A commendation goes a long way for Transit Operators, and this one got me out of a doldrums all on its own. If you find yourself recognizing and appreciating a Muni Operator for excellent service, consider submitting a commendation: www.sfmta.com/getting-arou...

The guy who wrote this must necessarily be a kind and generous and uplifting soul. I am sure he is the sort who acts first to take care of others, and who thrives by helping people. Though I have no chance of recognizing him the next time he takes my bus, I wish to thank him somehow, for this gift.

If this post seems like I am bragging, well, I am. It feels amazing to have someone compliment you in this way, and I am beyond proud of it. Even so, I think this commendation says more about the man who wrote it than it says about me. This is a person who is open to seeing the best in people.

"In other words, if bus driving can be elevated to a form of art, this guy has done it. For me, taking a ride on his bus was an emotionally touching experience, and it made me simply glad to be alive—-however improbable or absurd that may sound."

"He wears his humanity on his sleeve, he reaches out to his passengers to offer a little moment of light to what would otherwise be an impersonal and perfunctory exchange. Listening to him make announcements on the bus and then hearing his kind remarks to others and to me personally —made my day."

"It also reminds me that I like taking public transportation and encourages in me a feeling of pride to be living in San Francisco." That's goals achieved right there for me, I couldn't be happier that I can provide this feeling.

"obviously enjoys his job, and he pays close attention to driving and the road, but he goes out of his way to make personal contact with his passengers. When he speaks, there is a warm, up-beat tone to his voice, and as a passenger it makes me smile and reassures me that I am in a safe environment."

Indulge me as I call out some of my favorite bits "I remember that he also called out the names of the streets at bus stops and indicated what significant destinations were to be found nearby (e.g. "deYoung Museum," the Academy of Sciences," "the Japanese Tea Garden," were some places he mentioned."

This commendation is truly an all-timer. I remember the interaction he mentions here, and I would never have guessed that such small and simple gestures as I made to him would have inspired this.

I was dwelling on these thoughts this morning, and then I remembered a commendation I recently received. Just thinking about it lifted my spirits and gave me the boost I needed to find my Operator Voice and make my customary over the top announcements.

Passing my stress and frustration along to my passengers doesn't work for me as a release valve, it makes me feel worse. In my life, I have found that the best antidote to feeling unhappy is to help someone else feel good. Making someone feel lousy makes me feel miserable.

One of my secret missions as a Muni Operator is to help people to really enjoy using San Francisco's public transit system; to discover some of the joy and wonder and beauty that I experience through The People's Railway.

These past few days I've found that I've been carrying the stress and frustration of the previous days work into the next, and that it has made me tense, and more than a little cranky. Unfortunately, this may have led me to be terse or curt with some of my passengers. I never want this.

In this frustration, I find that it requires more effort to maintain my focus where it belongs: correctly making a continuous stream of decisions critical to safely and efficiently moving people through the city with my bus. This extra effort is itself mentally draining.

I have found myself working harder than ever, and becoming exhausted more quickly than normal. The typical indignities to which Transit Operators are routinely subjected sting more: inconsiderate motorists, double parked cars, road construction delays, all are more frustrating.

Unusually heavy traffic, and just plain bad luck with catching red light after red light have meant I have been constantly behind my schedule, and with short recovery time. I've had overcrowding on my bus as a result of problems on the line related to other coaches out of service.

@rollovereasy.org Gooooooooood morning, Mug Buddy!

You are absolutely incorrect. The power of my bus is that it can carry 90 people. The work of operating a vehicle that can do this is skillful labor that involves an awful lot more than accelerating, braking, and turning the wheel. If you want this work to be done well, you want a person doing it.

Tell the people, they are a recipe for traffic congestion, gridlock and ineffective, inefficient transit networks, and ultimately will reduce, not enhance, urban mobility. The answer isn’t to circumvent people driving, it’s to support the people driving transit vehicles. Tell them!