One of the most frustrating aspects in the bustle and tussle of a large, dense city is just missing a connection. This book is for the regular transit rider that may still be missing transfers to another bus that can be averted by one simple rule: your desire to catch that trolley bus actually hinges …
Author Archives: driverdoug2002
Taxi Patterns
Unlike fighting for a cab in Manhattan, San Francisco can be a desert in needing a taxi at certain times and certain corners. Outside of the Tenderloin, Union Square, or Financial District, there are no cabs visible as far as the eye can see. The trick about getting a cab in SF is to know …
Helter-Skelter Shelter: Rear Door Boarding
A friend asks on Facebook, “What can be done about the homeless encampment that is a bus shelter stop at Leavenworth and Post?” I hesitate to answer this question in the comment box in response to his post about Post. This is where it is a good place to state, “The views contained herein do …
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We’ve Been Waiting an Hour
“Where the hell have you been?” a) “The pizza delivery boy was late and apologized, so I got a free pizza and ate it all at the terminal. You don’t expect me to wolf it all down in five minutes, do you? I am not allowed to use my phone while I am driving, so …
Motor Coach
When our barn falls short of equipment, we are assigned to Woods Division to get a diesel or motor coach. I love trolleys, and I love that San Francisco did not do away with streetcars and trolleys. Nowadays, trolleys look like buses. They have rubber tires and the body of a bus, except for the …
Low Fat Turkey Bacon or Double Smoked Cheddar?
What are your feelings about eating meat? There are incredible things in the animal fats that help our bodies improve in immunity. We Americans just go overboard on everything. Cardiologists would do well to test me for insulin levels–and include the test that shows recent insulin levels–when I go in for an MRI scan on …
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Free Ride
For those riders who are ready, a free ride is an opportunity to imagine what Muni would be like with no fare box at all. A smile and thank you is all it takes as a regular breezes by the yellow line to find a seat. The Zen zone is strong and the crunch zone …
Not All Stops Are Equal
When buses are missing, the time between buses doubles so waiting time increases. It can become very unclear to those standing at or near multiple line bus stops why the bus passes by. The bus is full because double headway means double passenger load. One phrase used frequently by bus drivers are the phrases, “my …
I’d Never Do Your Job
I come from a background where money may not be the root of all evil, and it was acknowledged that it did indeed grow on trees, but that there were two types of money: Good money and bad money. You never wanted to throw good money after bad. And there was a nuance between money …
Secure the Coach
Part of testing a new operator in being qualified by a state inspector is coach securement. As this book is written by a trolley operator, the added requirement of coach securement is in cradling the poles by the hooks near the harp at the back of the coach. Many a day goes by where a …
The Dao of Doug: A Bus Driver's Perspective 