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How did the chicken cross the road? Well, in San Francisco, it might’ve taken the bus. That’s the feather-brained tale shared by one of the Muni drivers interviewed on Thrillist. And this story? It’s far from your typical, “Oops, I forgot my backpack” day. No, no. This one involves a man, his live chicken, and pure poultry pandemonium.

Now, I’ve been on buses with chickens before. But usually, I’m somewhere like Ecuador or India, where folks hauling livestock on public transport isn’t out of the ordinary. There, the chicken’s more likely to be stashed in a crate or clutched like the family pet. And trust me, no matter how chaotic things get, these passengers are pros at handling their birds. No harm, no fowl.

But that’s definitely not what went down in San Francisco.

According to Tito, a Muni veteran of 20 years, “One summer, a guy brought a live chicken on the bus and he starts throwing the chicken at other passengers.”

Now, that’s some grade-A fowl play if I’ve ever heard it.

So what’s Tito to do? Well, he did what any seasoned bus driver would—he called Central for backup. But instead of help, he got disbelief. “So I called Central and said there’s this guy with a chicken on the bus, what am I supposed to do? And they start laughing.”

Looks like Tito’s poultry predicament wasn’t exactly being taken seriously.

While the dispatcher chuckled away at Tito’s tender moment, the passengers weren’t so cluckin’ amused. By the time Central sent out enforcement to pluck this feathery menace off the bus, the other riders had already forced the man to fly the coop at the next stop.

Talk about an eggs-traordinary commute.

Now, this little Muni misadventure went down in 2016, which just so happened to be when I spent some time living in San Francisco. Backyard chicken flocks were all the rage back then. You couldn’t walk through the Mission without hearing some hipster’s hens clucking away. I just hope this guy didn’t steal his “passenger” from some peace-loving family’s urban farm.

But here’s the kicker: this wasn’t even the weirdest animal Muni drivers dealt with. JC, another driver, had his own bizarre tale. “One guy had a rat,” JC recounted. “I told him, ‘You can’t get on.’ He claimed it was a service rat.”

Now that, folks, might just be the most San Francisco thing I’ve ever heard.

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Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.