Hop on Board for Transit Month

September is Transit Month, and in this episode, we’re celebrating with Muni riders and fans, as well as our staff. We'll take a run with the Muni Run Club and meet the owner of a Muni-themed deli. SFMTA Transit Director Brent Jones and Muni operators Basheba Walls, Ce Lon Lam, MC Allen, Raymone Garner and William Cheng also appear in the episode. 

Transcript

MELISSA CULROSS, HOST: It’s Transit Month, and we’re celebrating transit in San Francisco!

SAL ALBOWYHA, M-STOP DELI OWNER: I think everybody in the city, whether you’re a native or not, you, you have some kind of memory on Muni. 

MELISSA: Welcome to Taken with Transportation, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s official podcast. I’m your host Melissa Culross, and September is Transit Month in the Bay Area. Here in San Francisco, hundreds of thousands of people ride Muni every day. So, we’ll start this party with a few of them. 

RIDER -1: To me, Muni is just the easiest way to get around when I don’t wanna worry about parking or driving. I’ve lived in the city for about 15 years, and it just makes me feel more connected to the neighborhood and, and the city. 

RIDER-2: I meet people on the train. It’s the community of San Francisco. You see all your neighbors and friends out there on, on Muni. I can drive, and I actually do own a car. But I hate sitting in traffic.

RIDER-3: There’s always a new area to explore, and I love taking transit to those areas. ‘Cuz it’s a very accessible tool that we have, which is transit in San Francisco.

MELISSA: There are lots of ways to celebrate public transit, and some people do it by running. Yes, running. Akash Borde is president and CEO of the Muni Run Club.

AKASH BORDE, MUNI RUN CLUB PRESIDENT: The premise of the Run Club is we pick new bus route each week. We started with the 1, and we’ve been doing each route in order. So, we had 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, and we’ve made it all the way to 33. So, this has been over the past five months or so.

MELISSA: The club started as a small group of a few friends. But now hundreds of people follow the club on social media and on the fitness tracking app Strava … and dozens participate in the Sunday morning runs. Muni Run Club Assistant Captain Taylor Lee joined the fun a few runs in. He tells us transit has been part of his running habit for a while.

TAYLOR LEE, MUNI RUN CLUB ASSISTANT CAPTAIN: Even before this club, one thing I really enjoyed was doing, like, one-way runs. If you plan it out with Muni, you can run a good distance and, and finish in a way where you can take a nice bus ride back. That’s always fun. 

MELISSA: But the Muni Run Club still has helped Lee … who has lived in San Francisco since 2019 … expand his horizons a bit.

TAYLOR: It’s one of those things where you, you live in a specific neighborhood. You work in a specific area. Maybe you, uh, you know, go to the bar, clubs in a different neighborhood. But that, that leaves the whole rest of the city. And so, with Muni Run Club, I’ve been able to combine my enjoyment of public transit with the opportunity to explore and get some good exercise and, you know, build up my training plan for races.

MELISSA: The club had just finished a special run before we started chatting about all of this. Akash Borde explains.

AKASH: For Transit Month, we, we didn’t do a bus route normally. We did, uh, a GPS art run to draw the Muni worm logo. And we thought that’d be a fun way to promote Muni and get a whole bunch of new people out and, yeah, show our love for transit.

MELISSA: And how did it go?

AKASH: So, we started in the Richmond, which is a really nice grid. And we had two groups. One that did the entire worm logo, “M-U-N-I,” and that was about a 10-1/2 mile run with about 500 meters of gain. And then we had a second group that joined us about halfway through and did just the “M” for a shorter run. 

MELISSA: The Richmond neighborhood may be laid out in a nice grid, but it did have some surprises in store for the worm logo runners.

AKASH: We didn’t expect the, uh, elevation at the end. We were close to the ocean, and, uh, I thought it would be nice and flat, but it turns out this is one of the hilliest runs we have done. But hills make you a better runner, so everyone that joined, um, you’re welcome.

MELISSA: And it turns out lessons in neighborhood topography haven’t been the only things the Muni Run Club has taught its president.

AKASH: The biggest thing that I’ve learned from this group is people love transit. We have, you know, people that are starting to run, people have that run for their entire lives. They all come for the transit aspect and the running. And so, there’s enthusiasm for transit. Young people love transit.

MELISSA: Of course, without our hard-working operators, no one who loves transit and Muni, in particular, would get anywhere. So, we’ll hear from several operators throughout the episode, beginning with Basheba Walls. We start by asking her how long she has been with the agency.

BASHEBA WALLS, MUNI OPERATOR: Going on 18 years January 2nd, yes. My godfather was a, uh, operator. So, I was like, “Oh, they live good, you know. They got a house, a car, you know, all that good stuff.” I said, “I’m gonna drive Muni.” And I, I really did. Like, some people wanna be a doctor, lawyer, scientist, I said, “I’m gonna drive Muni one day.” And I did. I love driving. So, just being able to just get out and then drive in my own city. And honestly, like, becoming a Muni operator, I’ve been to parts of the city that I never been on. Like, “I’ve never been driven down this street,” or “I’ve never saw this building. I’m going to go there one day.” So, just exploring and seeing new stuff that you can, you know, go to on your off days and whatnot.

CE LON LAM, MUNI OPERATOR: Good afternoon. My name’s Ce Lon Lam. I’ve been with the agency for 11 years, since, uh, July 2014. And I’ve been an 11-year operator. We serve such a vital role to the city just ‘cuz there’s a lot of people that can’t afford a personal vehicle. You know, they can’t afford to take Uber. And this is the fastest and cheapest way to get around town. My catch phrase is, kinda, we’re vital to the city because we help put food on the tables. Whether it’s bringin’ students to school to get their education; or it’s bringin’ mom and dad to the grocery stores; or whether we’re bringing people to work just anywhere in the city at any time of day.

MELISSA: There is love for Muni all over the city, and you can find a lot of that love at the M-Stop Deli in the Oceanview neighborhood. (DELI SOUND) As the name suggests, the deli is on the M-Ocean View rail line. Owner Sal Albowyha.

SAL ALBOWYHA, M-STOP DELI OWNER: I took over the store, this liquor store, three years ago. It was a liquor store for about 40 years, and it was called Sam’s Market. So, when taking it over, I said, “Man, I need to bring some kind of city feel back, back into the city. And so, as I was sitting here thinking, just like right now, a train stopped and picked some customers up and took off, and the bells rang. And so, I said, “You know what? It’s gotta be the Muni.” So, that just clicked right away, and I was like, “I think everybody in the city, whether you’re a native or not, you, you have some kind of memory on Muni.” And it just, it, that’s San Francisco to me is, is, is the Muni train. 

MELISSA: Alblowya is a San Francisco native, himself, and is, of course, very familiar with our public transit system. 

SAL-3: Man, I wish can go back to high school, partly because of my Muni rides. Like, the conversations we had. The things we saw. The, you know, it’s just, after school getting off of football practice, you know, sweating. And, you know, I went to Lincoln High School. So, we used to run, blast down that hill and try to jump on the L as, as sweaty and as fast as we can. 

MELISSA: And while being a small business owner in San Francisco isn’t always easy, Albowyha finds it to be really fulfilling.

SAL: It’s so crazy. I had a customer come in, um, yesterday. And, uh, you know, she was looking at me, and I was looking at her, and she, you know…a lot younger than me. I said, “I think I know you from somewhere.” And she said, “Oh, well, we live in that grey house down the street.” And I said, “I remember when you were nine years old. And now you’re buying sandwiches from me.” Super cool, super surreal. I think given that my mom was also raised in this neighborhood; you know, I was raised in this neighborhood, and now I’m raising in this neighborhood. So, I think it’s, it’s, it’s a very strong, comforting, home, like, homey feeling for me.

MELISSA: The M-Stop features sandwiches named after Muni’s train lines, along with snacks and drinks. 

CUSTOMER: Can I get, um, the M Line sandwich

SAL: On soft, crunch or sourdough?

CUSTOMER: Soft.

SAL: Soft?

CUSTOMER: Yes, indeed.

And it’s part of our Muni’s Bussin’ Bingo game for Transit Month. So, you can get lunch AND fill in a bingo square.

SAL-2: I am one of the selected stores, very, very honored to be one of those. Uh, we just had a customer actually today walk in and, uh, ask for the, the bingo card. So, I’m excited to see what, you know, what kind of traffic it brings in and, uh, you know, real SFMTA followers here at the M-Stop.

MC ALLEN, MUNI OPERATOR: I’m MC Allen, Muni operator since 2021, four years at SFMTA.

MELISSA: Alright, what route do you currently operate?

MC: I have the 44 O’Shaughnessy on weekdays in the morning. It is one of the very scenic routes. It goes through Golden Gate Park. So, it is the bus that stops in front of California Academy of Science and the DeYoung Museum. It goes up over Portola and Woodside along Glen Canyon, Glen Canyon Park. And it goes into the Bayview and into Hunter’s Point. And it is one of those north-south across-the-city lines that is relied on by commuters, by students, by every kind of person in San Francisco. It’s also just a remarkable experience to have this corner office that is window onto the city, you know. Our windscreen is, uh, shows us every view that is available in San Francisco. And I like to do these big loud stop announcements ‘cuz it brings people in and gives an opportunity to make a connection. We carry half a million daily passengers, and as much as there is a fabric to San Francisco in the streets, Muni is part of that.

BUS ANNOUNCEMENT: 44 O’Shaughnessy to the Bayview District

MELISSA: As we have heard throughout this episode, Muni means a lot to so many people in the city. And of course it means a lot to us, as well. Brent Jones is the SFMTA’s Director of Transit.

BRENT JONES, SFMTA TRANSIT DIRECTOR: Fortunately, I’ve grown up in San Francisco, uh, born and raised. Uh, Muni’s been part of my culture. And it’s been part of a lot of people’s culture with their family and friends. You know, when you look at all of our streets, you look at, uh, Market Street, you look at Van Ness, you look at Mission Street, these are like arteries to a living organism, which is our city. And the, the Muni service is actually the blood cells bringing oxygen and nutrients to different parts of the city, travelling around San Francisco. Without it, the city stops. People can’t get to critical appointments. Commerce stops. It’s important that we support transportation. It’s important that we support keeping transportation in place. But we also support building it back better when, when appropriate. 

MELISSA: So, what does Transit Month mean to Jones and to the agency?

BRENT: It’s a time when we get to celebrate transit and its impact in the community. We get to celebrate with our, our team members, our operators, all of our external partners, everyone who’s invested in a safe, reliable and dependable transportation network. And we get to celebrate with our customers and really acknowledge the contribution of our staff and how we continue to keep the city moving. 

MELISSA: And speaking of our customers … or riders … we always welcome feedback from those who use the system. Really.

BRENT: Having a meaningful, a meaningful feedback loop with our customers is imperative to us improving service. We find that close collaboration and partnership and developing those relationships help us close any gaps in our service and our approach to delivering that service. It’s all about building relationships. It’s all about partnership. It’s all about building trust. So, the feedback that we get, we take it. We actionize it. And, if it’s possible, we can implement it. And there are some customers who have some great ideas, and we’ve benefitted, um, from that in the past. And we hope to continue to leverage our, our, our relationships with our customers moving forward. 

MELISSA: And we ask Jones if he has any recommendations for celebrating Transit Month.

BRENT-1: If you haven’t ridden certain lines, explore the city utilizing our service. Uh, give us great feedback. Say “thank you” to our operators and our supervisors who are in the field and let them know how much you appreciate their contributions and their service. 

BUS ANNOUNCEMENT: Please hold on.

RAYMONE GARNER, MUNI OPERATOR: My name is Raymone Garner, transit operator. I just made 24 years August 20th. Time flies. I enjoy my job. It’s been a blast. I interact with my passengers. I know some for first time I started all the way up until the last 10-15 years, so. I’m on the 22 Fillmore, one of my favorite lines. I’m more or less what they call “The 22 King” (laughs). So, passengers will see me, coworkers say, “You, you love the 22. You’re back on the 22. We missed you.” So, it’s one of my favorite lines. I enjoy it. It’s one of the lines that go from one end of town and crosses multiple communities. And then you get to know your regular passengers. So, it’s like your family, extended family. They know they’re gonna get a good ride, a safe ride, a pleasant ride. And they know they feel safe and comfortable with me.

WILLIAM- CHENG, MUNI OPERATOR: My name is William Cheng. I’ve been with the, uh, agency for eight-and-a-half years. I operate the 7 line, 8AX, 8BX and also the 38. I love Muni. I grew up riding Muni. Before the T Third Street, I used to ride the 15 Third Street, uh, bus line or the 9X San Bruno Express, which is now the 8 Bayshore. I love my passengers. If you treat your passengers with respect and courtesy, in return, they will give you respect and not cause trouble on the bus.

BUS ANNOUNCEMENT: 38 Geary to Transit Center.

MELISSA: Thank you for joining us on Taken with Transportation. We’re a production of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, and you can find the latest episodes at SFMTA.com-slash-Podcast, as well as Apple, Spotify, our YouTube channel or wherever you listen. We had production assistance on this episode from Madhu Unnikrishnan, Nia Evans and Roy Tillery. And if you want to learn more about Muni’s Bussin’ Bingo, just go to SFMTA.com-slash-Bingo. You can play through the end of this month, September 2025. I’m Melissa Culross. Be well and travel well.