No Cost Goodwill on a Bad Day

We arrived at the Castro this morning just as an announcement was made.

"We are experiencing a delay at Montgomery Station due to a medical emergency. Outbound trains are not running. We expect them to begin again shortly."

Clear, concise, specific. While I wasn't thrilled about finding another way for my child (and a couple of his buddies who were already on the outbound platform) to get to school, at least we knew we had to do something. I rounded up the kids and called my husband, who got in the car and drove the kids to school. They were thrilled to get a ride. I was back down on the inbound platform 10 minutes later.

The announcement was made three times as I waited for an inbound train. Each time, the message was clear and specific. The final message was that outbound service was going to start again, but it would be slow going for a while.

This type of messaging is the sort of thing that Muni should be doing all the time. It costs nothing and it gains an enormous amount of passenger goodwill. People are less irritated if they know WHY and HOW LONG they'll be waiting for a train.

The experience today gave me an idea. Since lots of kids ride Muni to school (saving the city beaucoup bucks in bus costs, no doubt), it might be cool to have simple maps for them to use when alternative transit is required. Instead of addresses, show the school name and give them specific instructions for bus routes, etc.

Today's Stats:
Wait time: 5 minutes - after re-routing the outbound kids
Ride time: 15 minutes
Muni Reading: What is the What, by Dave Eggers. This could very well be ideal reading for all Muni passengers. It provides a much needed perspective. Getting jostled, being late, sniffing bad smells - all that pales in comparison to what these kids endured.