Taken with Transportation

Everyone who rides Muni in San Francisco deserves to get to their destination safely. In this episode we discuss driver safety, including how we train our operators and recognize them for their work. The episode features SFMTA Director of Transit Brent Jones, light rail operator Lan Lau, bus operator Raymond Robinson, cable car operator Julian Lance Perry and Muni riders. 

In honor of Transit Month, we’re talking about the community of public transit. Community Magazine is an independent, print-only publication that celebrates Muni, the joy of transit and the experience of seeing San Francisco by bus or train. In this episode, we speak with Community Editor in Chief Jac Matter Resnik and Designer in Chief Jack Sloop. We also are joined by Muni Is My Ride Author Lia Smith, who is a contributor to the magazine. And SFMTA Digital and Brand Communications Manager Dovid Coplon stops by to talk about the Muni Store.

You can learn more about Community at communitymagazinesf.org, and you can find the Muni Store at themunistore.com

Five years ago, the SFMTA expanded San Francisco's Free Muni for Youth program to include all young people 18 and under. Whether a child or teen lives in SF or is visiting, they can use the city’s public transit system free of charge. All they have to do is climb on board and enjoy the ride. 

In this episode, we cover the history of Free Muni for Youth and talk to some young people who benefit from the program. The episode also features SFMTA Revenue, Development and Reporting Director Diana Hammons, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu and City Supervisor Myrna Melgar.

Downtown San Francisco is making a comeback after a slow recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. In this episode, we discuss what’s new in the downtown area and how Muni, the city’s public transit system, is an essential part of the area’s revitalization. We also talk about Muni ridership and the SFMTA’s Fix It! Week maintenance program, which keeps the ride to downtown fast, reliable, efficient and safe.
 
The episode features San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development Executive Director Anne Taupier, SFMTA Transit Performance and Technology Manager Simon Hochberg, SFMTA Chief Maintenance Officer Charles Drane, Into the Streets CEO and Founder Katy Birnbaum, Biederman Redevelopment Ventures Union Square Plaza Program Manager Mark Hennon and TMASF Connects Executive Director Darcy Brown.

The FIFA World Cup 26™ has come to the Bay Area, putting San Francisco in the international spotlight. In this episode, we speak with Mayor Daniel Lurie about how the city prepared to take the world stage for the tournament. We also bring SFMTA Major Special Events Lead Tony Henderson into the conversation to discuss how Muni and other public transit systems got ready to help people get to matches in Santa Clara and watch parties in San Francisco. And we swing by an opening match watch party to chat with a few fans and get into the spirit.

In honor of Bike Month, this episode is fueled by pedal power. We are talking to people who bike in San Francisco, including some SFMTA staff members, about their experiences on two wheels. We also discuss how biking infrastructure on our streets supports safety for everyone, including people who drive, walk and roll. And we get an update on the city's bikeshare program.

This episode features Transportation Planner Christy Osorio, Assistant Engineer Jack Anninos, Contracts and Procurement Director Julie Friendlander, School Crossing Guard Eddewina Williams, Transit Priority Manager Michael Rhodes, Transit Employee Performance Program Manager Mirian Sorrell and Bikeshare and Bike Parking Program Manager Adrian Leung.

It’s Climate Week in San Francisco! So, in this episode, we’re discussing the work the SFMTA does to give people environmentally friendly transportation options. From Muni to EV charging stations at the curb, it’s not hard to go green while getting around the city. The episode features conversations with SF Environment Executive Director Tyrone Jue, Muni Zero Emission Program Manager Bhavin Khatri and SFMTA Parking and Curb Management Planner Broderick Paolo. 

Transit Employee Appreciation Day is coming up on March 18, and March is Women’s History Month. In honor of both, we’re celebrating the women of Muni, past and present. 

This episode introduces us to several women whose work helps people move throughout San Francisco. And we discuss how a teenager who would go on to become a famous writer and activist worked for a time as one of the city’s first female streetcar conductors. The episode features San Francisco Director of Transportation Julie Kirschbaum, Muni Operator Shanita Anderson, Senior Operations Managers Jasmin Charles and Leda Rozier, Transit Training Manager Omozele Biggins, retired Cable Car Grip Fannie Mae Barnes and Market Street Railway President and CEO Rick Laubscher. 

You never know where you will find love, or where love will find you. It could happen anywhere, including on public transit.

In this episode, we talk with two couples who found each other thanks, at least in part, to Muni. SFMTA Acting Chief Safety Officer Oliver Gajda and his partner Damara Arsanis first encountered each other on the 21 Hayes about nine years ago before connecting on a dating app in 2022. Mary Rickles Conley and Jared Conley met on the N Judah in 2012. They tell us their stories in honor of Valentine’s Day.

We are commuting to work with a half a dozen San Francisco city supervisors. In this episode, we tag along with Matt Dorsey, Myrna Melgar, Danny Sauter, Stephen Sherrill, Chyanne Chen and Bilal Mahmood as they head to their City Hall offices. They discuss their daily trips and San Francisco transportation, overall.