Muni has received the approval rating in almost a decade, according to the SF Examiner. Thousands of riders take Muni each day, and during the past year, they have been paying more and more while the agency has tried to fix its deficit. The price for a monthly pass has increased twice, from 45 to 70, while service has been slashed on many lines. Generally, passengers feel $70 dollars is too much money to pay for waiting for a bus for 45 minutes or ride buses that are overcrowded and/or unsafe. Consider, for example, the two incidents that happened on the N-Judah recently. On November 30th two suspects shoved a gun into the stomach of a Muni passenger and demanded money, punched him several times and stole his laptop. Then two days later on December 2nd, another passenger was terrorized by armed suspects while riding the N-Judah, whereby one of the suspects sat down next to the passenger and pulled out a knife and demanded his possessions. Some say that miserable service overshadows any breakthroughs the SFMTA accomplishes. Let’s hope the Muni rider with financial knowledge, investment experience-and, most likely, rider frustration-that Gavin Newsom has nominated will be able to serve Muni riders.
The folwoing are some common sense, safety tips you can take into account when you ride the bus. Think about sitting near the middle, near the door in case you need to exit ASAP. Also, don’t show off your new iPhone or iPod, or a new and expensive anything. Try substituting black earphones rather than wear the white iPod earphones, a signal to others you have one. Don’t cling to tight to your things, which gives you a fearful look and inevitably draws attention to you. Try to act casual, but stay vigilant and don’t look like an easy target. Avoid suspicious looking and crazy people. If you don’t feel safe, just get off and wait for the next bus or, if you are not too far from your destination, walk the rest of the way. And don’t forget that some drivers are not on your side, as they may ignore your being assaulted or even cause you to be injured by way of their own negligence. If you or a loved one was injured due to an incident or accident on a bus, please contact our firm today.
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