New Muni Policy: Tell Riders Before Turning Around

Muni promises to reform. Do you trust them?

Muni's got a plan that'll knock your socks off: from now on, the self-described "transit agency" claims, they're going to let you know where the trains are actually going.

In other words, no more surprise turnarounds, leaving passengers stranded with no telling when the next ride will be along. Currently, Muni drivers are notorious for simply giving up halfway through their route and turning around.

The revolutionary idea to actually carry passengers to their destinations comes in a new report to the Board of Supervisors. Muni will continue the practice of turning trains and buses around, but from now on they promise that they'll warn people beforehand.

So when you get on a bus that's only going halfway, the driver will let you know. At least, that's the theory. Whether or not the drivers actually follow through with it is anyone's guess.

There's no word on how Muni intends to enforce the new policy, or whether there will be any penalty for drivers who refuse to comply.

Supervisor Avalos observed that the practice is concentrated in poorer areas, with more affluent neighborhoods seeing fewer switchbacks.

The practice of turning trains around is growing more widespread, which is in part why San Franciscans have been abandoning Muni for other transportation options. On the N-Judah, there've been about twice the number of turnarounds this year as there were in 2009.

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