Photo by @pterobones
The 38 Geary MUNI line has been on fire lately, but we’re not referring to their stellar service. We mean actual, blazing fire.
On Thursday afternoon around 3:30pm, the rear end of a 38 Geary MUNI bus burst into flames. Reader Luna T. sent us the above photo via Twitter, which her roommate snapped from the roof of their building.
This is the second MUNI bus that has combusted in the Richmond District in the last week. The first was on August 2 around 6:46am, when a bus parked at Point Lobos Avenue and 48th Avenue caught fire.
SFAppeal reports that an engine fire was responsible for Thursday’s fire, which was quickly extinguished. The driver and passengers were off the bus by the time the fire started.
No injuries were reported in either MUNI bus fire.
Sarah B.
Photo by @abc7newsBayArea
Where did the latest fire take place?
Lots of extra overtime pay for sitting at a Muni Yard working the Outside Lands special event without having to drive a bus because none are available. Muni’s highest absenteeism is on special event runs (except NFL).
why is this happening? I take the 38L quite often…
Climate change. LOL. Ok, it’s due to “delayed maintenance” which means NO maintenance.
Further proof the revenue raised by the $2 fare increase is being squandered. Squandered on wasteful practices such as having MUNI buses idling their engines in the maintenance yards for *4* hours at a time.
Is it because this fleet is aging quickly and cannot be properly maintained after 20+ years of continuous service? These accordion style buses debuted on the 38 and 38L in 1983 or 1984 and they’ve hardly changed ever since, so I think if these are original buses, time to invest a newer fleet of buses, as this kind of fire will become more common as these vehicles are clearly headed for the junkyard. Dangerous and scary should in happen midday mid-run with as many elderly and mobility chair riders, that will be difficult to evacuate quickly. Seems like a train (bus) wreck just waiting to happen with potential fatalities.
This is really freighting and we are still talking with the MTA about what happened here. We are glad that they ran an inspection of the entire 60-footer fleet to check for any similar problems.
The fact that these two fires happened on Geary is a coincidence—MUNI doesn’t assign specific buses to routes. These could have just as easily been on any line that runs 60 foot articulated motor coaches.
Thanks for posting this article.
Peter Lauterborn
Legislative Aide
Supervisor Eric Mar
Peter.Lauterborn@sfgov.org
If I recall correctly, the 38 line is serviced out of the Flynn Yard (no trolleys), which has more problems (personnel & equipment) than the Presidio Yard (mostly trolleys, no diesel 60-footers) and fewer problems than the Potrero Hill Yard (services Mission Street and Van Ness large articulated needs). Rolling stock is assigned to yards based on mechanic set-ups and operators take what is available for service if they start shifts at the yard they are assigned to. If operators are relieving other operators, they board while the vehicle is in service and have no choice of vehicle (but can and will call it out of service). Many odd things have happened with Muni ever since voters gave them a lot of leeway in 1975 in exchange for no strikes. Equipment has been tampered with by operators before and maintenance is still trapped in 1920s rules and technology.