Melissa Culross

California, San Francisco

Public Relations Officer at SMFTA

Host at Taken with Transportation Podcast

Storyteller focused on SF transit and host of the Taken with Transportation podcast. Former @KCBSRadio reporter-anchor. Hobbyist singer. @BrownUniversity alum.

Featured in: Favicon

sfmta.com

cbsnews.com Favicon

audacy.com Favicon

truthnetwork.com

Articles

Pedal Power: Celebrating Bike to Wherever Day

4 days ago | sfmta.com | Melissa Culross

Some people love to bike, like Lisa Charlebois, whom we met one recent morning at Brecks, a café in the Inner Richmond. If Charlebois can’t pedal somewhere, she’ll hop on Muni to get there. She hopes Bike to Wherever Day can inspire more people to try biking. “For me, it’s a part of my everyday life, but it would be great if people could see that biking can be a very viable and realistic way of getting yourself to wherever you need to go” Charlebois said. “It doesn’t have to just be recreation.
Mother’s Day Special: Moms Who Keep Us Moving

1 week ago | sfmta.com | Melissa Culross

We’ve put together a special Mother’s Day episode of our Taken with Transportation podcast. “Moms Who Keep Us Moving” showcases seven women with the agency. One of those women is Director of Transportation Julie Kirschbaum. “We have a lot of incredible SFMTA employees that are raising families,” she says in the episode. “Some on their own, some with a village.”Kirschbaum has two kids, both of whom ride Muni.
Celebrating Climate Week Every Week of the Year

3 weeks ago | sfmta.com | Melissa Culross

We want to make electric vehicle charging more accessible in San Francisco. So, along with SF Environment, Public Works and the Public Utilities Commission, we’re bringing charging the curb. We are starting to create a network of charging stations at parking spaces throughout the city. That’s in addition to the charging stations in our garages. This pilot program will make it more convenient for people who drive EVs to charge in San Francisco.
San Francisco State Broadcasting Students Create Muni-Focused Traffic Reports

1 month ago | sfmta.com | Melissa Culross

Muni recently became an even more important transportation option. SF State used to have a dedicated shuttle that ran between campus and Daly City BART. However, that shuttle was discontinued last year. So, students, faculty and staff who take BART now count on the 28, 28R, 57 and 58 buses to get to the Daly City station. And through the Gator Pass transit program, SF State students can use their student ID to ride public transit, including Muni.
Uninterrupted Mobile While You’re Mobile: Cellular Service Comes to Muni Metro

1 month ago | sfmta.com | Melissa Culross

Our riders regularly use mobile phones to work, check in with friends and family and get news and information no matter where they are. So now, they don’t have to worry about losing connection while they’re underground on Muni. All of this supports and improves our customer experience. Providing cell service underground also will help us generate revenue. This is another part of our partnership with BART.
The 2025 Safe Driver Awards: Honoring Our Safety Superheroes

2 months ago | sfmta.com | Melissa Culross

More than 800 of our operators have met the safe driving standard for at least one year. We thank them all for their service. The Warriors donated special jerseys at the 2024 Safe Driver Awards. Superheroes drive among usOur operators keep Muni moving. They are an essential part of the agency, and they are invaluable to the San Franciscans who depend on public transit to get to work, school, medical appointments and other important destinations. And our customers recognize their dedication.
Introducing the Muni Funding Working Group

Oct 15, 2024 | sfmta.com | Melissa Culross

Janelle Wong, Interim Executive Director of San Francisco Transit Riders We are working to secure funding for all our operations, including safe infrastructure that supports people who bike and roll. More than just MuniEven though this group is called the Muni Funding Working Group, the policy options it recommends will not only affect Muni. Our projected budget shortfalls impact the entire agency. So, any solutions will also impact the entire agency.
San Francisco and the SFMTA Celebrate Juneteenth

Jun 14, 2024 | sfmta.com | Melissa Culross

Juneteenth is a time to celebrate culture, resilience, freedom and joy, particularly for Black Americans. With homemade pom poms in hand, dozens of agency staffers and their families took part in the San Francisco Juneteenth Parade on June 8. Plus, Mayor London Breed rode with us in a motorized cable car. Here’s what we’re saying about Juneteenth:Domenica Henderson, member of the SFMTA Board of Directors.
Career of a Lifetime: From Childhood Cable Car Rider to Cable Car Grip

May 29, 2024 | sfmta.com | Melissa Culross

Grip Jose Macasocol with Cable Car 12 at the Cable Car Barn in Nob Hill. Some people might assume that only tourists ride cable cars, but we know that locals use them, too. In fact, the easiest way for young Jose Macasocol to get to Spring Valley Elementary School in the late 90s was by cable car. “It was more convenient because the buses were always full,” the now 33-year-old cable car operator, or grip, explained.
Paying Our “Fare” Share: Fare Compliance and Enforcement on Muni

May 10, 2024 | sfmta.com | Melissa Culross

Tapping a Clipper card is one of the many ways to pay to ride Muni. Maybe this has happened to you: You board Muni and tap your Clipper card or pay your cash fare, but lots of other people get on without doing the same. We understand how frustrating it is to see people appear to cheat the system and ride for free. However, most people who don’t tap the Clipper card reader or pay at the fare box aren’t doing anything wrong. At the same time, fare evasion has increased over the last few years.