Muni Diaries
The Muni Diaries podcast is where you'll hear true stories that happened on public transportation in San Francisco and the Bay Area, presented by the editors of MuniDiaries.com. Since our launch in 2008, we've gathered stories from more than 4,000 transit riders. To submit your own story, or read more bus tales, visit MuniDiaries.com.
- Update frequency
- every 19 days
- Average duration
- 15 minutes
- Episodes
- 158
- Years Active
- 2016 - 2025
Ep. 139: Muni's dramatic origin story
In today's episode, public transit advocate, designer, and illustrator Chris Arvin shares the dramatic story of how Muni became the first public transit system in a major U.S. city.
Complaining abou…
Ep. 138: The great loves of Sheila McElroy's life
Sheila McElroy has spent her professional life studying, writing about, and talking about place: how our sense of it grounds us in history and provides context for how we see, move around, and make s…
Ep. 137: When small talk pays off on Muni
What would make you take off your headphones on the bus to talk to a stranger? In this episode, storyteller Alex Randall shares how he started talking to his fellow riders, and how these "Muni chats"…
Ep. 136: Asking the tough questions on Muni
How often do you ask yourself, "What would you do if this happened to you on Muni?" Storyteller Keli Dailey explores that very difficult question on stage at Muni Diaries Live, where she shared a tal…
Ep. 135: Leading the flock of Muni converts on Halloween
Storyteller Ilyse Magy has hella Muni bonafides: she was the first paid “staff member” of San Francisco Transit Riders, where she helped pressure city officials to actually ride the bus. But one Hall…
Ep. 134: An evening with Mr. Boston, Muni operator
Many of you might know Mike Delia better as Mr. Boston, an operator on the F-Market and an impressive list of standard lines across town. Hailing from Massachusetts, he got bit by the transit bug whe…
Ep 133: Searching for one long lost Muni shelter
Here at Muni Diaries headquarters, we don't often talk about ourselves because, after all, Muni Diaries is about your stories. But every once in a while, something happens that still makes us go, "I …
Ep. 132: Meet the new additions to the Muni Diaries crew
You might have seen these two awesome people who joined the Muni Diaries crew earlier this year, and in today's episode, you'll get to know more about our new editors, Kat Siegal and Sarah Katz-Hyman…
Ep. 131: Broke-Ass Stuart opens up about 20 years of documenting San Francisco
If you live in San Francisco for any length of time, you can't not know Broke-Ass Stuart. Stuart Schuffman (and his team of writers) have been writing about San Francisco for two decades now, and he …
Ep. 130: Becca Henry's unbelievable New Year's Eve on BART
Comedian Becca Henry say she is San Francisco born, raised by wolves, and got her start on stage performing comedic burlesque before buying new bras and making her way into standup. In today's episod…
Ep. 129: Of trauma and forgiveness at a 22-Fillmore stop
San Francisco native and San Francisco Standard journalist Meaghan Mitchell takes the stage, sharing this life-changing experience from her youth at a 22-Fillmore stop. A reminder that stories on Mu…
Ep. 128: BART Board by day, Muni superhero by night
When BART Board Director Janice Li saw a fight break out on the bus, she took matters into her own hands. But what she saw after making a public information request for the bus footage (which anyone …
Ep. 127: Katie Haverkamp and LeBron James (the cat) just can't quit SF
The world’s biggest Boat Tram fan Katie Haverkamp (mom of Muni-riding cat LeBron James) returned to the Muni Diaries Live stage to explain why she can't quit San Francisco. Spoiler alert: this lady h…
Ep. 126: Hayden Miller's wild ride
Safe streets advocate Hayden Miller joined the Muni Diaries Live stage for the first time in April 2022. He might be in high school, but his expertise was known to a n00b Muni operator, who leaned on…
Ep. 125: A Muni operator you really need to meet
We're thrilled to bring you a live taping from our return to the stage at Muni Diaries Live on April 7, 2022! In this episode, Muni operator MC Allen explains how he went from transit fan, San Franci…
Ep. 124: Two poets enter, one poet leaves...it's the Muni Haiku Battle!
Ep. 123: Returning to the stage with Meaghan Mitchell
Ep. 122: Finding the silver lining in teaching on Zoom
Educator Kelly Gregor Hartlaub had been a librarian for some time until the pandemic hit, and she was suddenly called to become a teacher on Zoom for distance learning. Her first task as a Zoom teach…
Ep. 121: How the beloved Boat Tram became a real boi
We're bringing you a blast from the recent past from the stage of Muni Diaries Live in 2019. Storyteller Chris Arvin is a product designer who is passionate about cities and public transit. You might…
Ep. 120: Aruna dreams of kimchi
Aruna Lee is the founder of San Francisco-based Volcano Kimchi, whose organic kimchi and sauces are made in her "Fermentation Lab" in Dogpatch. Aruna grew up in a Buddhist monastery in Korea, where e…