Muni riders expressed a whole lot of love for the city’s bus and train operators last month, as the number of commendations submitted to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency increased notably on Transit Driver Appreciation Day.
SFMTA spokesman Michael Roccaforte said that the agency received 83 commendations on Transit Driver Appreciation Day, March 18. He noted that typically the agency receives that same number of commendations each month.
In March, the agency experienced a significant increase in commendations, with riders submitting a total of 282 compared to 112 in March of the previous year.
The project to encourage riders to submit commendations for Muni operators was led by Muni operator McAllen. Last month, The Voice reported on his efforts to gather 500 commendations ahead of Transit Driver Appreciation Day and a goal to increase Muni ridership on that day.
“I am encouraged,” McAllen said in a statement to The Voice. “I think the results exceeded my expectations and leave plenty of room do more next year.”
Transit Driver Appreciation Day also received a boost from the Board of Supervisors, who approved a resolution recognizing the day that Supervisor Bilal Mahmood authored.
An operator on the 49-Van Ness/Mission helped a rider get off at his intended stop, a hospital, when he had tried to get off too soon .
One of the commendations submitted and shared with The Voice was for an operator on the 49-Van Ness/Mission who helped a rider get off at the correct stop:
Operator kept doors open and bus knelt at Market Street until light was red, welcoming customers to board. He helped a rider who was looking to get to the hospital who almost got off too soon, and let the rider know what stop to deboard at and where to go from the stop to get to his destination. Great customer service.
While Allen encouraged riders to submit commendations, he also wanted the public to take Muni to show their appreciation for operators.
Muni ridership saw a boost on March 18. Roccaforte said there were 531,000 riders (not including ridership on cable cars or historic streetcars) across Muni — the transit system’s highest ridership day for March and 35,000 more riders than the agency’s average daily ridership in March.
“We are incredibly thankful to MC and Supervisor Mahmood for spreading the message to recognize our staff’s work to help our customers in their day-to-day lives,” Roccaforte said. “We’re so glad to see that people continue to be engaged with Muni and the employees that keep this city running.”
Muni riders can submit commendations by calling 311 or by completing an online form.