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Muni Love: How Your Praise Reaches Our Teams

By
Glennis Markison
Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Four Muni operators stand, holding framed certificates with transit vehicles in the distant background.Celebrating our operators at an awards ceremony. 

This Valentine’s Day, we’re celebrating Muni love.   

We all know it when we feel it. An ordinary trip takes a turn. Something wonderful happens, and you’re suddenly filled with hope and gratitude. You just can’t wait to tell somebody.  

Today, we’ll share what happens when you tell us!  

We'll explore how positive feedback reaches our teams and the impact it makes. We’ll also reveal what kind of praise we got the most in 2023. And, in case you have a story of Muni love to share down the line? We'll cover how to get in touch. 

A Muni operator smiles while sitting in the driver seat of a bus.
Getting positive feedback means a lot to our staff.

When you submit praise for Muni staff, our customer service team works hard to route your message. 

  • They tag the note as “praise” and use vehicle numbers and other info to identify who earned it.   

  • They send the note to the employee's manager, who writes the staffer a congratulatory letter. 

  • This commendation goes into the employee's file. In other words, Muni love makes an impact! 

  • The congratulatory notes also live somewhere special: on a Recognition Wall of Excellence. Each division has one for their staff, and they post every commendation. Our teams get to celebrate the praise together.

Two Muni custodians wearing masks and yellow vests mop the floor of a station. Notice our stations and buses are in great condition? Feel free to share positive feedback for our custodians.

“It’s so important to let the operators and other staff know that they’re recognized for their good work,” said Yusmine Holloway with Muni customer service. “They put in a lot of effort and sometimes deal with tough situations. So, it’s really meaningful for them.” 

Holloway knows firsthand. She used to be an operator and drove the 30 Stockton and 45 Union/Stockton through Chinatown for years.  

“Some of my regulars would come on the bus and give me fruit or dim sum that they bought from the shops. They’d hand me a little bag of pork buns, and it would make my day,” she said. “We didn’t always speak the same language, but their generosity, their way of showing ‘I appreciate you’ – it warmed my heart.”   

Vanessa Rubio with Muni customer service loves it when she can pass along praise to a whole project team. “We had one message recently where the person complimented our Livable Streets division,” she said. “They said, ‘thank you for adding speedbumps to my street – you've made it so much safer!’"  

A Muni inspector holds a clipboard next to an operator who's sitting behind the wheel of a Muni vehicle.Operators and inspectors work together to help our system run smoothly.

Throughout 2023, we were moved to read so many stories of Muni love. Here are the top reasons our staff earned praise:  

Great ambassadors of San Francisco 

  • “He told us the best places in the city and left us a very good impression of the city, the inhabitants and your company. He promoted the city of San Francisco.”  

Helpful to riders in a rush  

  • "The driver was super welcoming and patient. Waited for me to run across the street to hop on and even waited five seconds more for an elderly lady to get on. He welcomed her too with a smile.”  

Positive attitude  

  • “I met the best Muni driver this morning. She was very pleasant and friendly and greeted every passenger with a warm ’good morning.’ At every stop when passengers were getting off, she reminded us to watch our step and to have a good day.” 

Excellent driving 

  • “Legend has it the song “Smooth Operator” was written about you, sir. Thank you for the safe and efficient ride!”  

Welcoming to seniors and people with disabilities 

  • “I’m deaf and blind and I just had been to Trader Joe’s, so I had groceries and my walker, and she was very patient, kind, lowered steps on and off for me and made sure I had place to sit and had all my groceries.” 

Our acting director of accessible services is always pleased to hear about that last type of feedback. “It can be frustrating for older adults and people with disabilities if they feel like they always have to ask others for help,” Erin McAuliff said. “So, to have Muni – a transit system that is accessible and provides riders with that sense of confidence to get around on their own – is really important.”

A person in a wheelchair on a bus ramp. We welcome feedback about the accessibility of our service, whether you’re using a stroller or a mobility device. 

We’re always happy to hear stories of Muni love. If you have one to share with us, please try to include: 

  • Vehicle number (see our Muni feedback webpage for images that show how to find this info) 

  • Time, date, and location of your experience 

Here’s how you can get in touch: 

  • Call 3.1.1 – you can use this line to praise any SFMTA staff member, including taxi drivers. 

  • Call the Mobility Management Center at 415.351.7053 to praise paratransit drivers. 

  • Open our online Muni feedback form and choose the “Praise” option. 

  • Share a post on social media – tag our account on the platform and use the hashtag #MuniLove. 

Thank you for joining us this Valentine’s Day to celebrate Muni love!

P.S. There's another way you can show off your #MuniLove. We made a special Muni wallpaper you can download on your phone.