My friends always ask me about what line I am driving. Then they ask about the F Streetcar line on Market Street. The railway has a number of historic streetcars from around the world, and they have been restored and repainted in colors from cities such as Melbourne, Philadelphia, Milan, and Kansas City. It is …
Author Archives: driverdoug2002
Calling Central
One of the common comments I get from operators, even those with time and with lots of experience, is the refrain, “I never call central.” Or “Those guys are clueless.” And I have found operators on the extra board fall in to this category more than the average operator working a regular run on the …
The Kneeler
“You’re supposed to lower the kneeler for seniors,” or “Thanks for lowering the steps,” sarcastically spoken after departing to the sidewalk does not help much. A request for the kneeler with a condescending tone (as if I’m a mind reader) after ascending or descending, may not reflect where my attention is focused at the time. …
The Cloak of Invisibility
If you would like to see a magic trick or illusion played out day after day, look no further than a ride on 14 Mission. The secret of becoming invisible is to sit in a wheelchair, particularly in a large group. The more, the merrier. It matters not where you sit on the sidewalk in …
Coach Trade and the Defect Card
As the buses warm up and get used, the dynamics change. What was once a great bus in the first four hours of service, becomes a creaky cantankerous old complainer. The back doors stop closing. The kneeler fails to rise. The brakes start to grab. Or the horn starts to blare without even touching the …
Timed Transfers
If you are taking a bus in the wee hours of the morning, a good place to find out where to go to meet one is at a bus shelter with a map of the transit system. In the corner of the map is a gray box that shows the owl lines. Owl lines are …
LPO (Late Pull-Out)
The installation of cameras on the front windscreen has had one beneficial effect. Those monitoring our pull-out time see how much extra time is required to move deficient coaches out of the way. With trolleys at Potrero, we have so many coaches dead on the tracks that we are trapped in a canyon or gauntlet …
Beach and Broderick
If there was ever a more tranquil and restful terminal on a busy line, it would be the peaceful residence location of the 30 Stockton terminal when I was working at the Presidio Barn a few years ago. Since I left the 30 Stockton Presidio Division line, the terminal has been moved to Divisadero and …
How Would You Design the City of the Future?
In the future of the world of George Lucas–of Star Wars fame–the modern central system city is filled with flying cars moving smoothly, but in a somewhat congested city, with tall gleaming buildings. In contrast to this futuristic world, is the world of Gene Roddenberry, of the Star Trek realm, where cities, like Romulus, resemble …
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Pulling Out
There are certain key points around the system where operators begin and end their shift not at the bus barn. Eleventh and Mission is a relief point. It is a place where drivers take over the seat and relieve another operator per the run schedule. And at this corner, it is also where defective coaches …
