The other day, I was sitting on the MUNI in SF, and the bus had passed its stop and well was on its way, when I see a man running heavily in what I thought was a futile attempt to catch the bus. To my amazement, the bus driver pulls the bus over to the side, even with cars parked alongside the curb, and lets the huffing man on. Of course the man was very grateful.
Actually, I shouldn’t be so surprised. Many times when I’m on the MUNI, I find that the drivers take the time to make sure everyone gets on the bus. When they see someone running in the distance, they stop and wait for them instead of driving off as soon as the light turns green. Also, MUNI operators aren’t as anal as AC Transit drivers in checking to see you have the right bus fare. It makes me think that the MUNI operators really care for the people of their community.
And then you have the AC Transit drivers. So many times, even when you’re merely a feet away from the closing bus doors, the bus goes roaring off as you stare dumbfounded before trudging off to walk the rest of the way to class. Sometimes, if people are really lucky, the bus driver gives them a middle finger salute too before leaving them in the dust.
This got my mind running down a list of questions trying to analyze the possible reasons behind the difference in the two bus systems. Does AC Transit recruit lower caliber drivers? Are MUNI operators better connected with the community they serve than in the East Bay? Perhaps MUNI drivers are paid higher wages than the AC Transit drivers, and so are much happier? Or maybe it’s due to the demographics they serve; perhaps AC Transit drivers are so sick of obnoxious college students trying to sneak on without the right sticker that they have become jaded? I wonder…