The strange power surges causing BART to shutter service in the East Bay for the second day on Thursday sparked jokes, gripes and generous offers for riders to share seats.
And BART’s social media guru was busier than ever, fielding Twitter questions, and answering them, at times, every two minutes.
On Wednesday night, the Tweet Master was Taylor Huckaby, who tweeted from his own personal account that he felt like the "@neiltyson of transportation right now, except less interesting or impactful," referencing astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.
When one critic said that fixing the trains with “chickenwire and bubblegum” won’t solve the problems, @SFBART started laying out the agency’s financial woes and political aspirations in a series of rapid-fire Tweets. On his own account, Huckaby explained: "The standard gov 'say nothing' stance, whether from risk aversion or an appeal to impartiality, kills public trust in civic institutions."
BART likened the situation to “roof repair. Can patch here and there, but eventually it must be replaced.” And then Huckaby brought up the $3 billion bond BART wants on the ballot this fall.
When riders complained that the agency spends too much, @SFBART responded, “paying employees poorly doesn’t attract talent.”
And then of course, there were folks who simply had time, perhaps on the bus bridges in between the Concord and Pittsburg/Bay Point BART stations, to find 44-year-old news clippings when the BART saw better days, namely when President Nixon compared the trains to NASA.
Generousity also prevailed during the BART service stoppage.
One person reminded riders that no matter the frustration, able-bodied passengers should stay cool and give up their seats for those who might need them more.
