The Strangest Muni Permanent Route Change (44 O'Shaughnessy)

I noticed a tweet today from Jerold Chinn, a reporter for the SF Public Press, and he mentioned about a new Muni 44 O'Shaughnessy reroute and provided a link with the details on the SFMTA/Muni's website.

Muni says the re-route is for the inbound direction of the 44 line (going north). The old route to make the turnaround to go back outbound (southbound) was to turn left from 6th Avenue to Clement, right turn to 7th Avenue, right on California, and a final right on 6th Avenue. Basically, the route is to just go "around the block." See map below:

View Larger Map

But the new route Muni mentioned will instead have the bus continue down Clement to Park Presidio, make a right onto Park Presidio, and right on California.

View Larger Map

From crunching the numbers, that's a 15 block permanent re-route for the line. I feel this permanent reroute is just a joke, why make a bus waste extra fuel driving 15 blocks when it can really just go on its normal route?

Also, why make it go all the way down Clement to Park Presidio? Clement is just as congested as Irving Street on a normal weekday with double parking and heavy traffic. And making it turn onto Park Presidio is not a great idea, what happens if traffic is heavy due to an accident ahead? Is the bus going to attempt to make a wide turn on one of the busiest corridors in the city?

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.

Muni Publishes Service Restoration Schedule

Service restoration... not the two words you'd typically hear from Muni, but here it comes folks. Muni is not giving full restoration to the messed-up cuts they've done, but will do some half-assed restoration job that still has some of us passengers fuming.

It's not a full blown restoration for my favorite bus line, the 18-46th Avenue. The administrative clowns still forces the line to drive through Balboa instead of the 38-Geary doing the job, and still doesn't make sense on why they just won't kill-off the Fort Miley route since the hospital is just one block from the 38L-Geary Limited stop at 42nd Avenue.

The 18 will instead have their restoration be more frequency (more like an extra bus on the road). During mid-day weekday service, it is currently operating at 25 minute frequencies, but will now be changed to 20 minute frequencies. If the 18 was to return to it's true normal service, it should also include 15 minute frequencies (now 20 minutes) on rush hours, and weekends every 20 minutes (now 25 minutes).

For those of you suffering through the slow(est) commuting on the M-Ocean View and K-Ingleside bus shuttles due to the St. Francis Circle construction project, there's some good news. Muni will restore rail service starting September 4th. Sorry L-Taraval passengers, but your reign of increased frequencies and two-car trains on weekends will sadly come to an end.

Review the frequency schedule and more information. But note, there's no word about a time schedule, not just yet.

Brief Update #2: Trip Planning for Muni Revised for Google Maps

Brief update for everyone:

This morning, Google Maps was not ready for Muni's May 8th (and beyond) service changes. However, I just checked, and the trip planner is now ready with the new bus/train schedules as long as you input a date on or after Saturday, May 8th.

This is good, I prefer Google Maps over 511's transit planner.

All we need now are the published time schedules. 511.org is not yet ready.

Update: Muni Service Changes Updated on 511 Trip Planner Only

With only three days until the service cuts to Muni, I've been putting on the pressure for Muni to post their time schedules and having the trip planning programs be updated in a timely manner. (Blog post #1 on April 22, and post #2 on May 2).

This morning, I found out the May 8th and beyond time schedules have been updated on 511.org's trip planner, a customizable transit planner that tells passengers the fastest route to the one with the least transfers.

Here's a sample:

The information I input into the trip planner:

• Starting point: 33rd Avenue and Geary
• Ending point: Lake Merced and Font
• Date of travel: Monday, May 10, 2010
• Start time of travel: 7:45 AM

The results as shown in the white box on the right shows the revised time schedule of 20 minute frequencies during weekday morning rush service:

1. 7:58 AM
   
2. 8:18 AM
   
3. 8:38 AM
   
4. 8:58 AM
   

Prior to May 8th's service changes, the 18-46th Avenue operated every 15 minutes during weekday morning rush service:

1. 7:57 AM
2. 8:12 AM
3. 8:27 AM
4. 8:42 AM

To compare the frequencies of the 18-46th Avenue and other lines prior to the May 8th changes and after, click here.

Although this is a start, 511 still has a responsibility to post the entire full bus/train schedules for Muni. The trip planner helps, but sometimes you may have to stay later at work or leave earlier than planned and the full time schedule helps a lot. Google Maps will not help plan transit service for users who choose a departure date of May 8th and beyond.

Update: Muni's May 8th Service Cuts - Schedules Still Not Posted

As I reported on April 22nd, Muni announced their "10%" service cuts to many of its bus and rail lines, but argued that new time schedules and trip planning programs (Google Maps and 511) was not updated with the new information.

With less than one week left before major service changes are put into effect, the new time schedules and trip planning programming updates are not done.

• Time schedules: Muni refers everyone to 511.org where the time schedules are posted. At this current time, the time schedules have not been revised. To view a time schedule, use your address bar and type in: http://www.sfmta.com/ and after the slash, type in the bus line. For example: http://www.sfmta.com/18 and it will go automatically to 511's website for the 18-46th Avenue's bus schedule.
• Trip planning: For customized trip planning on Muni, people depend on 511.org's trip planning program and Google Map's public transit option. Both work equally well, but they have their issues with the service changes on Muni. 511 will provide you the pre-May 8th schedule even if you designate a future travel date of May 8th or after. For Google Maps, asking the system for a date on or after May 8th will result in an error.
  

This is not good for Muni. People need to prepare with ample time for upcoming service cuts. People do not like waiting or standing at a bus stop longer than necessary, and many depend on a time schedule or accurate information provided by trip planning programs for the fastest way to get from point A to B.

Service Cuts on Muni on May 8th - Where's the Schedules and Trip Planning Updates?

With only two weeks and a couple of days left until Muni's so-called "10%" service cuts, you'd expect time schedules and online trip planning programs (Google Maps and 511.org) would be updated so the public can prepare for this.

Muni really cut it close during service changes effective December 5, 2009 when Google's trip planning program was ready eight days before, and 511's trip planner was an awful four days before the changes. The revised time schedules was less than four days published to the public.

For those who ride major lines that operate on a frequent basis (e.g., 38L), there's no real need for a published schedule or online trip planning, but for those who ride bus lines that operate every 15-30 minutes, it's a big necessity to minimize waiting in the cold or wet weather.

Currently, Muni has all their website visitors go to 511's website to view bus/train schedules and thereby is the official resource for all passengers to find out when buses depart or arrive. At this time, 511.org does not have any updated schedules.

Also, 511's online trip planner program allows the public to input a specific date of their journey to distinguish weekday schedules, holidays, Saturdays, and Sundays. At this current time, a user can schedule a trip plan up until May 10th, better known as the first weekday of the service cuts. As you see in the image below, the service changes has not yet happened because the 18-46th Avenue bus line will be changing to 20 minute frequencies instead of 15 minutes.

I actually like Google Maps better for trip planning because it's easier to read. The service changes have not yet been updated on Google Maps (as seen below).

Come on Muni PR people, step it up a notch and give us at least our time schedules!

18-46th Avenue Spared from 30 Minute Frequencies (Except Late Night)

This is a bittersweet victory for those who ride the 18-46th Avenue and/or have also advocated to SFMTA to prevent the outrageous 30 minute frequencies (non-peak service hours) originally proposed in February by management to their board.

I wrote back on March 1st on my blog about the 18-46th Avenue by giving an in-depth look at how much the line has already changed (especially with the reroute via Balboa), and how ugly 30 minute frequencies would be to a line that serves various communities and a major higher educational institution. I have argued that by allowing Muni to force 30 minute frequencies on non-peak service hours, why should the line take a 33% cut, while others are getting next to nothing?

In today's bittersweet victory, Muni caved in, however... the 18 line did get get some cuts that are not as bad as originally planned. Let's take a look:

• Current weekday frequencies: Peak service - 15 minutes, mid-day service - 20 minutes, and late night - 20 minutes. Last bus just past midnight.
  
• Revised weekday frequencies: Peak service - 20 minutes, mid-day service - 25 minutes, evening - 25 minutes, and late night (at 11PM) - 30 minutes. Last bus at approximately 11:30PM.
• Current weekend frequencies: All hours - 20 minutes.
• Revised weekend frequencies: All hours - 25 minutes.

Service changes effective May 8, 2010. That's right folks, it's officially May 8th, while others have argued it's May 1st.

I'm still against any service frequency cuts to the 18-46th Avenue due to its importance to connect with major downtown lines, and being the sole service that serves the western edge of the city, the apartments on John Muir Drive and Lake Merced Hills, and the Janet Pomeroy Center. Since the changes to the 88-BART shuttle removing service to the secluded apartments at John Muir Drive, it has been a large impact on those commuters that now depend on their car or the (worsening) frequencies of the 18-46th Avenue bus line.

Be warned: 511 and Google Maps online trip planning program websites are not ready with Muni's frequency changes when you set the date on or after May 8th, 2010. Also, 511's time schedules are not published, so it is unknown of when buses will depart/arrive based on Muni's modified frequencies schedule.

It is my expectation that Muni will publish the new time schedules and have the trip planning programs ready with at least two weeks before changes happen. I will be watching Muni very carefully and publish updates as we approach "fail day."

To view the upcoming weekday and weekend frequency changes, click here.

Akit Helps to Make Changes in Las Vegas Transit

It's been a few weeks since my trip to Las Vegas where gambling kicked my butt, but the shows are totally worth the money.

During my time off (thanks furloughs), I decided to try out the Regional Transportation Commission's public transit service in the city so I can go around the Las Vegas Strip and to Downtown without the need for a taxicab... boy was I in a world of hell.

Fast? How fast? Pretty damn slow is a better way to say it.

On the day I arrived, they just added new bus service making limited stops along the strip and cutting through some side streets for a quicker ride to the Strip, but it was an absolute horror. The brand new buses were packed like sardines with very narrow aisle space for standees, minimal air conditioning (some buses had NONE with NO SLIDING WINDOWS!), and infrequent service. I was lucky I was walking around with crutches and was given a seat all the time.

They also run double decker buses along the strip and make every stop about a quarter mile. That was a hell hole too. I thought it would be worse than Muni, and I was right. Ever waited at a bus stop for 45 minutes, at the 35 minute mark, one bus arrives so packed the driver can't even allow others to get aboard, and everyone is forced to wait for the next one that never shows up. Everyone waiting at the stop was hailing cabs and I was asking people if they wanted to share a cab too. I finally gave up after their customer service folks took forever to give some answers and just walked it to the monorail.

Just to insult the paragraph above: Over two dozen buses were going the other direction, and in the same direction I'm waiting at, about six limited stop buses passed by AND NOT FULL!

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When I came back to my home here in SF, I decided to write the RTC a nice message about my experiences. I even told them they could save some time if their drivers didn't keep punching the emergency brake and curbing their wheels before opening their doors (Muni doesn't do it).

They finally wrote back to me just a couple days ago and apologized like crazy. They also mentioned that "based on popular demand" the double decker buses will not serve just a short portion of the Strip, but will also restore service to Downtown (PDF document).

I call it a victory for all Las Vegas visitors who suffered. The "Akit effect" spreads beyond the Bay Area!

$5 ride on the F-Market and Premium Charge on Express Buses - IS MUNI NUTS?

Our city's public transit agency is a complete insult. With SFMTA/Muni trying to fill-in their massive budget gap of $16.9 million, the problem gets worse and worse every single time the agency opens their mouth.

Streetsblog San Francisco reports that as soon as May, Muni could be doing the following:

1. Fare on the F-Market line would increase to $5.
2. Cable Car service would require use of their "A" pass and the brand new "M" pass would be rejected.
3. Express buses would also only allow the "A" pass and refuse the "M" pass.
4. Discount passes would increase to $30/month.
5. New service fees for SFMTA services online and at their customer service center on Van Ness.
6. An extra $1.50 fee per citation issued by the SFMTA.
7. Neighborhood parking permits would be raised to $96 ($20 hike).
8. Reduction in service on all Muni lines (means less buses and trains on the road).

All these ideas are terrible. Muni should not be screwing with their loyal (and sometimes not loyal) customers. The city should be investing more into our public transportation system.

Muni tried some of these tactics before during the Frank Jordan era, and it FAILED so badly that Muni retracted their premium fare for express buses, gave back bus transfers, and issued a single pass for all adults.

Who in their right mind would ever ride the F-Market if the fee is $5? People could just wait at bus stops, gather four people and get to Fisherman's Wharf in a taxicab in faster time, and the taxi fee per person would be definitely less than $5 a head. What next, charge $5 for the 47-Van Ness and 49-Van Ness Mission because it gets to the tourist spots at the Wharf?

Express buses for a premium fee? I can understand charging a higher price for the Candlestick and Bay to Breakers express buses, but not the peak hour express buses. Those buses help reduce the passenger congestion on the local routes, especially the 1, 38, 38L, and 31 in the Richmond district. If pass prices stay the same and you can only use your premium "A" pass on the peak hour expresses, you would be spending an extra $120 a year just for that feature; for those penny pinchers, that means buying the "M" pass and riding the local bus lines just to save money.

And less frequency on bus lines? Some bus lines only operate every 20 minutes, so adding another 10 minutes would be terrible and ruin the good reputation of some of our best bus lines. Plus, if a bus breaks down, have a nice time waiting up to an hour.

Gavin Newsom promised that our city would be a "transit first city," but more of these bullshit price hikes and transit cuts makes us look more like a "car first city."

The citizens are fed-up with everything about Muni. Muni is the WORST managed agency in the entire city. If the SFMTA Board can't do the job, we the people must start yelling at the top of our lungs and demand change, starting with the IMMEDIATE RESIGNATION OF SFMTA CHIEF NATHANIEL FORD.

The next board meeting is: Tuesday, January 19th at 2PM in City Hall room 400. If you cannot be there, e-mail them. More info at: http://tinyurl.com/SCREWmuni

On the "Last Ride" for the 18-46th Avenue

It's tough to say goodbye to the 18-46th Avenue's route that serves Geary, Point Lobos, the Cliff House, and a small portion of La Playa.

Today is the last day of service for this segment before it is re-routed to take over the 38-Geary Ocean Beach branch segment from 33rd/Geary to the Ocean Beach terminal. This will make it more challenging for me to catch this bus line that goes directly to my workplace at SF State as I have to walk the notorious steep hills between Balboa and Geary.

Today's "last ride" did not have my usual driver (actually, I haven't seen her in a week), and one of those orange vested SFMTA "ambassadors" was on the bus as well to remind people of the deleted segment starting tomorrow.

Even more interesting is the buses had their automated announcements fixed. The bus announced every single stop, but only the street names. The modified announcements did not mention any major attractions/locations like this one: "Lake Merced and Font; San Francisco State University" or mentioning the SF Zoo.

Even more amusing is listening to the announcements that mentioned that the bus line will be modified and service hours reduced in three different languages, but also noticing that it kept getting cut-off every time because the stop announcements had priority over these reminders.

Read my obit-lette for the 18-46th Avenue and 38-Geary Ocean Beach branch on Muni Diaries.

UPDATE: 511 Trip Planner Ready for Muni Service Changes, but no Published Schedules

San Francisco Bay Area's 511 announcements section now reports that Muni's service schedule changes effective December 5, 2009 can now be used on the 511 "trip planner."

This is a step forward for 511, although Google Maps was able to implement the service changes a few days earlier.

One serious flaw with 511 and Muni is there are no published time schedules of the revised schedule and route changes on the 511 website (only the pre 12/5/09 schedules are posted). Muni's website refers all website visitors who wishes to review the time schedules to go directly to the 511 website for information.

Cool tip: to get a route schedule, enter the web address: http://www.sfmta.com/ and type in the line number. For example: http://www.sfmta.com/38L

If you ride on a bus line that does not run frequent service, a published time schedule is necessary to assure you do not wait at a bus stop for a long time.

While I take the bus to work at the same time, my return ride home depends on what time I leave work, and a printed published schedule in my coat pocket helps me plan if I should stay in my warm office or start walking to the stop.

Why did Muni Plan to Change the 9X to the 8X?

Today's question: Muni's plans to change the 9X-Bayshore Express, 9AX-Bayshore "A" Express, and 9BX-Bayshore "B" Express into the 8X, 8AX, and 8BX with some minor route changes. Why did Muni change the numbers?

Here's some background information: The "9" express bus services is basically a crosstown route that goes north and south and passes through numerous neighborhoods and attractions. Many of its customers are Chinese Americans because the southbound route picks-up passengers in Chinatown and also enters Visitacion Valley, a neighborhood popular with many first generation Chinese Americans.

The number four is considered to be death in many Asian cultures. It makes me wonder why Muni didn't change the route number of the 44-O'Shaughnessy that passes through the Clement Street business district, and the route is popular with elderly Chinese Americans going to and from the Richmond district.

I don't understand why Muni decided to change the "9" series of express buses to the number "8."

• In one point of view, I feel that since the line is heavily used by Chinese Americans and passes through Chinatown, that by switching the number to "8," you make the bus become "lucky." But wouldn't this just show that the public agency favors certain ethnic groups versus others?
  
• In an other point of view, it may just be convenient for Muni to move the express buses away from the San Bruno bus lines that occupies the number "9" and the future "9L."

Let's be aware that Muni has no plans to increase service on the 9X on December 5th, and it is possible that changing it to a "lucky number" may actually increase the number of passengers packed into that bus, even if it is for a short hop to Market street. Interestingly, maybe the 30-Stockton and 45-Union/Stockton buses won't be as crowded (yeah right).

Lastly, why not reserve the number 8 for the former 8-Market bus line? That was there before the F-Market ran permanently on our city streets to provide service when the Muni metro was a big piece of poo (and still is today). I would love to see the resurrection of the 8-Market going to/from the Castro and Ferry Building because the F-Market has a reputation for being slow and delayed due to the heavy tourist usage along the Embarcadero.

Send me your thoughts by making a comment.

UPDATE: Google Maps Now Includes Muni's Upcoming Service Changes

This is an interesting piece of news, Google Maps updated their "transit planner" for Muni when you tell the system you plan to take a trip on or after 12/5/09.

I noticed this change on the map posted on a recent entry on my blog addressing Muni about why new bus and train schedules are not posted for the public to view.

To give you a particular example, let's say I wanted to do these criteria:

1. Departure date: 12/5/09
2. Departure time: 10AM
3. Starting point: 9th Avenue and Irving (Inner Sunset)
4. End point: 4th and King

Now, if this trip were to happen before 12/5, it is obvious I would take the N-Judah for a direct ride (no transferring) to 4th and King streets. Muni's service changes website states that the N-Judah will not operate to Caltrain on weekends starting on 12/5 and I should transfer to a T-Third train along the subway portion of the N-Judah line.

Let's see what Google Maps created for me:

View Larger Map

Google Maps now tells me to take the N-Judah and transfer to the K-Ingleside/T-Third line at Embarcadero, and it will be a 10 minute transfer period until the next K/T train will arrive.

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If you recall from my recent complaint about the 18-46th Avenue not working on Google maps and telling me to take the 91-Owl at 4AM on 12/7, I have a surprise... the map has been updated! See below.

View Larger Map

Google now instructs me to take the 18-46th Avenue along the modified route (the former Ocean Beach branch of the 38-Geary) at 7:27AM, and I will arrive at SF State University at 7:57AM.

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What does this all mean Akit? These updates to Google Maps means that it now officially works if you need to plan to get around the city after 12/5/09.

511's transit planner IS NOT YET READY and the SFMTA has NOT published time schedules for those who don't want to use a trip planner.

The power of one person can change city politics for the good. I'm proud of my accomplishments, and I thank my fellow Tweeters (like munialerts, munidiaries, and whole_tost) who helped spread the word around to hundreds or even thousands of people around San Francisco.

Why are Citizens Not Angry at Muni's Upcoming Service Changes?

Less than a week ago, SFMTA/Muni released information to the public about the service changes scheduled to happen on December 5, 2009.

Where's the public's reaction about these changes? Having major service changes on the busiest transit service in the Bay Area is something that should be headline news the day after the changes were posted by Muni; but it's unusual to find most of the major news media shying away from reporting the changes. I'm also keeping an eye on chatter box (Twitter) about Muni and it seems there's very few people who are angry, nor delighted of the upcoming changes in just one month.

So people... are we simply just accepting these major changes or are we all just pent-up full of anger or sadness? It's time to speak-out and tell everyone if you like one of Muni's service changes ideas or you hate them.

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I'll tell you my opinions, these changes suck for my neighborhood, the Outer Richmond. Muni is eliminating the 38-Geary Ocean Beach branch and the 18-46th Avenue will be re-routed and cover that route from 33rd/Geary to LaPlaya/Cabrillo.

I think it's a bad idea because you now force 38-Geary passengers to transfer to the 18 to get to their homes on Balboa and Cabrillo, and that means a wait of an average of up to 20 minutes; but if an 18 is a no-show, your wait can be up to 40 minutes (totally unacceptable). It also removes direct service to the Cliff House, which is essential for ADA passengers due to the very steep hills.

Here's my idea:

• I see very few people taking the 38 Geary to V.A. Hospital/Fort Miley; so why doesn't Muni just remove that branch and have the agency run a shuttle bus, just like the folks at Laguna Honda Hospital (89-Laguna Honda)? The 38L can get passengers to 42nd Avenue, and the shuttle can just fetch and drop people off at the hospital (it's only two blocks away). This keeps service on the 38 to Ocean Beach, and the 18 continues to serve on Geary, Pt. Lobos, and the Cliff House.