Muni's contempt for its passengers

Riding the 21 Hayes bus recently on a brilliant Summer morning up the hill past Alamo Square, I tried to glimpse the famous postcard view of downtown SF. On this particular bus, however, neither I nor the other passengers---mostly tourists---could see anything but a blur of dots because an advertisement covered the windows of the bus. Hard to say what the tourists thought. Probably that this was an example of a tacky American insistence on turning everything into a money-making opportunity, and they would be right.

But the victims of this vulgarity are not only tourists but plebes like me who regularly ride Muni in the city. The assumption seems to be that Muni passengers aren't entitled to an unimpeded view of their beautiful city. Elitism anyone? 

I still haven't received a response from Muni to the inquiry below, but let's stipulate that Muni makes a lot of money on these ads. Nothing wrong with that, since Muni is chronically short of money. But can't they at least keep the windows free so that we proles can see our beautiful city while we ride the bus in our allegedly Transit First city?

From: rmajora@comcast.net

Sent: Monday, July 02, 2007
To: Lynch, Maggie

Subject: Signs on Muni Buses

Maggie:

Could you give me some information on those signs that cover the sides of Muni buses? How much does Muni get from the advertisers? How long do the contracts run? Does Muni get more for the ads that cover windows? I find the latter particularly vexing, since they make it impossible for passengers to get a clear view of their beautiful city. I'm going to write a blog item on the subject and would like to get as much solid info as I can. Your input would be helpful.

Regards,
Rob Anderson

Maggie Lynch responds: "Checking on the details now…"