Latest Publictransport Podcast Episodes
Episode 46: Chester-Hadlyme Ferry Vessel’s 75th Anniversary
Along The Lines - June 04, 2024 13:32 - 19 minutesJoin us in celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Chester-Hadlyme ferry's vessel, the Selden III. We will explore the ferry’s rich history and discuss how it continues to connect communities across the Connecticut River. Special guests Captain John F. Kennedy, ferry captain from the CTDOT, a...
Ep. 153: Muni operator Charles Haletky on teaching "professional paranoia"
Muni Diaries - May 28, 2024 06:01 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 32 ratingsVeteran operator Charles Haletky walks us through the highs of "pure, exquisite joy of public humiliation" and the lows of, well...the lowest you can imagine. He reminds us that, as someone who trains the next generation of operators, he needs to be cruel on occasion—not to be kind, but for the ...
Episode 45: Drive Less CT Climate Challenge
Along The Lines - April 22, 2024 14:53 - 20 minutesIt’s time for the Drive Less CT Climate Challenge, kicking off on Earth Day, April 22nd. Since 2018, this initiative, led by CTDOT in collaboration with CTrides, has seen impressive results in raising awareness and promoting sustainable transportation. Tune in to discover more about the challeng...
Ep 152: Night of Ideas Part 1 — Everyday Heroes on the Bus
Muni Diaries - April 02, 2024 05:28 - 12 minutes ★★★★★ - 32 ratingsThis is the first part in a series showcasing short Muni stories we collected from attendees at the Night of Ideas at the San Francisco Public Library on March 2, 2024. In this episode we focus on everyday heroes on the bus: situations where a small gesture or act of kindness by a transit rider ...
Episode 44: Microtransit
Along The Lines - March 22, 2024 18:25 - 20 minutesEmbark on a trip into the future of public transportation with Along the Lines! Host Ben Limmer takes you on a captivating journey into the world of microtransit, joined by special guests Mark Goodale from the Connecticut Department of Transportation and Matt Pentz from Norwalk Transit District....
Episode 43: Bus Service Enhancements
Along The Lines - March 05, 2024 16:15 - 19 minutesThe CT Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is embarking on an ambitious initiative to elevate bus services across the state. Tune into the latest episode of Along the Lines as host Ben Limmer discusses Connecticut's visionary plan with guests Lisa Rivers from CTDOT and Michael Carroll of Southe...
Ep. 151: Katy Birnbaum on the Power of Streets to Divide or Connect Us
Muni Diaries - February 06, 2024 23:58 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 32 ratingsWhere most people see a desolate street, Katy Birnbaum sees a celebration and the regeneration of community waiting to happen. But it didn't start out that way. Katy grew up in a car-dependent suburb where the streets isolated her and her family. In this story from our November 2023 live show, K...
Episode 42: Public Transportation Funding
Along The Lines - February 06, 2024 14:12 - 24 minutesIn this episode of Along the Lines, host Ben Limmer and guests Sharon Greene and Gary Pescosolido delve into the funding sources, the challenges faced, and the importance of modernizing public transport infrastructure. This informative discussion sheds light on the process of funding public tran...
Ep. 150: Once Upon a Muni Train with Baruch Porras-Hernandez
Muni Diaries - January 17, 2024 19:40 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 32 ratingsIt's not every day you're swept off your feet by a handsome stranger on the subway. But when Baruch Porras-Hernandez rides Muni, anything can happen. We were thrilled to have Baruch back on the Muni Diaries Live stage in November with the story of a fleeting romance from his past, and the unexpe...
Episode 41: New Rail Cars for CTrail
Along The Lines - January 03, 2024 19:33 - 15 minutesThe Connecticut Department of Transportation is planning to acquire 60 state-of-the-art rail cars for the CTrail Hartford Line, Danbury, and Waterbury branches. Tune in for an insider’s look at the future of Connecticut’s vital rail lines with host Ben Limmer and his guests Marci Petterson and C...
Ep. 149: A Look Ahead to 2024
Muni Diaries - December 29, 2023 05:04 - 5 minutes ★★★★★ - 32 ratingsHappy New Year, Muni Diaries fam! We've got stories from our November live show, exciting in-person podcasting events, and more already queued up for you in 2024. Here's a sneak peek of what's on deck. A heartfelt thanks from all of us at Muni Diaries to everyone who shared your Muni stories w...
Episode 40: 2023 - Year in Review
Along The Lines - December 20, 2023 14:08 - 16 minutesJoin host Ben Limmer, Bureau Chief for the Connecticut Department of Transportation, in this special episode as he recaps the transformative year of 2023. From groundbreaking projects to innovative programs, Limmer highlights significant accomplishments that have shaped Connecticut's transportat...
Episode 39: Electrification of Connecticut’s Bus Fleet
Along The Lines - November 07, 2023 14:44 - 20 minutesIn the latest episode of Along the Lines, host Ben Limmer and special guests Rahmane Camara (Transportation Planner 2 at the Connecticut Department of Transportation) and Carmine Fiore (Regional Sales Manager at New Flyer) discuss Connecticut's bold journey to electrify its entire bus fleet by 2...
Ep. 148: Tanea Lunsford Lynx "Used to Live Here"
Muni Diaries - October 31, 2023 04:16 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 32 ratingsTanea Lunsford Lynx, an artist and educator, joined us at Muni Diaries Live in April 2023 to perform her poem, I Used to Live Here, a piece evoking the magic of relatives living a mere Muni ride away, the otherworldly dimension between West Portal and Van Ness stations, and the soothing somethin...
Ep. 147: Serious spooky szn scaries at the Legion of Honor
Muni Diaries - October 19, 2023 03:55 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 32 ratingsHave you been to the Legion of Honor at night? We haven't. And we definitely won't be going after this story. Muni operator and Muni Haiku Battle champion Mc Allen reminds us of what can go bump (and wrong) on a late-night run. Originally shared at Muni Diaries Live in April 2023, it's the per...
Ep. 146: A leather jockstrap and a dream—how a Mission barbershop kept on keeping on
Muni Diaries - October 06, 2023 20:29 - 25 minutes ★★★★★ - 32 ratingsJill Sutherlin didn't set out to become the caretaker of a beloved Mission barbershop, but life is funny that way. Her story takes us and The Refinery Grooming Club through the pandemic, the ups and downs of recovery, and the sacred spaces we cultivate for our communities. Jill performed this st...
Episode 38: Customer Experience Action Plan
Along The Lines - October 03, 2023 12:50 - 20 minutesTune in to the latest episode of Along the Lines with host Ben Limmer and discover details about the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s (CTDOT) recent Customer Experience Action Plan. Special guests Alicia Leite and Doug Holcomb share customer feedback and their insights on CTDOT’s initi...
Ep. 145: The enduring impact of 'Forgotten Cemeteries' on San Francisco
Muni Diaries - September 05, 2023 22:49 - 28 minutes ★★★★★ - 32 ratingsWhat lies beneath the streets of San Francisco? In some cases, the history of how those streets and infrastructure we know and love (or at least use and tolerate) came to be. San Francisco’s Forgotten Cemeteries: A Buried History, the newest book from local author Beth Winegarner, is out now. ...
Episode 37: Token Transit
Along The Lines - September 05, 2023 19:43 - 19 minutesTechnology has had a transformative impact on public transit. It has changed how we navigate our cities from bus systems, to planning strategies, and fare payment methods. The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) has recently implemented Token Transit – the app that's changing the ga...
Episode 36: Introducing Benjamin Limmer
Along The Lines - August 01, 2023 17:17 - 17 minutesWelcome back, listeners! Get ready for an exciting return of "Along the Lines" as we introduce our new host, Benjamin Limmer, Public Transportation Bureau Chief at the CTDOT. In this episode, we'll dive into Ben's inspiring vision for a sustainable, innovative, and collaborative transit future i...
Ep. 144: How a life lived on Muni evolved into a life of civic duty
Muni Diaries - July 17, 2023 02:24 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 32 ratingsMuni is San Francisco's deep end: immediate and immersive exposure to strangers, testing our tolerance for other people's music, aromas, food, volume, attitude, or public habits. Meymey Lee, a born-and-raised San Franciscan, was exposed to all of it since they were a baby. At Muni Diaries Live ...
Ep. 143: A seasoned international bus rider tackles Muni
Muni Diaries - June 17, 2023 01:09 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 32 ratingsStoryteller Adrianna Tan is an enthusiastic bus rider who has ridden buses in more than 30 countries worldwide. But when she finally moves to San Francisco five years ago, she quickly finds out that in many ways, our Muni is not like all the rest. This story was recorded at Muni Diaries Live i...
Ep. 142: Finding a long lost Muni operator
Muni Diaries - May 23, 2023 18:29 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 32 ratingsWe first got to know storyteller Kurt Schwartzmann when he shared the story of how Muni and Muni drivers gave him shelter while he was homeless. He went on to become a professional artist, with a series of paintings dedicated to Muni drivers. In this episode, he shares the story of searching for...
Ep 141: Life on the school bus (Part 2)
Muni Diaries - April 27, 2023 20:52 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 32 ratingsLast time, we heard from Tanea Lunsford Lynx, one of the artists behind Muni Raised Me: a multimedia exhibition by San Francisco born-and-raised artists exploring what Muni means to the people who grow up riding it. An educator, Tanea brought their students to the show and we were lucky enough t...
Ep. 140: Life on the school bus from (and for) those in the know
Muni Diaries - April 11, 2023 04:16 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 32 ratingsTanea Lunsford Lynx is Chair of the Spoken Arts Department at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts and one of the artists behind Muni Raised Me, a multimedia exhibition by San Francisco born-and-raised artists exploring a central question: What does Muni mean to the people who grow up riding it? Tane...
Ep. 139: Muni's dramatic origin story
Muni Diaries - February 22, 2023 04:39 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 32 ratingsIn 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 about the bus might be San Francisco's unofficial favorite pastime, but few know about the true ori...
Ep. 138: The great loves of Sheila McElroy's life
Muni Diaries - January 25, 2023 22:59 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 32 ratingsSheila 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 sense of the world. In this story, told at Muni Diaries Live in November 2022, Sheila digs into he...
Ep. 137: When small talk pays off on Muni
Muni Diaries - January 10, 2023 18:02 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 32 ratingsWhat 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" changed the way he looks at our city. Alex takes the 38 Geary often and he likes all things San ...
Ep. 136: Asking the tough questions on Muni
Muni Diaries - December 13, 2022 22:59 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 32 ratingsHow 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 tale about an unexpected turn of events on the bus. Keli is an award-winning journalist, performer a...
Ep. 135: Leading the flock of Muni converts on Halloween
Muni Diaries - November 29, 2022 06:07 - 15 minutes ★★★★★ - 32 ratingsStoryteller 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 Halloween evening, when Ilyse found herself evangelizing the value of public transit, the Muni gods h...
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