This week, a rider on the 1 California found what appears to be an internal operations note — or possibly just a very public grievance — calling out a certain Demetrius Jackson for allegedly not putting Run 86 into service. The details are hazy. The comedy is not.

As one SF resident put it: "Pouring one out for all the Demetrius Jacksons who are catching strays on this day." Another local quipped that "Demetrius is on track to get a raise" — because, well, this is a government agency we're talking about.

But underneath the jokes is a frustration that every regular rider of the 1 California knows intimately. The line crawls through the Richmond District with stops every three blocks, hitting what feels like a stop sign or red light on more than half the streets along the route. Riders have been begging SFMTA for years to consolidate stops and bring back more express service. The 1X, when it actually shows up, is beloved — but catching it requires the timing of an Olympic sprinter and the faith of a saint.

Here's the thing: whether Demetrius Jackson is a real operator, a scheduling ghost, or just some inside joke among Muni staff, the incident highlights a deeper accountability problem. SFMTA's operating budget is north of $1.4 billion annually. Riders deserve to know why runs don't go into service, why buses bunch instead of spacing out, and why basic route optimization remains an unsolved mystery in 2025.

Nobody's asking for perfection. We're asking for a bus system that functions like it respects people's time. Consolidate the stops. Expand express service. And maybe — just maybe — put Run 86 in service next time.

Demetrius, buddy, you had one job.