Riding Muni is an Adventure. Here’s How to Make it More Fun.

We checked in with experts and consulted the research on what can make riding public transit more fun.

Over the last few months as the clay of the transit budget crisis takes form we’ve shared solutions and critiques. Although there’s still a lot of advocacy work ahead, we’re pulling back and grounding ourselves in something deeply serious: Joy. Here’s some expert advice on making riding transit fun (including some structural and policy suggestions that SFMTA can use).

DSA SF’s Ecosocialst Working Group Chair’s Advice for Making Transit Fun

Sophie Pepin, a member of DSA SF and a co-chair of their Ecosocialist Working Group, shares: “Riding transit is fun when it feels like everyone is in on something together. Taking pride in what lines you ride, recognizing strangers on your commute route, helping people navigate, and overhearing people’s incredible gossip all build that sense of community. This togetherness is in huge contrast to the alienation of private vehicles, where the likeliest interaction you’re going to get is someone cutting you off or honking their horn at you.” We hear that, Pepin!

Muni Diaries Advice for Making Transit Fun

Sarah Katz-Hyman, editor and producer at Muni Diaries, says, “ultimately fun transit is easy-to-use transit.” But in the interim as we work on making the best transit system we can, we should see it as a place for community and connection. 

“Making it more fun would be making it more reliable, frequent, and affordable.” Katz-Hyman says if you have to wait less than 5 or 10 minutes, fun becomes easier. However, “Given the resources at the moment and where it seems our elected officials priorities lie, there are other ways that folks can lean into the fun of transit and the adventure of it.”

In San Francisco, they continue, “we have a strong connection to Muni as a brand.” Muni Diaries has been around for 17 years telling transit stories because of it. Muni Diaries also made a physical diary that invites folks to write down their transit adventures, like things you see out the window or if you talked with the bus driver. 

The city could double down on cute, fun things like the boat tram. On the structural level, they suggest following Japan’s lead and making a transit mascot. “Have a cute worm, a little bus guy… You know, a little toot-toot trolley stuffy. A thing that comes out and makes appearances.” 

Katz-Hyman describes transit as one of the few equitable public spaces and references a Janice Li quote about Muni being like San Francisco’s living room. They explain, “Certainly there’s a lot of different characters who visit that living room, but it’s kind of the beauty of our city. Seeing transit as an opportunity to create this home together helps transit feel more positive [and] adventurous.” 

SF Transit Riders’ Advice for Making Muni Fun

Transit advocate Jaime Viloria, the Outreach and Organizing Manager for SF Transit Riders, offers two fantastic menu options for both introverted and extroverted folks.

For solo introverted transit riders, Viloria suggests: “Pick a route and ride end to end, like the 30 Stockton or the J-Church; have a nice noise cancelling headphones, select an album or two – whatever matches the mood of the day, grab seat in the bus by a window that gives you a good view – I like the last seat on the right by the window; or the single seat by the rear door – ride the whole way while listening to the full albums.  The key things are: good headphones and a seat with a good view in the bus/train.”

For group transit riding, Viloria suggests:  “Go to a ballgame at Oracle Park on the N-Judah or to Basketball game on the T-Line with a bunch of fans and start a chant.  Do it with confidence and with a group of your homies, you’ll get the whole car chanting – surprisingly, it’s tougher than it seems but once you get the whole car going, it’s pretty fun!”

Any other advice? Viloria suggests, “I haven’t tried it but seems like a great idea: ride with drag queens 😊.” On the structural level, he says SFMTA should keep it simple: “Have accurate next bus predictions and have more poet operators like McAllen!” Viloria also thinks SFMTA could not only do the boat tram but more party trams similar to The Hague.   

Three other SF Transit Riders members weighed in, too. 

Transit Rider Lisa P. says, “I like to pick an SF institution my friends haven’t been to before and ride the bus together to it so there’s a uniquely SF prize at the end. Last weekend we took the 12 to the restored and re-opened Grumpy’s Pub. They don’t ride the bus a lot on their own, so I like to make an activity out of it.

I also do single Muni line pub crawls. Easy to do on the 38 or 8. Pick a different bar every 3/4 of a mile or so (so it’s worth getting on the bus) and hit a bunch along a route.

Also, just having it be reliable and frequent actually makes this not frustrating. It’s good we had had a few drinks, because the 12 bus home from Grumpy’s was quite delayed.”

Transit Rider Mikey C. says, “A fun game to play with others is a modification of the mountain climber game from Price is Right, can be played competitively as a team or cooperatively. Pick a random 2 or 3 digit number, pick a starting point, and then ride routes with direct connections to other lines and add up all the route numbers and try to get as close to the random number as possible without going over.

Date idea: go to the Ferry Building and have your date randomly pick a lettered route out of a hat or w/e, hop on that route and stop somewhere that seems promising.

Generally, if you have kids in your group that don’t normally have access to transit, they love it and their enjoyment is infectious! Recommend the 6, 24, J, cable cars, F, and 35.

If you’re celebrating something (birthday, anniversary, etc), it’s also p cute to plan a journey on the route that corresponds to the number that’s significant.

And Transit Rider Seeger M. says, “Speed running Bart seems to be very popular with folks as of late and I’ve played the jet lag home game on transit with a group and it’s a lot fun!”

More Advice

Here’s a roundup of additional suggestions for individuals:

• Use the Wi-Fi to read a book or watch a video. Use your headphones so you don’t piss anyone else off, please.
• Bring a good book to read.
• Sit by the window and play the color or alphabet game. Especially on long routes, trying to find a sign with each letter of the alphabet starting with A and working to Z can be so satisfying.
• Sketch what you observe. 

As far as additional structural ways for SFMTA to make transit more fun, consider these:

• Make SF transit hubs more like Asian or European counterparts, where each transfer is an opportunity to shop, get a bite to eat, or play an arcade game.
• Make fast, reliable onboard Wi-Fi to make commuting easier, especially when service is increasingly unreliable underground.
• Double down on the Muni aesthetic. Things like the Muni arts and crafts fair and Muni merch sell like hotcakes. 
• Focus heavily on efficiency. No transfers, no long waits, no ghost trains, and no double busses. If it’s easy, people will use it more. 

Last Thoughts on Making Transit Fun

We know that there are both structural deficit issues and a lack of political backbone from the Mayor’s office and other key decision makers on keeping Muni affordable and reliable. We know it’s only going to get worse this summer because the Mayor is allowing Muni stalwarts like the 5 to be guillotined at Market Street, all while private companies like Uber run rampant over him. It’s embarrassing and we hope people keep fighting for something better than what we’re getting. 

But in the meantime, don’t forget to have fun on Muni. You have a short, precious time on Earth and you get to live in the most beautiful city in the world, with the oldest municipal transit system (and the coolest transit logo). Find ways to enjoy it so the grief and fear and anger don’t eat you up inside. 

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