FINAL UPDATE: Delay at Jackson and Mason has cleared. OB Hyde and Mason Cable Car lines resuming service. (More: 17 in last 48 hours)
Information Gladly Given

Starting the Necessary Conversations

Monday, September 15, 2014

Observant riders on Muni may have noticed a sign on the buses and trains with this message: “Information gladly given, but safety requires avoiding unnecessary conversation.”

It's a favorite of Muni aficionados. You can even get it on a t-shirt from Market Street Railway’s San Francisco Railway Museum and Gift Shop.

Information Gladly Given sign

The second half of the sentence is a gentle reminder that Muni operators are busy folks who need to spend most of their concentration on the people, vehicles and street in front of them.

In this feature we’ll focus on the first part of the sentence, "Information gladly given."

This feature will explore the big ideas as well as minutiae of Muni: what makes it go and what makes it sometimes not go. We’ll look at what needs to be fixed and what works as intended and why.

One of the most exciting aspects of this feature (and the entire blog, really) is that we already have such an incredibly well-informed public and ridership. This is not a shameless attempt at flattery; it’s true. Lots of really observant and smart people ride Muni every day and have questions about its quirks and thoughts about how it can be better.

If you have questions about Muni, this is your place to share them with us so we can make this online conversation even more productive. Start a conversation by commenting below. In future columns we’ll respond with information gladly given.

Bus interior including Information Gladly Given sign

July 5, 1966, Interior of Mack Motor Coach #2660, taken by Muni Head Photographer Marshall Moxom at Ocean Bus Yard (now Green Dvision)