Stop Movin' . . .

What better way to start back up the blog than with a story about the 30x.

Just to refresh your memory, the 30x is the "express" bus I try to take to and from work each day.  This is the bus that is usually full in the morning and often times two or three buses will pass me by before one stops and allows me to cram myself into the back stairwell or press myself up against the front windshield.

Good times!

Well, each summer there seems to be a shake up of the regular drivers.  Maybe our regular drivers are on vacation?  Who knows.

Over the last several weeks our "temp" drivers seem to be very confused by the 30x's route.

The first incident happened about a month ago when the driver drove right past the last stop where most of us wanted to get off in the financial district.  The look of panic on the Marina Girls' faces was priceless.  One even managed to stop texting long enough to shout out, "Ummm, like you totally went past our stop!"  

The driver, in probably not the safest move, turned around to see what she was yelling about.  

"Ummm, you were like supposed to let us off like a block ago."

The driver immediately apologized and stopped the bus to let us off.

The following week a different "temp" driver failed to make the final turn in the financial district to approach the last three stops.  Realizing his mistake he slammed on the brakes in the middle of the intersection and took a dramatic pause while he thought about what he should do next.  When he slammed on the brakes, several Marina Girls almost spilled their Starbucks coffee and or dropped their cell phones.  I even slid forward so hard in my seat I was sure I was going to have a bruise on my leg. Hence the grimace face above.  

The driver finally decided to move the bus out of the middle of the intersection and pull over to the nearest curb.  Every person got off the bus with no questions or comments to the driver.  I was so thankful to be alive I didn't even care that I had to walk an extra three blocks to work.

Then just this week it happened again.  The "temp" driver stopped the bus three stops before the end of the route.  He turned around and looked at all of us who had refused to exit the vehicle and said, "Last stop!"

To which we assertive Marina folk replied, "No! Keep going!"

Again the driver said, "Last stop!"

One Marina Girl said, "Spear.  Keep going to Spear Street." 

The driver turned around and started the bus up again.  As we approached Spear Street the same Marina Girl said, "Right here, this is where you stop."

Thank you Marina Girl for saving the day!

The Song Of The Day - Don't Stop Movin' by S Club 7

Let's Push Things Forward . . .

This is "Burberry Coat Girl."

I do not know her name.  I have never spoken to her.  However, I have often talked to co-workers about her after a treacherous ride on the 30x to work.

I named her "Burberry Coat Girl" because she always wears this black Burberry Coat.

As I have shared in the past, my bus stop is the last stop in the Marina before heading into the Financial District.  That means that the buses are usually full by the time they reach my stop and often the buses won't even stop.  If the bus does stop to let some poor soul off, all of us who have been waiting on the corner will push our way through the back door and try to squeeze in.  The only thing I can compare this to is when people try to see how many individuals they can fit in a phone booth.

So I have been watching "Burberry Coat Girl" with amazement for almost two years now.  

I, along with everyone else, may stand on the corner for up to 30 minutes trying to get on the bus.  

Not "Burberry Coat Girl!"

Every day she walks up to the corner carrying two large bags, one on each shoulder.  Her hair is still wet from the morning shower.  With her iPod Shuffle ear buds in place she has no reason to acknowledge anyone else.  And as the bus pulls up she steps in front of everyone who has been waiting in the cold for 30 minutes and pushes her way on the bus.  Every day!  

There was only one day when I HAD to get on the next bus in order to not be late for a meeting at work that I actually blocked her from cutting in front of me.  

So kudos "Burberry Coat Girl!"  You don't wait out in the cold like the rest of us.  You always get on the bus.  And someday, I hope to be as skilled and aggressive as you!

The Song Of The Day - Let's Push Things Forward by The Streets

Rolling Down The Road . . .

This is the 30x.  I have written about it many times.  Please take notice of the route indicator sign in the window next to the door.  It clearly designates that this bus is the "30x Marina Express".  There are additional route indicators on the front and rear of the bus.

When a bus is not in service it often turns the route indicator signs off or changes them to say "Not In Service."  Because I get on the 30x at its point of origin in the Financial District it is not uncommon for the bus to pull up to the stop with the route indicator turned off.

On one of the days this week the 30x arrived at the point of origin with its route indicator stating "EMERGENCY."  We Marina folk didn't even question it and proceeded to board the bus.  One female passenger approached the driver and asked if he was aware that the route indicator said "emergency."  The driver got off the bus and looked at the sign and then said it was properly programmed on his end and there was nothing he could do.

Now normally, as I have stated in the past, the 30x is usually standing room only.  But this time as the bus worked its way through the Financial District not as many people were getting on.  There were plenty of seats for everyone.  The driver started to yell out at each stop, "the sign is wrong, this is the 30x."  Still people weren't getting on like normal.

I then realized that it was as if people were getting out of the way so to speak so that our "EMERGENCY" bus could get through.  This was fine by me.  

Then as we left the Financial District and headed toward the Broadway Tunnel a police officer pulled up beside us to offer assistance.  This was getting good.  We were going to make it home in record time with a police escort.  

Again the driver yelled out the window to the police officer, "the sign is broken, everything is OK."

I was happy two fold.  One, I was getting home super fast.  Two, the "EMERGENCY" sign clearly was working.  We had a clearer path and the police came to offer assistance.

Good times!

The Song Of The Day - Home by Marc Broussard

Uh Oh, Don't Let Go. . .

It's been awhile since I have blogged about the 30x and last Friday I had the distinct pleasure of riding the bus pressed against the front window.

And because I am always thinking about you my readers I wanted to share this picture I took as I held onto the fare box for dear life.  The black vertical line in the middle of the picture is the windshield wiper.

I want to talk about a pet peeve of mine about the 30x.  There are signs all over the interior of the bus that say "Move To The Back."  That basically means that you should always be aware of who is on the bus and if the back of the bus is empty you should move towards the back to allow more people to get on.

Because the Marina folk who ride the 30x are likely to know a fellow passenger they like to sit next to each other and talk.  So if the bus is thinning out of passengers at the back, 30x riders are not going to "break" their click up to allow more people on at the front.  In fact the Marina folk can be downright rude pretending not to hear you kindly ask to them to move back.  That is the great thing about the iPod generation, you can just pretend you didn't hear someone.  When in fact you heard everything they said.  

Another thing 30x riders are guilty of is not leaning in to allow you to pass them in the aisle of the bus so that you can at least move back for them if they choose not to.  And God knows they will not bend down and move their gym bag or brief case to allow you more room.

I bring this up because even though the bus let off lots of passengers after the second stop in the Financial District on Friday morning, the front passengers did not move back which meant I had to stay squished against the window for four more stops.  

Grrrrrr.

The Song Of The Day - 2 Hearts by Kylie Minogue

Hold On For One More Day. . .

I think one of the requirements for being a Muni driver in San Francisco is to be heavy footed when accelerating and braking.  There are lots of signs posted inside the Muni buses, but the most important one is shown here.  "Please Hold On Sudden Stops Are Sometimes Necessary," and they are not kidding!

I ride the 30x bus every morning to work.  The 30x bus is what is called an "express" bus.  This means it has limited stops and does not follow the same route as the regular 30 line.  The 30x is primarily ridden by young business people traveling from the Marina District to the Financial District.  Most riders are dressed in fancy suits or business casual.  I feel I am usually the one oddball wearing a baseball cap, or bright green Converse, or even once on Halloween a wig.  The wig was a critical fashion faux pas in Marina etiquette.  Please read the article about Marina people I have attached as a link here to understand more about the stigma of being a Marina resident.

http://www.sfweekly.com/2001-01-24/news/forgive-me-for-i-live-in-the-marina/

So the stop where I get on the 30x is the last stop in the residential area before the bus heads downtown.  By the time the 30x reaches my stop the bus is usually full and most often will pass by those of us waiting on the corner without stopping.  Sometimes up to three or four full buses will pass by before one stops.  The problem is that even if the bus does stop, the chance of getting on is slim to none because the buses are so full.  

So 30x riders have developed their own unspoken set of rules that does not apply in any other part of the city.  Because they are all young upwardly mobile business people (ex- fraternity/sorority members) they do not have to leave an empty seat space between each rider.  What I mean by that is there is little to no fear that a homeless person will get on the bus and sit next to you causing your ride to work to be rather unpleasant.  In fact everyone on the 30x is very well groomed.  Because of the exemplary grooming habits of your fellow 30x riders we are willing to pack as many people on the bus as possible.  Despite numerous signs that say not to stand beyond the yellow line or in the stairwells,  we 30x riders will break all these rules while listening to our iPods, texting on our Blackberrys, holding our Venti non fat latte in one hand, and holding the hand rail with the other.  I also forgot to mention that each rider is also usually carrying at least one briefcase and a gym bag.  Yes, we are the fine, the few, the elite, we are the Marina residents.

So the drivers ability to slow the vehicle down becomes an issue for Marina residents as they try and balance on their high heals without falling over or spilling their Starbucks.  I actually think the drivers find it amusing to watch the passengers hold on for dear life as they slam on the brakes.  I, who am not the most coordinated person on the planet, just about did a face plant into another riders crotch when the driver brought the bus to a sudden stop.  Good times.

I had never ridden public transportation before moving to San Francisco and I think part of the reason I have adapted so well to it is that it kind of reminds me of a thrill ride at an amusement park.  You never know how you are going to get tossed around.  I think of my morning commute as more than just a commute, it's an adventure.  I have ridden the 30x with my face pressed against the front windshield of the bus while holding on to the fare box.  I have also ridden the 30x in the back stairwell clenching the rail hoping not to fall through the doors as we took a sharp turn.  

My all time favorite 30x moment was when an out of town tourist accidentally boarded the 30x instead of the regular 30 bus line.  The tourist and his wife followed the crowd and crammed themselves into the back stairwell of the bus.  As the bus pulled away from the corner and turned right, the tourists realized they were heading in the opposite direction from where they wanted to go.  The gentleman began to have a mild panic attack.  I was standing closest to the male tourist.  We were both leaning against the back door and I knew that if he freaked out and pushed on the door hard enough it might pop open while the bus was in motion.  I also knew it was going to be a good ten minutes before we reached the next stop.  I started talking to the man telling him where we were, where we were heading, and that when we reached the next stop enough people would get off of the bus that it wouldn't be so crowded.  His wife was telling him it would be ok too.  He calmed down enough to make it to the first stop, and just as I promised enough people got off for him to have more space to breathe.  They ended up riding the bus almost to the end of the line.  Another rider and myself told the tourists how close they were going to be to the destination they originally wanted to go to.  When he got off he thanked me for helping him on his first public transportation experience.

I am sure I will have many more stories to share in the future about the 30x.

The Song Of The Day - Time To Pretend by MGMT