commute, casual car pool | Getting There

THE WEEK BEGINS – MONDAY AND TUESDAY, August 16 and 17

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Commuter Gal

MONDAY MORNING VALLEJO CAR POOL. A cold sluggish start to the week. No cars and 8 riders lined up. But the rides start pulling up right away. Here comes a sad little Toyota. The right front fender is smashed in and a naked tire pokes out. Clutter is visible inside the car and the driver is frantically scooping things up as she pulls up to the line. The guy at the front of the line passes and the next two fellows take the ride. I move up behind the first rider. “Turned it down, huh?” I ask. He smiles apologetically and sort of stammers, “Well, yeah, I, uh. . ” I chuckle and tell him I would have passed on the ride too. We both get in the back seat of the next car, a giant Honda SUV. The kind that has two automatically sliding doors. A couple, husband and wife probably, are in the front. I pass up 4 quarters, which the wife checks out and then drops into the cup holder. My sense is that they took two riders so that their toll would be covered. They’re not big on the warm and friendly greetings. Especially not the warm part. Both of them are wearing short-sleeve cotton shirts and it’s about 50 degrees in the car.

A sparkling green Chinese charm hangs from the mirror. A Chinese food take out menu lays on the floor. The woman is sitting on a flowered, ruffly seat cushion and has a small green blanket tucked around her feet. I wish I had a blanket. My fellow rider in the back seat next to me looks like he could use one, too. He’s huddled over, asleep, arms wrapped around himself.

Traffic is moving at the limit and is light, until the toll area where it’s a gridlock with traffic backed up for about half a mile. The new Bay Bridge is definitely taking shape. From today’s high SUV view I can see the two sweeping side-by-side lanes of the new bridge, nearly all the way to Treasure Island now. The traffic signs and lights posts have been installed on much of the completed section. As much as I resent the inflated expense of the new bridge and the undoubted boondoggling with how long it’s taking to build, I am pleased to see that it will be a very dynamic part of the architectural look of the bay area. A real knock out.

TUESDAY MORNING. A great start to the day. A big flock of Canadian Geese fly over our car on my way to the carpool. Beautiful flyers, flapping and honking as they carry on their mystical and eternal tradition of migrating. It’s a short wait at the line today and my ride is a sleek 2-door BMW. The rider in front of me takes the small back seat and we adjust and settle before getting out our toll contributions. The guy in the back asks as he prepares to hand over his money, “Is that a cup of coffee or a toll cup?” We all laugh. It actually IS a cup of coffee and the other cupholder contains a berry smoothie. “I’m a road warrior today,” the driver says. “I have to drive all the way down to Santa Clara, so this is my breakfast and coffee break.”

The other rider says one car he rides in has a mason jar sitting in the cup holder with a ‘toll’ sign on it. And another ride has a sign on the glove box that says ‘Paying passengers only’. He says it’s still a great deal and he is happy to pay the toll. He doesn’t understand why some riders resent paying. I comment that the drivers are saving $3.50 even without being paid by the riders. I also mention that some drivers are jerks, too.

Yesterday’s Chronicle had a front page story on the toll issue and its effect on carpooling. (“New Bay Bridge Tolls Shake Up Economics of Casual Carpooling”, SF Chronicle Monday, August 16, by Will Kane). Will interviewed 3 dozen drivers and riders and came up with three different ‘camps’: those who will pay a portion of the toll, those who pay only on request, and those who refuse. Most drivers don’t require a contribution, according to this article, but there are some who will turn off their car and wait until the passengers pay up. Several carpoolers he talked to, both riders and drivers, are abandoning the carpool because of the tolls and the discomfort with paying or not paying drivers.

The article also points out that a recent count of carpoolers on the bridges throughout the Bay Area shows 12,000 fewer drivers using the carpool lanes. Time will tell if this is a sign of things to come.

KNBR radio murmurs in the background and we end our ride with a discussion on the summer weather.

Filed under: Car Pooling, Car Pooling Etiquette, Casual Carpool Bay Area, Casual Carpooling, commute, casual car pool, San Francisco Commuters, Today's Commute, Tolls for car pools, Uncategorized | Leave a comment »

THURSDAY AND FRIDAY RIDES – Lotsa Toll Talk

Posted on August 13, 2010 by Commuter Gal

THURSDAY, AUGUST 12. I arrive at the Vallejo carpool site to see at least 50 cars lined up. Nice (for the riders, anyway). I get in the front seat of a Chevrolet pickup. Another passenger is squeezed in the back. We buckle up and get out our toll offerings which are refused. “No money in this truck”, the driver says loudly. “You guys are saving me $3.50 by just riding with me.” He’s a rugged kind of guy, and the truck has a rugged kind of guy smell (not bad, just the way guys smell when they don’t use perfumes). I see part of a large tattoo on his right arm, under his gray t-shirt. He’s a contractor and commutes from Folsom 2 or 3 days a week, sometime on his motorcycle, he says.

“I’ve seen vans pull up and get 4 or 5 riders and charge each one of ’em $1.25”, he says. “A lot of drivers are just tryin’ to cash in on this toll thing.” I agree and relate the story of the BMW driver wanting her full $1.25 ‘fare’. (See my July 16 blog – Days of Contention).

His truck is clean and comfy. “I’m just about 500 miles short of 300,000 miles on this truck. I take real good care of it and like to keep it clean.” He says he see guys pull up to jobs in dirty, torn clothes and beat up trucks and tools. “You just know what kind of work they do.” I agree. “My husband always says you can tell a lot about a worker by the way he takes care of his tools.” A newer pickup truck passes us as we cross the Bay Bridge. The rear window is out and has been taped with plastic, which has torn and is flapping in the wind. The driver points it out. “That’s what I mean. You just know what kind of work you’re going to get from that guy.”

I comment on the light summer traffic, and he thinks it’s mostly the economy. But he also thinks a lot of people are taking unemployment benefits who don’t deserve them – his brother for one. I don’t want to argue with him, but most people do not have a great time being on unemployment. Their benefit amount is usually a fraction of what their salaries were, and now, for the new group of “99rs” – the people who’ve been on the dole for 99 weeks – their benefits have run out. No more extensions. And no jobs.

I know there are people who will always take advantage of situations where money is involved. Look at the banks, look at Wall Street, the credit card companies! And look at the carpool drivers who demand their $1.25 every day.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 13. Another ride in a pickup truck today. This is a much bigger, newer Chevrolet, again with a back seat. The rear passenger gets in and is really cramped. I assure her I’ll move my seat forward, which I do. The driver is a big guy in a red t-shirt and a bluetooth device in his ear. I put a dollar in the cup holder, the other passenger passes up $1.25. We talk about our jobs and the economy. He tells me about his divorce a few years ago. “I lost everything – the cars, 2 houses, the works. I just walked away from it.” Sounds like this disaster hit just as the economy was about to cave in, so he’s been scrambling to put his life and job back together. He’s re-married, and has been commuting from Sacramento to pick up work in the city.

About the tolls, he says “These bridges were supposed to have been paid for years ago, so what are we paying for now?” I tell him that sales tax was a big part of the revenue for the California transportation agencies, and with the real estate disaster, much of that money is gone. “The sales tax revenue helped pay for road and bridge maintenance, as well as the salaries for people in those agencies”, I point out. “Wonder how much their salaries are” he asks. I wonder too and have been doing some research to find out. (Stay tuned).

He thinks that raising the toll fee and charging carpoolers is backfiring. “Look at how many fewer people are on the road”, he says. “So they get a dollar or two more per car in tolls, but 4,000 fewer cars. Stupid!” Looks that way to me too, but I’m waiting to see the numbers in a couple of months.

Until then, enjoy the light traffic and the warmer weather – predicted for next week – and count your blessings. These are rough times. CG

Filed under: Car Pooling, Car Pooling Etiquette, Casual Carpool Bay Area, Casual Carpooling, commute, casual car pool, Environment, Public Transportation, San Francisco Commuters, Today's Commute, Tolls for car pools, Uncategorized | Leave a comment »

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11 Some More Toll Talk

Posted on August 11, 2010 by Commuter Gal

A ride today in a comfy, warm Volvo, with a familiar face at the wheel – Jacob, the pink shirt guy! Today he’s wearing an orange shirt and rather amazing wrap-around sunglasses. They are like a Zorro-mask.

I ask him how he’s getting along with riders paying toll, and he says it’s been pretty fine. “Although, there’s this one rider – a guy who wrote me a check for his share.” I laugh. “He actually wrote you a check for $1.25?” “Yes, but he’s ridden with me before, and a couple of other times he either said he didn’t have the cash, or he’d get back to me later.” Sounds like a reluctant toll contributor to me. Or maybe he’s broke.

Jacob says that, being a non-confrontational kind of guy, he doesn’t insist if people don’t want to pay, so he didn’t give the rider a hard time. But a co-worker of his is quite firm about it. “She might let it go once, but she’ll let you know that’s the last time. A few days before the toll went into effect, she was reminding the riders to have their change ready when the tolls began.”

The lady passenger in the back seat says she has seen drivers refuse a ride to people who won’t pay. “And then no one else wants to give them a ride, either!” We all agree that is not a good thing to do. I remind them that even if the riders pay nothing, the driver of a casual carpool is saving $3.50 on the Bay Bridge and $2.50 on the Carquinez Bridge. The SHARING of the toll doesn’t mean the riders should pay ALL of the toll, although most Vallejo drivers seem to expect it.

Because Vallejo carpoolers have to pay for TWO bridges on our commute, I do understand the angst over these tolls, and agree that sharing is the right thing to do.

The return commute in the evening often catches carpoolers at the Carquinez Bridge after 7 PM, and the driver loses his carpool discount (carpool hours are 3 to 7 pm Monday through Friday). Once summer vacation is over, the freeways will be moving much slower, and if you pick up a carpool group in San Francisco after 6 pm, it’s likely you’ll cross the Carquinez Bridge after 7. Because we have a longer commute than other drivers, and more carpoolers than the other commute groups, I think we should get a break from the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA).

What do you think of this?: EXTEND THE CARPOOL HOURS ON THE CARQUINEZ BRIDGE TO 8 PM, TO ALLOW MORE TIME FOR VALLEJO (AND BEYOND) DRIVERS TO MAKE THE CARPOOL TOLL. Let me know what you think, and I’ll let the BATA know.

Filed under: Car Pooling, Car Pooling Etiquette, Casual Carpool Bay Area, Casual Carpooling, commute, casual car pool, Public Transportation, San Francisco Commuters, Today's Commute, Tolls for car pools, Uncategorized | 12 Comments »

Monday, August 9 A last look

Posted on August 9, 2010 by Commuter Gal

Off we go again and its another cold gray Monday. Many cars await, so I climb in the first ride, a big Ford van. Just me and the driver who must be some sort of construction guy. The rest of the van is filled with equipment. “I love this weather”, he says. I guess that’s why he has the air conditioning on. It must be about 40 degrees in this van. It’s a fast ride, about 40 minutes, and I’m wearing 2 sweaters and a muffler, so I survive.

I decide not to try the new Transbay Terminal, a couple of blocks away from the drop off corner, and walk on up to Market Street for my bus. As I walk past the old terminal, I see the bulldozers and heavy equipment already at work. At the corner of Mission and Beale, I turn back for another look at the old building, and see about 100 pigeons lined up all along the edge of the roof, watching (undoubtedly with dismay) as the bulldozers and heavy equipment begin tearing out the bushes and shrubs that face the terminal. I’m sure the pigeons and the other city birds will miss, as will I, the two giant pine trees that stand on each side of the block-wide lot. Those trees must be as old as the building.

For a great slide show of the final hours of the old terminal, and an eye witness account of the very last ride (that included champagne)!, check out this blog -http//transbayblog.com/2010/08/06/farewell-transbay-terminal/.

Filed under: Car Pooling, Car Pooling Etiquette, Casual Carpool Bay Area, Casual Carpooling, commute, casual car pool, Public Transportation, San Francisco Commuters, San Francisco History, Today's Commute, Transbay Terminal, Uncategorized | Leave a comment »

Friday, August 6 – The week ends and so does the Transbay Terminal

Posted on August 6, 2010 by Commuter Gal

Wednesday and Friday rides take off once again in the chilly gray fog. (I stayed home Thursday). Amazing that only 10 miles away it’s 80 and 90 degree weather. We are cursed with this heavy fog bank along the coast of California this summer and it is a drag. Refreshing, no doubt for visitors from the steamy east. After a frosty 10-minute wait, Wednesday’s ride is a Toyota SUV. The driver was a high energy guy in a crisp dress shirt and jeans. A big good morning. As I handed over my toll dollar I asked him if the riders were all paying up. “Oh yes, everyone is real good about it”. The other passenger pays $1.25.

Today (Friday) I was happy to see a line of about 20 or 30 cars waiting for riders. I hopped into a Nissan SUV driven by an Islander-looking lady in a bright chartreuse sweater. A crystal bead rosary swung from the mirror as we took off, flying down the nearly empty freeway at 70 mph. One cup holder appears to hold toll donations, the other was filled with yellow butterscotch candies in shiny cellophane. The cool air was on (it’s 54 degrees) – an ongoing mystery to me why drivers turn on the air conditioning in this weather. Near Berkeley a lone pelican flapped through the super heavy gray fog over the freeway blanketing the bay area this morning. I saw the rest of his flock further on down the freeway, swooping, as only pelicans can, over the bay. The Golden Gate Bridge was invisible in the muck and the city appeared to end at Nob Hill. We whizzed past a nearly empty toll plaza and into the city at 8 a.m.

I walked up to the Transbay Terminal for my last bus ride from the 70 year-old building. Demolition begins next week. I asked the driver, “This is the last day I’ll catch my bus here, right?”. “Yah, historical day”, he says with a heavy Russian accent. “Very historical.” He’s excited about the change in locations and goes on to give me a completely incomprehensible description of the new bus routing and where I’ll be catching my bus on Monday. But I’ll figure it out – the new temporary terminal is only a couple of blocks away and is highly visible – all white metal struts poking up into the air. The driver adds that the original plan was to have the buses pull inside the terminal to pick up passengers, but that changed when the city realized it could make better ($) use of the indoor space for vendors, so riders will continue to catch buses outside, as we have been doing at the old terminal.

And so the fifth week of the new bridge tolls ends. And the end of the summer that never was is not far off. But here’s the weekend once again and let’s make the most of it. See you Monday.

Tuesday, August 3 The popular cars

Posted on August 3, 2010 by Commuter Gal

Plenty of cars once again, and my ride today is an older Hyundai sedan. Driver is a big guy and the rear seat passenger is too. I feel small and squashed in the front seat, which has been moved forward to accommodate Mr. Big Guy in the rear. Traffic is plentiful, too, but all lanes are moving at 65 mph and then some. I put a dollar in the little tray under the dash (it doesn’t look like the other rider contributed, unless the driver tucked it away). It’s drizzly and grey and this morning’s local weather people say today will be the warmest of the week, with even cooler weather ahead through the weekend. We need a break! I’m sick of this.

We’re listening to KFOG radio and staying warm with the heater on (thank you!). The radio folks are talking about the most popular stolen car this year, which is the Cadillac Escalade, a vehicle I don’t think I’ve ever ridden in. I had to look up the Escalade and see exactly what it is – it’s a big, luxury SUV, that actually comes with a standard antitheft ignition immoblizer. Which should prevent it from being started without a real key. But thieves, ingenious devils that they are, simply put these vehicles on flatbed trucks and haul them away. Number two on the most popular cars to steal is the Ford F-250 crew 4WD (2008 and 2009 models). I was amazed to see the Hummer appear as Number six on the list – it seems like it would be quite a feat to steal a Hummer, and to keep it stolen! However, most car thefts are SUVs, especially the big luxury types, and large pickups. And most stolen vehicles are plundered for their parts, rather than for the ride itself; pickups are frequently stolen because they commonly carry tools and equipment, which can be sold.

The top ten most frequently stolen cars, then are:
1. the Escalade
2. the Ford F0250
3. Infiniti 637
4. Dodge Charger HEMI
5. Chevrolet Corvette
6. Hummer HW
7. Nissan Pathfinder Armada
8. Chevrolet Avalanche 1500
9. Chevrolet Silverado 1500 crew
10. GMC Yukon

So what do you think the safest car is (safe, that is from being stolen)? It’s the Volvo S80, followed by Saturn VUE, Nissan Murano, Honda Pilot, Subaru Imprez, Toyota Prius, Mini Cooper (a surprise to me!), Toyota Tacoma double, and the Toyota Sienna.

The car I drive, a Hyundai Elantra, made neither list. And most of the cars I carpool in frequently are not on those lists either, although I have ridden in three of the ‘safe’ cars – the Prius, the Mini Cooper, the Toyota Tacoma. I’ve had one ride in a Hummer (a real non-event) and I felt like I had betrayed humanity just by being a carpool passenger in one of those overgrown, ostentatious gas guzzlers.

With the exception, maybe, of the Prius, I would like to see all of those cars vanish and be replaced with cars whose lifeblood is not petroleum. And these cars are in the works. Nissan has already produced the LEAF, a little electric hatchback that gets 100 miles on a charge, and is a good little car for daily commutes. Chevrolet is about to launch the VOLT later this year, an electrical hybrid with a gasoline backup. Next year there will be more to choose from, and at better prices. These hybrids and electrics are still pretty pricey, however there are federal and some state tax breaks that bring the prices down a bit.

With the future of ‘popular’ cars looking smaller, less grotesque, and consuming little or no gas, I wonder what the the car thieves will go after then? Maybe they can just raid the salvage yards. That’s where those popular cars belong.

Filed under: Car Pooling, Car Pooling Etiquette, Casual Carpool Bay Area, Casual Carpooling, commute, casual car pool, Environment, Oil, Today's Commute, Tolls for car pools, Uncategorized | Leave a comment »

Monday, August 2 The end of summer

Posted on August 2, 2010 by Commuter Gal

Happy August! An amazingly long line of cars, winding around the block, a few riders walking up to the line. But wait – as we pull into the carpool area, here are 2 girls en route to the line, who have decided to just jump into the last car in the line. Nice for the driver, he won’t have to wait 10 or 15 minutes, or more, like everyone else! Bad for the drivers waiting patiently in the line ahead. It’s not nice to cheat, carpoolers!

I am in the front seat of a Toyota Camry. Asian-american older fellow driving. No talk, just barely a hello. The rear passenger pays $1.25 – not me, I’m paying a dollar, take it or leave it. The heat is on and it’s cozy in the car. We breeze along at 60 mph, sorry for the other 3 lines that seem to be stuck in gridlock. The congested traffic in the non-carpool lanes continues for 5 or 6 miles and then mysteriously ends. It is gray and foggy, and getting foggier by the minute. The driver has to turn on his wipers to clear the drizzle. Across the bay from Berkeley, San Francisco has become invisible in the fog. We round the Eastshore Park passing the shoreline ponds and there is a young (or very small) egret, clumsily splashing about all by himself. En route to carpool this morning I saw a group of Canadian Geese, browsing through the grasses in a roadside park. The bird migrations south must be beginning.

And summer is nearly over. The summer we only glimpsed for a week or two in May.

Filed under: Car Pooling, Car Pooling Etiquette, Casual Carpool Bay Area, Casual Carpooling, commute, casual car pool, Environment, San Francisco Commuters, Today's Commute, Tolls for car pools, Uncategorized | Leave a comment »

Thursday & Friday’s rides – July 29 & 30 – And some numbers after the first tolling month

Posted on July 30, 2010 by Commuter Gal

THURSDAY – VALLEJO CARPOOL
Knowing that the sun will eventually beat back the fog later today and that it will warm up – a little – keeps me going while I stand shivering in this morning’s short line. It’s been a dilemma how to dress each day. A heavy coat is too hot to wear home in the late afternoon, but it sure feels good in the morning. Warm scarves have become my daily accessory. I pass up the first ride – a sporty 2 seat Mercedes, S-500, I think. Too small, too fast, not safe. The next ride is also a Mercedes – a large comfy and safer C-240. No heat in the car, but I’ll survive. I pay my dollar, the other passenger pays $1.25, so this morning’s ride costs our driver a quarter in tolls. Hey, he’s got a Mercedes – he can handle it, right?

FRIDAY – VALLEJO CARPOOL
Another long line of cars and I am in a Toyota Corolla. I and the rear passenger hand over our toll contribution, which is graciously received. A very stylish driver with a great hair cut, who actually looks terrific in her Friday jeans! I mention the construction work going on by the Vallejo Ferry Terminal (new parking structure plus re-modeled Ferry terminal building) and that starts a lively conversation that lasts the entire commute – about Vallejo and its future. She’s a former San Franciscan, who moved to Vallejo several years ago, where she bought a home. “I couldn’t afford to buy in the City.” However, she’s come to realize that her commute expense has made it more expensive to NOT live in San Francisco. “But I could never have bought a house there, and that’s the trade-off.” She’s excited about the potential in Vallejo. Especially, she says, after a conversation she had with a recent casual carpool rider. “He was amazing! He had so many great ideas and actually knew how they could be implemented.” These included, among many other things, corporate headquarters on Mare Island and a light rail connection from Vallejo to BART. She encouraged him to run for office and we agreed that anyone with that kind of visionary energy has an obligation to put it into action. A great ride.

THE NUMBERS ARE IN – 12,000 FEWER CARPOOLERS
Both the Chronicle and Examiner carried front page stories yesterday (Thursday, July 29, 2010) with the latest data on the new bridge toll. The numbers were compared to last July’s traffic and this year there were over 12,000 fewer daily carpoolers on ALL the bay area toll bridges. On the Bay Bridge, the number dropped by 5,350, a 29% decrease from the same time last year. Total traffic also decreased from last year by 3,531 vehicles a day, an 8 1/2% decrease. It looks like some carpoolers may have switched to BART – there were about 1,500 more BART morning commuters in July. Less traffic also meant that the maximum delay on the bridge dropped from 19 minutes to 10 minutes.

These numbers undoubtedly reflect the traditionally light traffic during the summer, as well as job loss. The unemployment rate in California is 12.3%, just below Nevada (14.2% and Michigan 13.2%) and in San Francisco, unemployment is up to 10.5%, almost a 1 percent increase from last year.

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission is happy with the numbers, and calls the new tolls a success. “We’re raising revenue and seeing decreased congestion”, Steve Heminger, executive director of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission told the Chronicle.

Having fewer people carpooling doesn’t seem like a success story to me, but I guess it depends on your perspective. We’ll see how wonderful it is to have fewer people carpooling come September and more cars on the road.

Find a warm spot to enjoy the weekend. Back on Monday. CG

Wednesday, July 28 The Old Transbay Terminal – last chance to see it

Posted on July 28, 2010 by Commuter Gal

I arrive at the Vallejo carpool line at 7:30 a.m. and am greeted with a wonderful long line of cars, all patiently waiting. My ride is a VW Passat, a great car. I recognize this driver and have ridden with him before. Suit and tie guy in his 50s, careful driver, nice temperature in the car. I give him $1, the rear passenger gives $1.25 and off we go. Traffic is still vacation-light and when we reach the toll gates, they are nearly empty. I glance at the on-going new bridge construction and remember this is an historic day for the new bay bridge. The first piece of the 525 foot tower will be put in place today. Once completed and lit up, it’s going to make a powerful architectural statement – one giant tower holding the cables for the 4 1/2 mile span.

Another major transportation project begins next week with the closing of the old Transbay Terminal at 1st and Mission Streets. Check out the website (www.transbaycenter.org). The proposed animated sketches you see are a HUGE departure from the old building – very light and airy. Construction on the new permanent terminal, which will be located where the old one now stands, will be ongoing for the next 7 years, and will centralize the region’s entire transportation network, including Caltrain and the High Speed Rail.

When the old terminal closes next Friday, August 6, all bus service will move to the new temporary terminal at Howard and Main Streets. A full list of bus stops at the temporary terminal can be seen at http://www.temporaryterminal.org. Us casual carpoolers, who line up on Beale, between Howard and Folsom, will have a front row view of the action at the temporary terminal, which is right across the street from our line up area.

The changes aren’t good news for everyone. Besides displacing a number of permanent homeless residents who’ve come to call the Terminal home, the demolishing of the 70-year old structure will end the lives of the giant trees that have provided shade, homes for hundreds of birds and one of the few living green environments in the south-of-Market chaos.

If you want a last look at the old terminal before it’s blasted away, there are hourly guided tours this FRIDAY, JULY 30. Meet at the ground floor entrance at 1st & Mission Street at noon, 1 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm or 4 pm.

Filed under: Bike Riders, Car Pooling, Car Pooling Etiquette, Casual Carpool Bay Area, Casual Carpooling, commute, casual car pool, Environment, San Francisco History, Today's Commute, Tolls for car pools, Transbay Terminal, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Tuesday, July 27 Remembering the Jitneys

Posted on July 28, 2010 by Commuter Gal

Yawn, shiver. It’s 6:45 a.m. and 55 degrees in the Vallejo carpool line. Happily I’m quickly in a Toyota 2-door pickup truck. No heat, but it’s bearable. The driver is a large, almost sumo-looking fellow and he’s probably not feeling much chill. I plop $1.25 into the little tray between the seats – “thanks” – and we exchange comments on the state of this miserable ‘summer’ weather. KOIT radio, light rock, less talk, and light traffic too, today.

I often think about an earlier version of car-sharing that San Francisco commuters enjoyed in years past. The Mission Street Jitney. If you were around in San Francisco in the 60s and 70s (or earlier), you probably know about the Jitneys, the cars that ran up and down Mission Street, picking up passengers on nearly every corner. A ride at that time cost a dime, although the term “jitney” was slang for a nickel, which was originally the standard fee. The first time I saw a jitney I was relatively new to the City, having just moved here in 1967 from St. Louis. What I saw was an oversized black car pull up to a curb on Mission Street. A couple of people jumped out and another person jumped in. There was a clandestine, almost sinister feel to the activity, and I remember wondering if I was witnessing a CIA or FBI operation of some sort, or perhaps some criminal activity. I became even more alarmed when, a few blocks later, I saw the same thing happening again. At the time I didn’t see any signs on the cars or on the curb indicating that this was a licensed form of public transport. Later, when the jitneys were gone and I learned what jitneys were, I was sorry I’d never had the opportunity to ride in one. Over-regulation and the advent of BART finally did them in.

They first appeared in San Francisco in 1914 as transportation for the workers and attendees to the World’s Fair (the Panama-Pacific International Exposition). By 1915 there were over 1400 private Jitney operators and that number doubled within a few years as they provided transportation for suburbanites coming into San Francisco. Many people moved to Oakland after the 1916 earthquake, along with some Jitneys, and the Jitneys would transport them from various spots in Oakland to the ferries that crossed the bay.

As the years passed, Jitneys upgraded their cars and some even became mini-vans, but the spirit of the Jitney remained. A fast, personalized service with a variety of driver and car styles and a natural flexibility. Sounds a lot like the casual carpool, don’t you think?

An Early Jitney Driver

Filed under: Bike Riders, Car Pooling, Car Pooling Etiquette, Casual Carpool Bay Area, Casual Carpooling, commute, casual car pool, Environment, Jitney, San Francisco History, Today's Commute, Uncategorized | Leave a comment »

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