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 38: Sal Castaneda’s ‘Bad-Ass’ Muni Moment
You know Sal Castaneda as your long-time KTVU traffic reporter. We grew up listening to him in the mornings, and here he is at Muni Diaries Live with his tale attempted (and imagined) bravado on the …
Ep. 37: Kirk Read practices radical empathy on the 14-Mission
Kirk Read is a writer and storyteller who grew up in Virginia. His memoir, How I Learned to Snap, was named an Honor Book by the American Library Association. He works in the healthcare industry and …
Ep 36: San Francisco Diaries: my first job at the Nob Hill Theater
You've seen the marquee, "Touch our junk" on Bush street probably a thousand times. Storyteller Jesse James brings us deep into the back room of the famed adult theater where he unwittingly becomes a…
Ep 35: Jesse James and the litter bug on Muni
Storyteller Jesse James recounts a day that started with ordering a Thor hammer on Amazon -- easy peasy, right? But of course Muni had other plans for Jesse's day.
Jesse James is the former Muni hai…
Ep 34: The humans behind Muni's official Twitter account
Say you're frustrated waiting for the bus and you fire off a tweet, "Where the hell is my bus?", there are three people at the SFMTA whose job is to respond to you to make sure you're ok. We found th…
Ep. 33: H.P. Mendoza on cinema, Muni, and SF life
Filmmaker H.P. Mendoza's dad was a Muni driver for 25 years. Add that to a life time of San Francisco transit-riding, H.P. has lots of fodder for another original composition about cinema, Muni, and …
Ep. 32: the ultimate Pride party at a Muni stop, from Jerry Lee Abram
Storyteller Jerry Lee Abram shares a story of the ultimate Pride party at a Muni stop. Remember when Muni shelters were domed (not doomed!) and … and just worked? One Dyke March, Jerry and his friend…
Ep 31: Dhaya Lakshminarayanan and her dad, on Muni weirdos
Comedian Dhaya Lakshminarayanan shares a tale of her trip to Big Lots on Muni with her pop. Hilarity ensued, of course. And a new slogan for this site and Muni general is born.
Dhaya Lakshminarayana…
Ep 30: Writer Annalee Newitz on Muni vs. obnoxious driver
Science writer Annalee Newitz fulfilled our geek dreams by sharing a story of how Muni is actually on the side of righteousness when an obnoxious driver gets in its way. Bonus: she also recounts the …
Ep 29: Glynn Washington confronts a Muni mugging
Glynn Washington, host and executive producer of NPR’s Snap Judgment, gave everyone a lot of food for thought when he was confronted with a mugging on his commute.
Ep 28: From writer Mat Honan: What does the Forest Hill station smell like?
Technology journalist (and BuzzFeed San Francisco bureau chief) Mat Honan had once used Muni data to find out when the next bus was coming. Imagine that! He dug deep into Muni’s history to find out w…
Ep 27: Bay to Breakers on Muni -- from Elbo Room sound man Gabe Armstrong
Gabe Armstrong stepped out of the sound booth (he is the audio engineer at the Elbo Room) to share his own Muni story, which happened during Bay to Breakers. Riding public transit can really change y…
Ep 26: J. W. Friedman witnesses an unlikely hero on Muni
Learning the rules of Muni isn't easy, especially when you've just moved from the driver-centric state of Florida. Storyteller J. W. Friedman shares a tale of how, as a Muni newbie, he encountered an…
Ep. 25: BART operator Kelly Beardsley on intercom drama
BART operator Kelly Beardsley lets us in on one little secret about driving BART: passengers love pressing the intercom button to chat with him about annoyances big and small, or even to just shoot t…
Ep 24: Yayne Abeba on growing up on Muni
Did you know there was a movie theater on 17th Ave. and Geary that used to play lots of children’s films? That was just one of the destinations that this Muni Diaries storyteller would see on her Mun…
Ep. 23: Cynthia and Jeremy Pollock on how to set a street bird free
Self-described San Francisco political nerds Cynthia and Jeremy Pollock took time out from writing the League of Pissed Off Voters voting guide to share how they became Twitter-famous from riding Mun…
Ep 22: Jesse James and the rules of Muni
Storyteller Jesse James recounts his first impression of Muni when he moved to San Francisco, and how he learned the rules of Muni when he saw a pickup line gone wrong.
Ep 21: Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez on behind the scenes story of being a transit reporter
Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez is one of the few transportation reporters in San Francisco. You might have seen many of his stories in the San Francisco Examiner. In this episode, Joe shares why the mundan…
Ep 20: Driver Doug on the zen of being a Muni operator
Muni operator Doug has written two books on driving the bus, and in this episode, he shares some behind-the-scenes gems. He's got his eyes on you, whether you're furtively holding your expired transf…
Ep 19: Isaac Fitzgerald's college antics on the Metro
Buzzfeed Books Editor Isaac Fitzgerald proves a universal fact: stories happen on public transit in any city. In this Muni Diaries live performance, he shares the story of falling in love with a girl…