, type in: http://www.sfmta.com/ and include the bus line. Example: http://www.sfmta.com/18

The above time schedule from 511 shows the 18-46th Avenue weekday midday buses will run every 20 minutes instead of the current 25 minutes.

Whoo-hoo! But bad news for me, my bus will now arrive several minutes earlier. Rats.

511 and Google Maps Not Ready for Next Week's Muni Service Changes

Starting this Saturday, Muni will be restoring some service prior to the last round of service cuts that happened in early May of this year. The SFMTA has published a paper version of the frequency schedule for the vehicles and there is also one posted online to view as well. Also, the better news is the restoration of metro service for the M-Ocean View and K-Ingleside lines beyond St. Francis Circle. This should be a big relief to those City College and SF State students who have suffered on the temporary bus substitutes.

While Muni can celebrate the restoration of service, there is one big elephant in the room that has not been resolved, a new published time schedule (not frequency schedule). Not all passengers ride trunk lines that comes every several minutes; I depend on a time schedule for the 18-46th Avenue because it currently runs on 20-25 minute frequencies and I want to minimize waiting, especially on cold or wet days.

Currently, Google Maps refuses to give passengers any transit directions help for dates on and after September 4th, and 511's Take Trip Planner is providing the old time schedules.

Here's how I conducted my trip planning search:

• Starting point: 33rd Avenue and Geary
• Ending point: Lake Merced and Font (SF State)
• Bus line used: 18-46th Avenue
• Date: Tuesday, September 7, 2010
• Expected frequencies: 20 minutes all day (previously, 20 minutes during rush, and 25 minutes mid-day)
  

Here's proof:

This screen shot is from Google Maps. It is unable to give me data for my journey.


This screen shot is from 511. It gave me 25 minute frequencies based on the schedule provided when Muni promised 20 minute frequencies for weekday mid-day service (starting 9/7/10).


Here's an easier to read frequency schedule based on using 511's trip planner. There was a link on the previous screen shot that opened a window describing the time schedule. The times provided shows a 25 minute frequency while the agency is supposed to provide 20 minute service starting next week.

This is the third time I caught Muni with their pants down. They did this stunt in December with their first round of service reductions and major re-routes, and again in May with their service cuts. Both Google Maps and 511 was not prepared for the time schedule changes until just days before the changes were to take into effect.

Disappointed at Sunday's Japantown Lantern Festival

On Sunday, August 29th, Japantown hosted the Lantern Festival which celebrated the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Japanese ship the Kanrin Maru to San Francisco Bay.

This event may have been a substitute for the neighborhood's annual Fall Festival where the Peace Plaza was used to for Obon line dancing and programs, however in previous years, the annual event was held in October.

I was excited to visit the place I call "home" to meet all my friends, but I was very disappointed with the event when I arrived to watch the last few hours.

There was several problems with the event that disappointed me and many other people from the community, including one of my friends who is an editor for the Nichi Bei Weekly (formerly known as Nichi Bei Times):

• Lack of advertising of event.
• Lack of planning and preparation for event.
  
• Lack of participation.
• Master of ceremonies was a terrible public speaker. Did not give clear instructions to the Obon dancers.
  
• Lantern parade was an embarrassment to our honored guests from Japan.
• Huge gaps in the Obon line dancing. People did not spread-out evenly and refused to follow the chalk lines to make it look orderly.

If the Japantown community wants to host another similar festival like this, keep it at the Peace Plaza. It's more intimate in a smaller venue than literally using an entire city block.

Muni Paper "A" Fast Pass Users - Get Prepared for Clipper Transition

We are just a couple of months away from the major transition of all Muni "A" paper passes being converted to Clipper cards only. This could mean the public and Clipper are well prepared for the big change, or will go totally nuts by being unprepared.

One of my big rules, always be prepared, and that means to get ready early for the big change. If you currently use a paper "A" Fast Pass, now is the time to get that ball rolling.

Here's a list of items you should plan for:

• Obtain a card now, not later. If by some odd reason your retail location or a giveaway location runs out of the cards days before the November 1st transition, you are screwed.
• If you use commuter benefits and get your paper pass mailed to you, ask your HR department or appropriate area how to modify your benefits.
• Not all locations that sell paper passes will convert to selling Clipper based media (I already noticed one in the Castro). Start researching locations where you can add Clipper passes and e-cash. If use paper commuter vouchers, go to Walgreens, they will accept them.
  
• Once you get your card, register it immediately. It will definitely be worth the $5 replacement fee if you ever lose your card.
• Lastly, learn how to use the card properly. I've provided an excellent guide on everything you need to do.

Good luck!

You Can Add Pennies to Your Clipper Card

While most transit agencies fares using the Clipper card is to the nearest quarter (BART is to the nearest nickel), one transit agency stands out from the rest to charge Clipper users fares such as $3.32 and $4.04; that agency is Golden Gate Transit.

Since Golden Gate Transit eliminated pre-paid ticket books and forced all passengers to use Clipper to receive their discount prices, all passengers gets a 20% discount vs. their cash paying counterparts. It's a great deal for commuters to save, but also a great deal for those casual bus riders needing a little fare break from the high prices for the inter county transit agency.

Since their fare table is giving a true discount vs. rounding it to the nearest nickel, you might be wondering, how can I get my Clipper card to be evened-out?

The answer is, in-person vendors.

Vendors like Walgreens have add value machines that looks exactly like credit card terminals and they are able to input any amount of money you want. I wanted to zero-out my old TransLink card for one last ride on BART, so I added $1.60 to the card and took my last ride to empty the card with no remaining balance. At least I can cheer to the fact that I can now use my brand new Clipper card given to me during the launch press conference.

Sorry folks, automated machines can only take bills, and credit cards don't let you put in custom amounts.

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Ahem...

If you want to be evil by pulling this stunt off (but I don't encourage it): if you have a card with zero value, you could literally ask the in-person vendor to add one cent to the card and get a one cent ride ($1.25 minimum for Caltrain). Since the rules state the card can go into a negative balance of up to $10, it's absolutely possible to use a new card just once to just rip-off the system. Once again, I do not sanction this practice since the MTC may catch on, and they could just go nuts and decide to cancel the negative balance policy.

Muni's EPIC PR FAIL: Screwing-Up Passes to Clipper Dates

After taking a little time to read over my blog postings, I've noticed something totally odd.

Muni is to end the paper pass program and switch to Clipper only. It is starting with the "A" paper pass and disabled sticker, then the youth & senior pass, and finally the "M" pass.

Strangely, the SFMTA's PR office is giving the public some mixed messages, just like the women I date:

In this one I took a snapshot at the Cable Car booth, it confirms that the SFMTA will be doing the following:

• "A" and disabled passes must be Clipper by November 2010. Last paper pass/sticker is October.
  
• "Y" and "S" passes must be Clipper by February 2011. Last paper pass is January.
  
• "M" pass must be Clipper by April 2011. Last paper pass is March.
  

Even the SFMTA's website supports those dates:

"The existing Muni paper monthly Passes will transition over to the Clipper card. Within the next few months, customers will need a Clipper card (or a TransLink card) to buy monthly Pass.

The last month for each type of paper pass and Regional Transit Connection (RTC) Sticker is as follows:

• Adult fare Muni/BART “A" Fast Pass and RTC Sticker: October.
• Senior and Youth monthly passes: January 2011.
• Adult fare Muni-only “M” Fast Pass: March 2011."

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Oddly enough, this press release "fact sheet" the SFMTA provided in late July tells a different story (via Google Docs):

• "A" and disabled passes must be Clipper by October 2010. Last paper pass/sticker is September.
  
• "Y" and "S" passes must be Clipper by January 2011. Last paper pass is December.
  
• "M" pass must be Clipper by March 2011. Last paper pass is March.

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When you look at the two fliers (cable car booth flier vs. press release), they are all a month off.

MUNI'S PR DEPARTMENT = EPIC FAIL!

So SFMTA PR department, what's the right answer? How about releasing a new flier and admitting to a very serious mistake? Next time, publish a flier that clearly says what month the last paper pass will be issued and the month it's mandatory to use a Clipper card.

Cleaning-Up the Clipper Card Mess

The Clipper card is continuing to get punched in the chest and kicked in the shin by the media; plus, the commentators on places like SF Gate are really giving it a heyday, just like today's article.

I don't mind doing some unofficial PR work to help resolve the issues people write about on the comment boards, yet, it's getting really overwhelming with the complaints after complaints about this and that, and not really taking the time to understand the limits and benefits of the program. It always makes me wonder if they really own a card, or just how little they've ever used it.

As one person told me, a lot of those commentators are just idiots. I prefer to think of many SFgate commentators to be writing comments out of their butt instead of thinking about it first from their head.

So why do I help out the Clipper folks? It's because I have a passion for this program to be successful. A lot of you readers know how much material I write about the program, including upcoming changes, major glitches and problems, and how to make it easier to use. I could use some extra money, why not hire me as some kind of consultant or PR person on the streets on select weekends?

Do I write too much about the program? Eve Batey, one of my big supporters and editor of SF Appeal wrote back to me and she said:

"If you start getting sick of covering TransLink, then yes, you are writing about it too much. Until then, no way -- you are, as you noted, the only one out there who is. The world needs you!"

Good point, the world needs me. I do more PR than Clipper and MTC would do in a decade!

Ya know, the most interesting thing is all this bad press is actually good for Clipper. All transit agencies that uses RFID fare cards went through the same problems we are experiencing right now. The current topic is the growing pains, and in months time, there will be an improvement or a solution to fix the problems that keeps nagging at everyone. Not long ago, Clipper was able to automate the history report process to view it instantly because many argued it took days to get an e-mailed report. If people will wait a few more months, the new ticketing machines at Muni metro stations will be working and will be able to quickly top-off cards, and in less than a year, all BART ticketing machines will also be able to top-off too.

Here's some good old fashioned advice (and I'm going to be blunt):

• For those who continue to moan that Clipper sucks or this or that doesn't work, take a moment to read the material provided to all new users in the envelope (if you don't have it, the same ones are online). The brochure gives the basic information on how to use the card, and the website has specific ones for each agency. If the information is not helpful, just ask Clipper on Twitter, Facebook, or ask me. My blog is here to educate and inform; I don't like stupid people destroying a program that has good intentions for the community.
• As one of my professors once said, "incompetence of the law is not an excuse." So is the same for Clipper as incompetence is not a free pass to bitch and moan.
• Lastly, HOLD THE CARD STEADY. Don't swipe it. Want to be humiliated with the three annoying beeps? Just do the opposite of what I just told you.