Shows
Taken with TransportationHow to MuniIf you're new to San Francisco Muni, using it can feel overwhelming at first. Well, don't worry. Whether you've just moved to the city, are planning to visit and don't want to rent a car or have lived here for some time but haven't taken advantage of all Muni has to offer, we at Taken with Transportation have your back.In this episode, we offer a practical how-to guide for getting around on Muni. Host Melissa Culross speaks with SFMTA Senior Manager of Revenue Collection and Sales Diana Hammons, operators Lynnette Richie and Arnold Gray, station agent...2024-02-2013 minTaken with TransportationBreaking Glass Ceilings Halfway to the Stars26 years ago this month, Fannie Mae Barnes made history when she became San Francisco's first female cable car grip. In this episode of Taken with Transportation, Barnes talks with host Melissa Culross about that experience. The episode also features Willa Johnson, the second female grip.The women discuss what it takes, physically, to be a grip and what it was like to break the glass ceiling that hung over San Francisco's beloved cable cars for more than a century.2024-01-2212 minTaken with TransportationCelebrating Culture and Community on a Cable CarSpecially decorated cable cars climb the hills of San Francisco throughout the year in honor of different communities and cultures. It's one of the ways the SFMTA celebrates the diversity of its staff and of the city. In this episode of Taken with Transportation, host Melissa Culross rides the cars decorated in honor of Filipino American History Month and Native American Heritage Month and talks with Cable Car Division Manager Fred Butler, SFMTA Board of Directors member Lydia So and various agency staffers about the heritage cable car program.2023-11-2711 minTaken with TransportationMore Than a Meter MaidOne of the most misunderstood roles at the SFMTA is that of the parking control officer or PCO. In this episode of Taken with Transportation, host Melissa Culross spends time on the streets of San Francisco with PCOs Scott Ong, Todd Baxter and Ruben Reveles, as well as Parking Enforcement Assistant Director and Captain Kent Chiu, to learn why parking enforcement is essential and what parking control officers do. She discovers that they are much more than just so-called "meter maids."2023-10-2612 minTaken with TransportationTransit Month on MuniSeptember is Transit Month in the Bay Area and Taken with Transportation is celebrating with San Francisco Municipal Railway, or Muni, riders. Host Melissa Culross talks with riders in multiple neighborhoods who use Muni's buses, streetcars and light rail vehicles as their principal means of transportation. Culross also speaks with SFMTA Transit Director Julie Kirschbaum about service improvements and investments the agency is making, as well as Director of Transportation Jeff Tumlin about his favorite Muni line and the first he remembers riding.2023-09-2116 minTaken with TransportationHappy Birthday to a San Francisco TreasureSan Francisco's incredibly popular cable car service turns 150 years old on August 2, 2023. In this episode of Taken with Transportation, host Melissa Culross speaks with San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Market Street Railway president Rick Laubscher, SFMTA cable car maintenance supervisor Dennis Dea, cable car operators Val Lupiz and Derrick Johnson, riders and business owners about the history and mechanics of the cars, as well as the impact they have on their city.2023-07-3113 minTaken with TransportationBringing Everyone on BoardIn this episode host Melissa Culross speaks with longtime (and recently retired) SFMTA Director of Accessible Services Annette Williams and Nicole Bohn, Director of the San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability, about transportation accessibility and the role activism and advocacy have played in making transportation more accessible. July is Disability Pride Month, and this episode celebrates that by highlighting a bit of the work that has been done to break down barriers disabled people have faced over the decades.2023-07-1713 min
Connect the DotsHow Black history continues to be written in real timeIn the latest episode of the “Connect the Dots” podcast, KCBS Radio’s Melissa Culross explores how Black History and its leaders in civil rights movements have informed the past, present and future of activism by hearing from Fredrika Newton, the co-founder and president of the Huey P. Newton Foundation in Oakland; Atlanta City Council member Michael Julian Bond, son of Civil Rights leader Julian Bond; and Justin Scott Douglas of the Black Star Project in Chicago. This episode was written and produced by Lauren Barry, Sydney Fishman and Mallory Somera; edited, mixed and mastered by Mallory Somera...2022-02-2334 min