Countering Against the Bay Citizen's Anti Clipper Card Article

Contrary to popular belief in a Bay Citizen/NY Times Local article, there's a lot of people who are not having problems with their Clipper card on public transit.

Everyone knows that if 99%+ is having no problems, there's always that 1% or less that will have problems, and some of that group will whine and scream like uncontrollable children that poisons the huge majority experiencing no or very minor issues (e.g. self service bill feeder not functioning) and that the problems are worse than it should be.

From reading the Bay Citizen article, I feel it's one sided and only targets certain isolated incidents. In the beginning of the article, it mentions about a single BART gate that would read the card, but the gates wouldn't open for people. That's just an isolated incident because it doesn't happen anywhere else on the BART system based on my own experience, it's likely a malfunctioning gate that refuses to open.

There's other things I want to dispute about the article:
There's a mention that there was 38,000 calls to the "customer service hotline" during the month of August. Well, does that mean 38,000 calls to speaking to a customer service agent, or does that also include calls for people using the automated system to find out their card's balance? Let's also remember that there's been a huge campaign push by Muni and AC Transit to get students on Clipper cards due to a mandatory switch from paper passes to Clipper cards, and parents wants to call to find out how do to it; students during August went back to school and the need to get their specialized Clipper card to get to school. When Caltrain switched to Clipper only, they had a high number of calls to customer service, but that has died down as people understood how it worked and investment in a PR campaign at Caltrain stations, even though the use of monthly passes and 8-rides is stirred with complexity.

500K transactions daily: Author points out it is not 500K passengers. No shit, Sherlock. "Transactions" means how many Clipper cards was scanned in one day. If you asked Clipper how many passes was sold, they'd be able to give you a rough number of regular passengers using transit on a normal weekday (not including e-cash passengers). If you know that around 35% of BART passengers uses Clipper, do some math: Ask BART how many passengers on a weekday, and use a calculator. Also, since nearly all Golden Gate passengers uses Clipper due to the automatic discount for all card users, that wouldn't be so bad to find the round figure.

Caltrain is mentioned about when there's an incident holding up passengers on the trains, but noting that passengers have four hours and can't tag-off in time is just isolated incidents that can be resolved by just asking for a proper credit from Clipper. Clipper had to set a four hour limit from the tag-in at a Caltrain reader, which is FAIR for a passenger to complete a one way journey.

There's a mention about Muni's alleged electrical irregularities causing Clipper readers to crash. The author says it happens "regularly," but I don't see it that often happening, and especially that Clipper readers also have a backup battery for power problems or bus engine shut downs. I live near a major bus line terminus where drivers are required to shut down their gas engine, but the Clipper readers run normally without depending on the engine. Muni had common problems in the past with the historic streetcar fleet as the electricity was sometimes inadequate (ever seen the lightbulbs flash when crossing a wire junction?), but was able to resolve it with a software update. It's very RARE for the readers to fail for that particular reason. Muni rules state if a reader is broken, operators are required to report it immediately and rides are free (equivalent to a broken cash fare box).

Is there any proof that Clipper cards are to blame for the drop in on-time service for Muni? A different cause could be a change in ridership due to the rising gas prices and with the economy tanking, and students returning to school. It could also be the upset Muni operator's union who had their ass kicked by Proposition G by pissing off the public by unofficially slowing the system down.

Lastly, some passenger accuses Clipper for losing $80 for a card that "failed to work." Okay, so, what's the full story on that and why is it failing? Just saying you can't resolve the lost $80 doesn't mean there's something Clipper is always to blame.

I will mention one thing that most would agree upon:
If you have the option to not use Clipper's Autoload program, DON'T USE THE PROGRAM. The biggest complaints I hear is their credit card is rejected and blocked; sometimes on a weekly basis. I don't know what to say is the cause of all the rejections, but the easiest way to avoid this is to not link your credit card to your Clipper account. Just spend five to ten minutes every week or two and load Clipper e-cash or buy your passes at an in-person vendor, self service machine, or a transit agency's ticket sales booth. I never had my Clipper card blocked because I don't use Autoload; I remind myself on a monthly basis to visit a Walgreens or drop by a metro station to buy my monthly Muni pass. Read more about why I don't recommend Autoload.

Finally...
On a final note, why isn't Clipper or the MTC doing some better PR? They rarely put out press releases or talk to the public while other agencies like SFMTA/Muni has full-time staff dedicated to giving information to the general public and the press.

I enjoy blogging about Clipper as a hobby to the point where people trust me for info and advice more than Clipper itself. The Bay Citizen should have interviewed me for a perspective, but my bets are the author wanted to make it an anti Clipper article and not take the opinions and views of someone who knows the program better and writes more about it than any blog or newspaper in the Bay Area.

Did Muni & Clipper Screw-Up the "Sunday FunDay" Pass Promotion?

If you are one of the thousands of Muni passengers taking advantage of the "Sunday FunDay" pass program during the month of December and used a Clipper card, you could have been cheated out of more than just the initial $2 all-day fare.

Since I'm keeping watch of the tweets coming fresh from the bakery oven, I'm noticing some passengers getting charged a second or third time for using their Clipper card on Muni during their "Sunday FunDay" promotion period.

Twitter user: "verbalcupcake" said:

"Clipper Card fail: I haven't gotten the promised all-day SF transfer Muni assured us Clipper would calculate on Dec. Sundays. Lame."

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The policy for cash (non-Clipper card) paying customers is to pay $2 and get an all-day paper transfer from the operator. The transfer is then valid for the entire day without the need to pay an additional fare, unlike on non-FunDay promotion days when transfers expire in 90 minutes. It's a pretty simple promotion for those customers.

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But the promotion is not going so well for Clipper card e-cash and Limited Use Ticket (metro vending machine) purchases...

Muni's website says to all Clipper and LUT customers:
(See Muni's Sunday promo info from their website by clicking here)

Your first Sunday FunDay trip
During the Sunday FunDay promotion, tap your card or ticket to the Clipper reader upon your initial boarding or subway entry to receive your Sunday FunDay all-day transfer.

OK, that sounds fine. I just tag my card on the first vehicle or metro gate. Let's see what else they say:

Second and subsequent vehicles
After your first Sunday "tap," present your card or ticket to the bus operator or station agent to gain access to Muni.

Important: Do not tap your card or ticket again as re-tapping will deduct another fare payment from your fare media. Refunds will not be made for subsequent deductions.

Uh, what? Another PR fail? Like this one, and how about this one?

Am I understanding this correctly? Muni is asking Clipper card and LUT customers to visually show their card/ticket to the operator or agent to gain access to the vehicle? Are you telling me all Clipper e-cash and LUT transactions only issued a 90-minute e-transfer?

As a veteran user of the Clipper card program, that has to be the worst and most incredibly stupid policy I've ever heard of.

As most users of Clipper cards know:
Muni operators instructs all passengers to tag their Clipper card upon boarding the vehicle. There's no excuses or skipping that step on any day, including this Sunday "FunDay" promotion. How in the world is a Muni operator or station agent going to magically identify who did pay $2 on their initial ride of the day vs. those who are just cheating the system of $2 when Muni's "FunDay" website instructs them to "present your card or ticket" to the operator or station agent?

How about all those Muni metro patrons who enters the underground stations and use Clipper or LUT? They only get the standard 90 minute transfer, and once the 90 minutes expires, they have to pay another $2 (Clipper e-cash) or deduct a second single ride (LUT) from their card when entering the metro system after the first use. Don't forget, some stations don't have a second station agent to buzz you into the system, and they are not psychics who can identify who has an all-day pass or not.

This is one big incredible failure. What was Muni and Clipper thinking (or possibly drinking and smoking) when they created this promotion?

If Muni and Clipper did this correctly, the Clipper card and LUTs should have their e-transfer expiration at 11:59PM so all passengers can continue to tag their card on their second, third, etc. vehicle/metro gate without being charged full fare.

DING! There goes the common sense bell.

"Sunday FunDay," what an insult to the public.

I demand Muni and Clipper to issue apologies and refunds to all passengers who was charged more than $2 during the "Sunday FunDay" promotion. If you are with me, drop a comment saying so.

Clipper on SamTrans Delayed - MTC Didn't Care to Notify Public

Amid much hype on my blog and Clipper's twitter account, Clipper cards was supposed to be accepted on SamTrans starting December 15th (Wednesday), however the debut will be delayed.

Maybe I should rephrase that... there was not much word spread around about the delay. SamTrans and Clipper's website did not mention anything about a planned date for debut, nor announce a delay. Even the MTC's public relations or media office didn't publish a press release or even link a news article about the delay.

You'll hear it now because I like banging on pots and pans to get attention:
The new debut date for Clipper on SamTrans will be Wednesday, December 22nd.

The only news coverage of the delay came from the San Mateo County Times; the article mentions there was some "software issues" discovered on Monday, December 13th that caused the debut to be delayed a week. Most of the rest of the article sounded like a promotional advertisement for Clipper.

Akit's Opinion:
I'm a little frustrated by all of this. Clipper makes one real big announcement of the launch of the blue card on SamTrans, but nobody tells the public there's been a delay? One newspaper, just one newspaper tells the public in one little sentence about the delay.

It's even worse when the Metropolitan Transportation Commission kept their mouth shut about the delay by not notifying the public. Once Clipper opened their mouth (okay, tweeted it), MTC is responsible for notifying the general public of a delay. With my increasing readership of my blog telling them of the December 15th debut, I wonder how many people tried to use their Clipper card on SamTrans that day and was told it was not ready?

I'm also not happy SamTrans and Clipper also kept their mouth shut. Not even one little blurb on their websites saying the launch would be held off for a week.

And what's up with this software problem? SamTrans and Clipper had months to tinker with the software and make sure all the equipment is ready for use for the public.

FOR SHAME!

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.

Muni's Public Relations Office is SLOW! Local Bloggers are Faster (A Month Quicker!)

I find it absolutely strange the SFMTA's PR department decided to send-out a press release on the phaseout of Muni paper passes to mandatory Clipper cards today.

Click here for press release document.
Click here for fact sheet.

Why so strange?

The local blogging community has been forewarning the San Francisco transit riders months in advance about the end of Muni paper passes:

-- On June 9th, Muni Diaries was the first to mention about the mandatory Clipper conversion of the "A" pass.

-- On June 27th, I was able to confirm the deadline dates of other remaining paper passes being phased out from a poster I took a snapshot of at a Cable Car sales booth.

So today's date is July 29th, and that's over a month after my posting and close to two months since Muni Diaries posted the news. How embarrassing. That's our transit agency for you!

Gees Muni, why not pay the local bloggers to do your PR stuff?

New Muni Service Cuts in May - Akit Reminds Muni how they Failed Before

I'm a pretty well informed citizen of San Francisco. I read the news from various sources and keep up-to-date on my tweets; it's sad to see that our public transit agency wants to take a step backward in the wrong direction to hurt not just their customers, but send their overall reputation further down the grave that we call the "Central Subway."

I've heard word that there was a last minute long shot appeal to see if an environmental review was necessary to give the "10%" cut in services on Muni, yet I had a gut feeling that it wasn't going to go well; I was right, the board kicked it to the curb with a 7-4 vote.

What makes me even more frustrated is just how soon the "10%" cuts will actually happen. SF Weekly claims it will start May 1st, and the SF Gate's City Insider says May 8th; but regardless of what date it may be, May will be the worst in Muni's history.

How can Muni decide to take drastic cuts with so little notice? Does less than 17 days notice actually give Muni the balls to pull off a massive PR campaign to inform the public of their beloved transit service going to make drastic cuts?

Let me refresh Muni's memory on some blog entries that gained major attention for FAILURE TO PROVIDE AMPLE NOTICE:

1. When Muni announced their so-called 10% cuts at their board meeting, they specifically targeted the 18-46th Avenue in a showboat attempt to say that service will be reduced from 20 minutes to a whopping 30 minutes mid-day, evenings, and weekends. I wrote a very serious in-depth analysis on why it was not fair to discriminate the 18-46th Avenue with 33% cuts while others are getting less than 10%.
2. The most recent cuts happened on December 5, 2009, and I reported on November 24th that Muni has not made an effort to provide new published bus/train schedules in a timely manner and online planning programs were also not ready. This story alone spread like wildfire and it really caught Muni's attention very quickly.
3. On November 26th, two days after I reported the failure of map planning programs, Google Maps was ready.
4. On December 1st, just a few days away from the major changes, 511's online trip planner program was updated with Muni's changes, but there was no time schedules posted.
5. I also gave a brutal punishing to Muni for failure to provide ample notice of an adult pass hike that was scheduled for January 1st. On November 5, 2009, I argued it was not fair to give such late notice of a pass hike because it would affect people who need to update their payroll deduction for their commuter benefits program. Just few days later (November 8th), I caught Muni in the act of updating their website about the pass hike.

This is a serious warning to Muni management, do not make service cuts without giving the public ample notice. One month's notice is barely acceptable, but with only 17 days left until the new month, that's not enough time to publish a new schedule, and not enough time for the techies at Google and 511 to input the new data into their trip planning program.

You've already screwed-up December 5th's cuts, so why should be trust you to get the time schedules and trip planning software updates in a timely manner? This is especially true for me, the 18-46th Avenue passenger whose going to have to get the worst punishment while others who ride major lines may not even notice much of a difference.

Update:
Here's an additional posting showing evidence of Muni's PR failure: The PGA golf tournament at Harding Park where Muni only gave the public one day's notice of major bus re-routes for the 18-46th Avenue and (the former) 88-BART Shuttle. And even then, I did all the research and posted it faster than 511's alerts page.

Muni Fast Pass Hike Now Official - Akit Caught Them Red Handed

It looks like the attention my blog forced SFMTA/Muni to update their website with some very critical information of changes to their fare/pass structure that goes into effect January 1, 2010.

This was regarding my blog entry about the Muni pass hike without any public notice.

It looks like I caught them red handed because they made modifications to their website on Friday, November 6th.

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I reported on my blog on Thursday, November 5th that Muni did not give notice to the public of a pass hike, and I mentioned the affect it will have on people who orders their passes through a commuter benefits company. I was aware of this when an anonymous person who works for the city e-mailed me the day before telling me that he got notice of a pass hike, but it was not generally known to the public.

It looks like Muni caught onto my blog and they posted their pass hike information online. The photograph below is proof that they added this page to their website on Friday, November 6th at 4:55PM (one day after my blog entry). You can also view this photograph for additional proof.

The rumored pass hike is true: adults will either pay $60 for a new "M" pass (Muni only), or $70 for an "A" pass (includes BART).

I really think it's great that a single person can change government policy. I did this before in July when I argued that Muni did not accept the Muni to BART transfer coupons for the return trip from AT&T Park and with the help of Phil Bronstein of the Chronicle, he was able to help me change the policy. Read Phil's three entries about the situation here.

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On a lighter note, I also noticed Muni updated their service changes website to include a letter from SFMTA Chief Nat Ford, and Tom Nolan who is Chairman of the SFMTA Board of Directors. This letter was posted hours later after I mentioned about why the public is not angry about the service changes.

Lack of Communication between San Francisco Government Agencies?

You would expect that in this day of age and a modern city government, that their agencies/departments would be communicating with each other so they are all on the "same page." Surely the 311 program has helped bridge that gap by directing people in the right direction when they need services and information...

Yet, there are still problems between agencies sharing information so the public can be informed with straightforward information, instead of getting one answer here and a different one there.

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Example #1: Just today, I was riding Muni's 18-46th Avenue bus to work and noticed that Upper Great Highway was shut down due to sand on the road. Both entrances at Sloat and Lincoln (north and south directions) had to be closed.

But whatever city agency shut-down that road segment did not inform SFMTA/Department of Parking and Traffic (DPT) about the closures so they can switch the road signals at those two key intersections to 4-way stop.

How did I learn this fact of lack of communication? I called DPT traffic signals directly, instead of calling the incompetent idiots of 311 who would just ask questions of why the signals should be changed.

This leaves two big problems, lack of communication between city agencies, and if the signals ran their normal (three color) cycles, some person may think it's OK since it's a green light and ram the steel gates closing the road and this means a possible LAWSUIT against the city for negligence.

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Example #2: The PGA golf tournament (President's Cup) is coming to San Francisco's Harding Golf Course next week (October 6-11) and this will bring in up to 25,000 golfing fans every single day to the south west region of the city. As always, combine it with over 32,000 SFSU students who are getting their education right next to the golf course, and hell will be here in no time.

But to the point: The city is informing the public that the entire length of John Muir Drive will be closed (south end road of Lake Merced, also home to the SFPD shooting range), and a portion of Skyline Blvd. from at least Sloat to Great Highway. While they are informing drivers with big electronic signs, 311 has not been helpful if these closures will affect SFMTA/Muni's 18-46th Avenue bus line that goes directly into both of these closed areas, mainly because city agencies failed once again to share information.

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Bravo City and County of San Francisco, bravo. How long until Mayor Newsom's term is up?

Public Relations Nightmare - SF Muni and BART

Things can't get any uglier for Bay Area public transit... could it?

Muni just had a major accident at the West Portal station when a metro train collided with a stationary metro train. Luckily, nobody was killed, but there are dozens hurt. Odds are that ambulance chasers are at SF General hospital looking for victims and fare inspectors are asking themselves... should I check for proof of payment of the victims at the hospital?

But that's not just Muni's own PR nightmare, just last Thursday, SFMTA chief Nat Ford admitted that fare evasion is a multi-million dollar problem, but as many of us have known that for a long time. Just based on what Nat Ford has stated, tons of bloggers have gone on the offensive with opinions (SFappeal, SFist, SFgate comments).

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But how can we not forget about BART? Their PR nightmare is as bad as Muni's:

On Thursday, BART had a serious accident at the construction site of the future West Dublin station when a cherry picker was hovering way too low over the BART train tracks.

As always, the possibility of a strike looms over the Bay Area, but it seems like nobody gives a damn right now, but BART's PR office is as always busy putting their spin to the union's perspective.

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And where's Mayor Greasyhead, I meant Newsom in all of this? No word from him, and if he wants to be a future governor, he needs to get involved in this public transit crap.

BART V.P. Fang Calls Translink "Obsolete" and spends $350,000 on Cell Phone Program

Thanks to Phil Matier and Andrew Ross in today's SF Chronicle, we now know how much BART has wasted on their cell phone RFID program...

$350,000!!!!!

Based on today's article, I thought Matier and Ross used some of my ideas (especially this posting), but Andy replied back and didn't even know about my blog. I wrote back saying "all great minds think alike."

Actually, thanks to those two, they have dug up even more information that I would never have the privilege to obtain. I don't have press credentials, so I always have to get information from either past experience or from my connections.

We now know that BART's Vice President James Fang was the one responsible for this cell phone program. He thought of the idea and got BART to play along, and he even dislikes the Translink program by calling it an obsolete program in the near future.

Oh really? Cell phone RFID has so many restrictions, from people being forced to be under contract with a cell phone company, buying specific programmed cell phones, and maybe a future 10% surcharge for just using this service. Translink is literally FREE (if you get automatic reloading; that waives the $5 card fee).

Octopus in Hong Kong started in 1997 and is now one of the most successful universal transit fare card programs in the WORLD. They are now 12 years old and the technology is not OBSOLETE. Not by a long shot. Plus, they use the original technology from ERG; same as Translink's.

Here is a list of what Octopus has done to stay away from being obsolete:

• Subway companies upgrades their fare gates with the Octopus card reader pre-installed (old fare gates had an accessory kit installed).
• Making mini sized cards for keychains, special watches, wristbands, and even cell phone covers with the chip installed.
• Takes attendance at schools.
• Decreases crowds waiting to enter at the gates, and quicker boarding on buses.
• Buy food at many fast-food joints, bakeries, and convenience stores.
• Expand their services into neighboring cities.
• Vending machines.
• Customized cards.
• Pay taxi fares (under trial).
• Transit fare discounts for using the card vs. a ticket.
• Rewards/rebates/discounts at food vendors.
• Sells a tourist card with preloaded funds and includes rides on the train to the airport.
  

Translink will follow in the footsteps of Octopus. It is the future of public transporation in San Francisco and the dream is coming a reality sooner than expected. Failure is not an option.

But failure is a definite option for BART VP Fang. How about you cancel your agreements with cell phone providers and refund the $350,000? BART has a huge budget deficit, and this money could be used to benefit BART in many ways, like getting rid of that blue carpet.

My comment is the "most recommended" at SFgate!

I think Translink and the MTC likes me... (Muni? No)

I got this in the mail just a few days ago from the folks at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, my own Translink t-shirt!

They also mailed me a second little gift, a Translink logo USB memory key.

The handwritten note I received from one of the administrators at the MTC mentioned: "Thank you for your support of Translink" and somehow they also have my address. Now that I think of it, I did register my address with Translink.

With all the blog postings about my personal support and ideas for Translink, I think the folks at MTC is looking for a partner to keep on promoting them.

I have to say, this shirt is one of a kind.

At least I have some public transit allies out there, unlike the folks at SFMTA/Muni... heee heee haa haa haa (in an evil tone).

But I wonder why they decided me to send these two nice gifts? Was it that unofficial Translink mob trip I participated in? See video below:

Lastly, I'll be on a much needed vacation, and I'll try to post while I'm out of town. But it'll be one quick posting because the frickin' internet is not free.

Mayor Gavin Newsom + Twitter = Very Bad Idea

Our (cough!) beloved Mayor, Gavin Newsom uses Twitter as a way of public relations with the public. He posts announcements of fundraisers he will attend and other self promoting things, such as his recent posting of being on Larry King Live.

But let's ask ourselves the question, is Newsom's use of Twitter such a good idea or a really bad PR stunt that has gone horribly wrong?

BART did bad PR for their "hall of shame" photo gallery
If you recall from one of my postings on January 2, 2009, BART decided to open a Facebook page and invited people to post photographs of bad passengers in the act. Unfortunately, it came at a really bad time, when the local blog sites like SFist caught on to the story just one day after the shooting of Oscar Grant by a BART Police officer. I personally felt that having a government agency legitimize the posting of "bad" passengers in the act is absolutely inappropriate, and especially just after a police shooting, it's in really bad taste to sanction something like this.

Just one day after the negative remarks made by commentators on SFist, Gothamist (New York's version of SFist), my reaction, and websites that already posts snapshots (BARTrage), BART decided to take the photo album down. BART doesn't like negative publicity, so it did the right thing to stop the already bad PR bleeding from the shooting incident.


Newsom loves to block people on Twitter who challenge him
Gavin Newsom using Twitter is in really bad taste. While he is not involved in a high profile incident like how BART was, he should really consider quitting the Twitter stuff and let his press secretary do the work for him the old fashioned way.

The SFGate's "City Insider" reported that some of Newsom's critics are being blocked from his Twitter, and while only five have been blocked, it shows that Newsom is afraid of some criticism from the public. It should be noted that the "City Insider" entry states that only five people have been blocked from the Mayor's twitter for what his campaign representative calls "terms of service" violations, however it was not a Twitter TOS violation. So what is Newsom's list of self proclaimed "terms of service" violations? When people challenge his authority or policies? (Get your press secretary to answer this question in my comments box).

People known to have been banned:

• League of Young Voters: Newsom or his "crew" decided to ban them, even though this group only wanted to question Newsom's " legitimate policy issues related to his agenda" (Quote from Jonah Horowitz in the City Insider story).
  
• Steven T. Jones of the SF Bay Guardian questioned Newsom on Twitter asking "Why do you think Twitter is a good communication medium for you?" and instead of receiving a reply, got banned from Newsom's Twitter. Jones questioned the the Mayor's authority to do this through his public relations person and that person accused Jones of being an "internet troll."

I don't understand why Newsom blocking/banning certain people from his Twitter is even appropriate. The League of Young Voters asked legitimate questions about some of his policies, and I think that Gavin doesn't want to answer them because he's afraid of a good challenge.

Also, blocking Steven Jones is a really terrible idea. He asked the question that I think was absolutely appropriate and not made for "internet trolls." Having the press secretary of a major city government call you a "troll" for any reason, is just absolutely absurd, stupid, and really inappropriate. Plus, you never block the press. NEVER. They tell the stories to the public.

Here are some things to think about:

1. First of all, Gavin Newsom using Twitter is a poor use of public relations.
2. Posting on Twitter is a risky thing anyway (security wise), it's like putting a GPS device in your coat and everyone knows where you are at all times.
3. He represents a major city government. Whatever he says, basically goes, or can be misused or misinterpreted by the public.
4. By blocking Twitter users from his blog while using the service during his working hours on the TAXPAYER'S MONEY, he is promoting government sponsored censorship; which is absolutely inappropriate morally and ethically.
5. If he uses Twitter during the hours that he is paid by the taxpayers, is that considered public record under San Francisco's "Sunshine Ordinance?" Does this include any of replies back to Twitter members and commands on Twitter to block individuals?

In conclusion
Newsom should get out of Twitter NOW. He is opening up a can of worms and they are slowly sneaking away. Blocking the media and legitimate organizations asking the tough questions is absolutely inappropriate for a head of a major city.

Hey Newsom, it's time to stop running away from the hard questions and start taking them head-on. You want to call yourself a Mayor, prove it; otherwise, you will be as unpopular as Ron Dellums.

Translink on BART? They claim they are ready in June

Interesting... very interesting. After a mob of people from our Facebook group went out just yesterday (Sunday) to conduct a test run of the Translink card on San Francisco Muni vehicles and stations, the local media releases word that BART will be on the Translink program in early June.

The MTC reports that BART should have their software updgrades to the gates installed by May 5th and will conduct approximately 30 days of testing (as claimed by BART PR man Lynton Johnson). BART claims they will have approximately 1,000 people from their EZ Rider pool in their "slow rollout."

If BART is ready to go within 30 days, this means that it should be ready for public use in very early June of this year! Translink cardholders rejoice! We now have a new option to get around the Bay Area, and now we can truly connect Muni, AC Transit, Golden Gate Transit (w/service that goes to El Cerrito Del Norte BART), and BART as one big program.

But there are some interesting and curious questions to ask BART and Translink:

1. Will BART ticket machines be capable to add e-cash on Translink cards?
2. Will BART in-person ticket vendors have Translink add funds machines so us Commuter Check folks can claim our checks without visiting the AC Transit ticket office?
3. Will BART be using a separate e-cash "purse" since they offer a 6.25 percent discount for the "high value" tickets they regularly sell now?
   
4. If Muni passholders use BART, say from Balboa Park (SF) to North Berkeley, will the pass be allowed and only be charged the segment from West Oakland (first non-SF stop) to North Berkeley? Or will passengers have to get off at Embarcadero to tag-off, and re-enter the system to save money?
5. Will BART issue the e-transfers for the discount rides for the other Translink connected agencies? AC Transit for 25 cent discount, VTA bus (via Fremont station) for unknown discount, Muni for 25 cent discount to/from, and free ride on Muni (28, 28L, and 54) to/from Daly City?
   
6. The article in the Chronicle is not too clear. Will BART have full-rollout of Translink after 30 (or so) days after the test run on May 5th?
7. Why are you still selling EZ Rider cards when Translink will take-over this process?
   

Next up???? Caltrain??? Rumor has it they will be doing a tag-on/tag-off system where if you tag your card at the station, you are charged the maximum fare. Once you exit the system, you tag-off to be charged the appropriate amount depending on the zones you traveled. They may also be considering an "unfortunate incident" option where if your train is delayed (especially due to the number of suicides and accidents), you can tag-off at the same station you tagged-in and get a full refund.

Lastly: SF Appeal published an article about the Translink group trip on Muni! Thanks to writer and photographer Matt Baume and editor Eve Batey!

Translink on SF Muni - The Mob Tests the System (and it works!)

As you have read through my previous posting at Akit's Complaint Department, I mentioned that a mob of Translink cardholders were going to test out their green colored RFID fare cards on San Francisco Muni in order to creep the crap out of the bus drivers, station agents, and fare inspectors.

Due to the high winds and cold weather (but no rain!), eight people came out to give Translink one heck of a trial run, or make it better known as a torture test.

Here's all the routes we took:

1. Starting at Ferry Building, took the F-Market to the California Cable Car stop.
2. Transferred to the 21-Hayes.
3. Exited the next stop and boarded the next outbound train at Embarcadero.
4. Exited at Powell Street (hoping to mess with a fare inspector), and transferred to the 5-Fulton.
5. Exited in the Tenderloin and walked to Geary Boulevard to transfer to the 38-Geary.
   
6. Exited the sardine packed 38-Geary at Van Ness to transfer to the 49-Van Ness/Mission.
7. Exited at Market street and boarded the next outbound train at Van Ness station.
8. Exited at Castro station and had a nice lunch at Orphan Andy's.

And the BLT sandwich at Orphan Andy's was delicious!

Unfortunately we were hoping to find a fare inspector, but was not lucky this time. Actually, I rode the metro back to Civic Center to catch BART and a fare inspector was waiting at the escalator. I flashed my card at the guy, and was waived through.

We did not receive any curious questions by onlookers, and the bus drivers didn't mind that several people tagged their card in less than 10 seconds. The only person who I felt was asking themselves: "what the hell?" was the station agent at Van Ness Station.

Want to view the Translink party photos? See below:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agentakit/sets/72157615775883330/

Here's the video I spent a good hour editing and putting together (it looks great in high quality!) and that video is also posted on the top of this blog entry:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oe7xBMLG7I

I've been told we will expect some local media coverage from SF Appeal soon.

Dang, that was one fun few hours! You see Muni and Translink? The program is fully ready for roll-out now! Not next year, not six months, it's time to get the ball rolling and the photos and video are proof! Now, what will Muni's PR guy, Judson True, say now?

Muni fare hike to $2? Kiss my butt SFMTA (33% hike)

This is just absolutely stupid. A report from the "City Insider" (SFGate/Chron) reports that Muni fares could go up if the city's budget gets far worse.

Right now, the city's deficit is at $129 million dollars, and the mayor feels that raising Muni fares is the last resort to fixing this insane crisis.

If the SFMTA decides to raise the fares for Muni, this would be effective September 1st:

• Adults: $1.50 (old) to $2.00 (new)
  
• Youth/Senior/Disabled: $0.50 to $0.75

Muni is already raising prices of Muni passes as a way to raise more money, but is raising the general cash fare price a good idea?

Personally, I don't think it is even a smart idea. Raising the fare is sticking it to the customer to pay for more service while quality is still going down the toilet. Take a look at this report from the Golden Gate [X]Press (SFSU) talking about the terrible service on the M-Ocean View, a main trunk line connection for thousands of SFSU students. One-car trains don't work when you pass by a major university.

Surely Muni can find other creative ways to cut some of the pointless crap of their service instead of making us go through a painful colonic:

1. Kill off the CultureBus program. Sure, you are running two buses a day now, but how many people ride the bus with the insane $7 fare? Not many. That's at least a million dollar savings.
2. Start laying off at least 50% of your fare inspectors. Then start hiring "bouncers" with no ticket issuing authority and a low wage with no benefits (college students are perfect) to accompany a ticket writing person. Basically a "team" would consist of one ticket issuing officer, and one or two wage donkeys/enforcers.
3. Fire the drivers with the worst service records. If the driver was involved in an incident where the city had to settle for more than their salary, that's enough grounds to get fired. Employees with too many legitimate complaints spend more taxpayer money on hearings, people making reports, etc. than a good employee with no complaints.
   
4. Just fire Muni's PR team. They are just blabber mouths covering their butts every time something goes wrong. Remember Maggie Lynch and KPIX investigator Anna Warner? Maggie said and walked away from the interview: "What is this, 60 Minutes?"

Lastly, Muni broke a promise to their citizens. In my posting in 2007, the Chronicle wrote about Muni's wish list and proposed some new ideas (with my opinions). One of them was a fare hike, but promised to keep it 5% every two years.

So let me get this right... 5% added to $1.50 regular Muni fare is $1.57 (make it $1.60 to keep the pennies out of the fare boxes). They now want to make it $2.00 a ride? You said 5%, not 33% you ASSHOLES!

San Francisco's 311 works 80% of the time

San Francisco's "311" program was created by the local city government as a one stop place for citizens to call 311 for information and to report issues. The "one stop" concept is used in many places, and when it runs well, becomes a very successful way to conduct business. A perfect example is SFSU's "OneStop" Student Services center where students can see the registrar, financial aid, bursar, and get their campus ID in one central area.

From my own personal experience from calling the 311 service line, I feel they are able to resolve about 80% of the questions and problems I call them about.

Here is a list of the successfully resolved and answers found in an appropriate amount of time:

• Reporting potholes and they are patched-up within 3 days, in some cases, 24 hours! If you tell them it's a really bad pothole or a major Muni bus line keeps hitting it, they get on it quick.
  
• Answering general Muni questions, like "when is the first bus of the day for X line?"
• Removing a broken "Yield to Pedestrians" sign after the wind literally made it lean into the streets, and my car's mirror hit it, nearly making it fall off (I didn't sue).
• A small rock slide happened near the Cliff House, and it was cleaned-up the next day. But nobody reported it for two weeks until I did.
• Some cab driver flicked me off after cutting me off on Geary. The person on the phone was very pleasant to take the report.
  

So basically, when I ask very general questions or report problems, they get resolved or answered in a very quick fashion. While this is a short list, I've reported multiple potholes and other broken stuff, which accounts to about 80% of my calls.


Now, here is the list of problems that usually don't get resolved, provided inaccurate information, being hassled for more information (beyond common sense), and other similar issues:

• OutsideLands festival road closure information. One person transferred me to 511 without question, and I called 311 again to ask the question and was placed on hold for ten minutes. They claimed all the park roads were "open," when I knew that one nearby my home was closed. Their source of info: A poorly written SFMTA website advisory.
  
• Answering more complex Muni questions, like the nearest bus line to the (criminal) Hall of Justice building. It would take them a few minutes to find out, when the old "6-SF-MUNI" phone number (pre 311) would get you that answer in mere seconds.
  
• The city forgot to put the sticker on a street sign stating that street cleaning comes the 1st and 3rd week of Friday. I reported it over two months ago and it has not been resolved.
• Reporting potholes that may be under the jurisdiction of a different agency (such as Caltrans), but may be within the city limits. Sometimes they take the report, sometimes they don't even give you the phone number of the right person to call.
  
• Refusing to take a citizen's complaint about the Tour de California closing down Great Highway over 90 minutes before the bikers were to even enter the city.
• When the southbound Upper Great Highway had to be shut-down due to a storm, the city forgot to switch the signal at G.H. & Lincoln to 4-way stop (flashing red). Try telling that to the lady on the phone who asked why the signal cycle needs to be changed... I had to give a very detailed explanation of why it needs to be flashing red (by running the signals on a regular cycle, drivers heading southbound might think that the Upper Great Highway is open, and will zoom through the green and hit the security barrier that closes the road... a.k.a. LAWSUIT!). If 311 simply reported that the signals need to be on 4-way stop due to a road closure, the report goes to the traffic signal folks at DPT, and they know why in a snap. Before 311, I would call the traffic signal folks at DPT directly, and I told them very briefly of the situation and mentioning the road closure, and they said: "we got it!"
• Do you really have to ask how big the pothole is? The question of it being safe for a bicycle or motorcycle to drive over it is a simple enough question to determine priority.
• Reporting roadkill. They ask: "Is it smaller or bigger than a pigeon?" I would answer: "Does a skunk count as smaller?" (It sounds funny, but it's not a joke).
  

So this material covers about 20% of the issues that don't get resolved/answered or provides inaccurate information. It looks longer, but covers very specific incidents.

In summary, San Francisco 311's call center can answer/resolve the basic stuff, but when it comes to more complex stuff, they don't do well under the pressure and provides inaccurate answers, reports it improperly, and just simply shrugs it off their shoulder.

One note of improvement they do now, if you report something, they check their database for any similar reports before filing your request into the system. If something similar pops up, they tell you about it and confirm if it is the same problem. I could tell them a specific address or intersection, and whatever search program they use can narrow it down, even if it is off by a couple of address numbers or a block away.

Lastly, this may sound a little bit odd, but when I encounter a problem and I don't call 311 in say... a week, I find out that nobody has reported it while dozens to thousands of drivers pass by the problem area and sometimes on a daily basis. Just like that small rock slide, it was there for two weeks until I called it in.

I personally believe our city will be a better place if we simply report the deficiencies of our city as often as we can so they can be repaired in a timely manner (I don't mean snitching to the police every single time a driver doesn't use their turn signals). When people report problems and they get fixed: the better the reputation of 311, other city agencies, and the citizens will have a boost of morale!

When you experience issues with 311, post a comment or e-mail me at: complaints (at) akit [dot] org. I'll post it here at Akit's Complaint Department, where local officials do read my blog and either take action or post anonymous commments.

Translink Cardholders - Card user party on SF Muni 3/22!

OK Translink fans and cardholders, it's time to have a "tag the card" party!

Since I did not follow through with my proposal on SFist, Jameth is getting a mob to join the fun for Sunday, March 22, 2009 starting at the Ferry Building at 1:00PM and we will ride the buses, trolleys, and metro to and back from the Castro district. Hopping on one bus to tag the card, hopping on the trolley for another tag, and riding the metro for another ride.

From my knowledge (and please correct me if I am wrong), this will be a big test for the Translink program when a swarm of cardholders will be tagging cards in just a couple of minutes, unlike seeing one come at some random hour.

So... who is ready to make history, and make the drivers, station agents, and fare inspectors go nuts?

And since SFMTA/Muni, Translink, and the MTC reads my blog, maybe this is the perfect time for you to think of sending represenatatives to join in the fun and get the user's take of how the program is working. As for the media, why not get this event on the news?

Remember, good publicity means the success of the program, so you Muni folks better make sure all the card readers are functional, wiped clean of graffiti and crud, and your employees are trained in the program.

Register for the event:
Facebook event (Facebook membership required)

How to get a Translink card for FREE:
Translink/Muni info site

Story about the party on SFist:
Click here

Disclaimer: This party is not endorced by any governmental agency, including SFMTA/Muni, Translink, MTC, etc.

Akit is not happy: OutsideLands Releases 2009 Concert Dates (August 28-30)

Word from the local blogs (City Insider & SF Citizen) is the OutsideLands festival will hold their 2009 event from August 28-30, which means another three days of hell for the entire city.

So... will the city experience once again the agony of the following:

1. Loud noise heard for miles?
2. Sardine packed Muni buses and trains?
3. Missing Muni buses?
   
4. Trashing of the park, even though they claim to be a "green" event?
5. Limos and Luxury Towncars illegally trying to sell you a ride for an insane price?
6. Failure to notify city residents of park road closures and delays?
7. Drunk people vomiting all over the street?
8. Overselling the concert?
9. People knocking over temporary fences before a stampede breaks out?
10. $100K to $200K in irrigation damage in the park?
11. Idiots at San Francisco 311 who can't give you accurate answers?
12. Calling your local police station for information, but telling you that they don't know either? (Yeah, just wait until an ambulance is trying to rescue you, but can't get through because the city, once again, screws-up information).
13. And the list goes on and on...

My old postings to read:
My investigation into lack of street closure info and getting support.
A huge conglomerate of complaints from random citizens.
And the post-event report.

The city claims they will get 1.5 million dollars for leasing the land to OutsideLands to destroy, cause havoc, and sure piss-off the surrounding neighborhoods. It's not 1.5 million per day, it's 1.5 million for THREE DAYS.

And I'm going to bet that the city will spend more than 1.5 million dollars in that three days doing what they do best:

1. Police overtime
2. Muni overtime
3. Meter maid overtime
4. SF Park Service overtime
5. Sunset Scavenger extra pickups
6. Gasoline costs for cop cars, buses, and other city vehicles.
7. Maintenance costs for the vehicles above.
   
8. City Supervisors and their staff working extra hours answering complaint calls and e-mails.
9. Fixing destroyed park fixtures, irrigation lines, patches of grass.
10. Lawsuits brought forth by residents.
11. 311 needing extra people to handle the extreme number of phone calls and complaints.

And lastly, why host an event on a FRIDAY? Do they understand that Muni is already operating at capacity during regular commutes, and just adding a hundred thousand people to the mix will put the system in a wreck? If they want to win support, you don't piss off the weekday commuters trying to get home on the outbound lines that goes next to and even several blocks away from the event site (this includes, but not limited to N-Judah, 5-Fulton, 29-Sunset, 31-Balboa, 71-Haight/Noriega, any peak express buses heading west, etc.).

The concert company should start thinking about leasing as many tour buses, school buses, and literally any bus they can get their hands on to transport people to/from the event site to major transit hubs, like Daly City BART, downtown, local ferry terminals, etc. And maybe they could also lease some local ferry boats to transport those folks home across the bay after a late night concert. If they want to recover the costs, do what Bay to Breakers does, charge them for a special pass that gives them the privilege to ride the vehicles.

President's Day equals painful reduced SF Muni service to SFSU

Monday is President's Day for this country, which means it's a federal, state, and local holiday. Government offices, banks, and many public schools will be closed for this day.

But as always... there are people who have to report to work, including myself! Since I work at SF State University, the campus is open, and therefore we all report to our jobs and the students report to classes.

San Francisco's favorite punching bag, a.k.a. SFMTA/Muni has decided to trim their regular bus service to "Saturday" service. This means Muni will operate less vehicles on the street, no peak hour express buses, and Muni metro will be starting later than usual.

For SF State University, "Saturday" service means big trouble. I hate to say it, but Muni does not really care if a major university in the city is in business on a holiday. This is especially true for SFSU that has tons of commuters by public transit and depends on the M-Ocean View, 29-Sunset, and 28-19th Avenue lines. The 18-46th Avenue is not drastically affected since they run every 20 minutes everyday (but do add an extra bus during peak hours).

I've told Muni on numerous occasions that they should increase their bus and train service that serves SFSU when there is a federal holiday that does not affect the campus. And what do they do? They send out ONE CAR "M" Ocean View trains on the route and it comes less frequently.

Even more embarrassing about the metro service running on a "Saturday" is that the metro system does not open until 7AM! On a weekday, they start at 5AM, like regular commuters would expect. SFSU students won't have a very pleasant ride if they have class early in the morning when they have to take the metro "owl" buses. I wonder how many commuters to downtown will realize that their express won't show-up or their favorite "limited" bus line won't come or start real late?

OK SFSU folks! Get ready to be packed in like sardines!

Update: BART Erases "Hall of Shame" Gallery

As previously reported on Akit's Complaint Department, I mentioned that BART created their own sanctioned Facebook page, featuring the "Rude Rider Hall of Shame."

There was only a couple of pictures on there of "bad" passengers, but it looks like BART has decided to back-off and placed this statement on their Facebook gallery today:

"Looking for rude riders? We've heard that not everyone is comfortable with that kind of photo sharing. We respect that, so we're leaving it to Flickr and TwitPic. Thanks to everyone who submitted photos here and, yes, we agree: it's not ok to bring aboard a full-sized mattress or leave a spilled bag of Cheetos on the seat. If you have any other ideas for photo sharing sections please let us know!"

It looks like pressure from the local bloggers (including myself) and the folks at SFist have spoken their opinions about BART doing their own sanctioned "hall of shame." Will BART spokesperson Linton Johnson try to cover-up/sugarcoat this screw-up? Who knows?