FRIDAY, AUGUST 28 Rider #1: Today I experienced not just the incompetence of the Muni Metro system, but the entire Muni system in general. I boarded the N-Judah at 46th Avenue going inbound. A Muni supervisor drove by and advised us that a streetcar had derailed at Irving and Hillway and Carl, and that the Metro would go to 19th Avenue, where shuttle buses would come. Sure enough, at 19th and Judah, no shuttle buses but a lot of pissed off people. I then walked to Lincoln and waited for a 71 bus to take me downtown. 25 minutes later, a bus finally came, but of course it was so full that it didn't stop. I then took a 28 bus across 19th to Geary, where I transferred to a 38. This was also completely full but at least I was moving in the general direction I wanted to go. I finally arrived downtown, a full 2 hours and 20 minutes after I had left my house. Thanks, Muni. Rider #2: Yesterday I waited at Embarcadero for an N-Judah to take me home to South Beach. A supervisor or manager told me that 4 or 5 N's had just come down, "all bunched together," and therefore it might be 15-20 before the next one showed up. I asked her repeatedly why the cars got bunched up and she of course blamed it on everything except human incompetence. I suggested that perhaps they should require passengers to transfer onto just one of the cars and to "express" the others to the end of the line to be spaced out. I live in Boston for 6 years and rode the T absolutely anytime I was able. Except for very crowded public event days (such as July 4th) and right before the system shut down for the night, I never experienced problems with Muni. If there was a track problem, shuttle buses would be standing by to mimic the route. Buses operated on a timetable, not an unrealistic estimate of "every 10 minutes." I propose the following: send members of the transit commission to D.C., Boston and perhaps even New York so they can see what a functional transit system is like. Call for and demand the immediate resignation of Emilio Cruz. Call for and demand the immediate resignation of Mayor Willie Brown. Privatize the Muni system and cancel all union contracts. Permanently. Demand free fare for all passengers until such time as Muni meets reasonable performance standards (after all, if a business provides lowsy products to its customers, customers send the stuff back and get a refund.) Empower the transit commission with the right of eminent domain so they can get cars out of down town and create bus corridors to reduce congestion and speed throughtimes. Alternately, strongly consider creating a central bus terminal farther down Market Street (say, perhaps, Civic Center) with buses only running on Market Street that follow the F-Line. Rider #3: As a mechanical engineer (CA registered PE) who has designed rail equipment, road vehicles, and systems used on and below the sea, air vehicles, and 18 years as a hands on senior mechanic on military aircraft, I am utterly appalled by Muni maintenance practices. I have first hand knowledge of it. I would like to propose methods to have 85% of the MUNI fleet available at all times. Other issues to be addressed in separate rants. Rider #4: I'm writing to complain about the horrible conditions of muni in the past week and to suggest that we do something about it. as a resident of the inner sunset, it used to take me 25 minutes to get from 9th and irving to powell station on the n judah. these days, with the construction going on at UCSF, the "upgraded" system, and the "Don't Ride in To Ride Out" policy in effect, it takes me an average of one hour and 10 minutes to do this commute. this new way of lfe has taken a big chunk out of my work and social lives, not to mention the havoc it's played on my nerves. And today, I see the most insensitive statements that willie brown could make in the chronicle about this whole mess. he tells us he doesn't have an hour and a half to spare today. do any of us??? do we have a choice???? no, we do not, and so we complain and don't do a thing. here's what i propose: as an organized group, YOU at rescue muni have the power to do something about this, and i'm very serious about it: organize a boycott. san franciscans are laid back, but i think they also have the ability to mobilize. organize a two-day boycott of the muni system: say, the second thursday and friday of september. get it in the papers; hand out flyers. let them know how desperate we all are. new yorkers did this in the 80s with the subway system and it worked. tell people to show their alarm and outrage by not riding the muni for two days. the mayor will get the picture, and the story will be covered nationally. this is a crisis, and it needs to be handled as such. it will also give muni riders a productive channel for their anger and frustration. if you decide to organize this, i would love to take an active role in it. i volunteer my time and effort towards such an event. i think it would wake people up to this crisis in our city. Rider #5: After hearing about the problems with the advance new system, and reading the paper daily and watching the news, I have completely avoided the tunnell this week. I am one of the fortunate ones who lives close enough to downtown that I have alternates to get to work or can walk. I did have this really off the wall idea: What if we Muni Riders showed up someday and blocked the Powell Street Cable Cars? Or maybe if we protested in the street at the corner of Powell & California - where they both meet! This certainly would not fix Muni, but it would send a loud message to the city and Muni that we are fed up! Imagine how much prescious tourist dollars the city would lose during this? Maybe the board of supervisors, and the mayor would finally take notice if they were losing a lot of money all at once! Just a thought - hang in there fellow Muni riders - things have to change someday, right? We can dream and hope! Rider #6: I was coming home from Montgomery Street station on Wednesday eveing, the train is packed beyond belief, and we got stuck in the tunnel outside of Church St. station. The switching light was stuck on RED so the train wouldn't move for the driver. He told us after a long, hot 15 minute wait that the they were trying to override the system so we could continue on. Another ten minutes went by (with people getting to know each other in an intimate setting) when a passenger passed out and began to shake like he was in shock. A couple of us pushed the buzzer on the intercom to let the driver know that we had a medical emergency. The driver never even acknowledged us nor did he call ahead for an ambulance (as far as we could tell.) We could hear the driver talking; not to us or about us. The intercom, that is supposed to have the train number on it, did not so I couldn't even report the train number on my Muni Complaint form. When we finally got to Church Street station some very nice woman took the gentleman off the train and said she would call an ambulance. That evening I got on the train at 6pm and got to Castro Street at 6:45pm. After getting off the train I realized that I could walk it faster and probably be less sweaty! A couple of questions: Why do drivers slam on the brakes when the train is filled to the gills? Why is it when you compalin all you get is a form letter telling me they received my letter? Why do passengers yell at the Muni employees when it really isn't their fault? Why don't people take showers? Why don't people complain about the service? Every day this week I have carried at least 25 Muni complaint forms with me and half the people won't fill it out because they say no one cares. If we all stop buying fast passes and don't take trains and buses, Muni will care. I come from Philadelphia where the train system is BAD. When I moved here I was enthralled that this system was inexpensive AND efficient. I have been here for seven years and have seen the decline. I used to be the one person defending Muni, well, no longer. I am going to keep putting complaint forms every day and make my vote count in the next Mayorial election. Look out Willie!!!