I was away for a few days, and came back to this letter in my email:
May I extend the invitation below to your neighborhood? I am a Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley, and we are working on an innovative, smartphone-based research study to improve Muni. We are going to start next week, and it involves a free Muni pass for anybody who participates! I would greatly appreciate it if you could help us get the word out about this study, and perhaps via a mailing list you maintain or the blog?
Thank you very much!
Andre Carrel, Ph.D. Candidate, University of California, Berkeley
I don’t know how many spots they have, or how long it will take to fill up – but here it is:
Subject: Free Muni pass for a month!
Dear San Francisco Resident,
Would you like to receive a free Muni pass and help improve transportation in San Francisco?
The University of California, Berkeley invites you to participate in the San Francisco Travel Quality Study. This is an innovative, smartphone-based study in which you can give direct feedback to improve Muni. Whether you are a driver who is tired of traffic, parking hassles, and $4 gas, or a Muni rider who would like to tell us about your experiences, we want to hear from you! For more information, and to apply, please visit:http://sftravelstudy.berkeley.edu
Help improve your city, reduce congestion, and help the environment.
Hurry! Limited slots are available and will fill quickly.
Please forward this opportunity to anyone you know who might be interested in participating.
Sincerely,
Andre Carrel, Ph.D. student, UC Berkeley
On a different, slightly-related, topic: Did you know that Muni buses are watching you? Among the notes on the side of the vehicle is this one: “WARNING”/ YOUR PICTURE AND VOICE/ MAY BE RECORDED ON THIS VEHICLE
FOREST KNOLLS NEIGHBORHOOD 
“This is an innovative, smartphone-based study in which you can give direct feedback to improve Muni.” THIS IS UNCLEAR LANGUAGE. Is the study itself done on a smartphone? Must one have a smartphone to participate?
Hi, this is Andre, the student who is conducting the study. I apologize for it being unclear. Yes, one must have a smartphone to participate; the study that will begin this month uses an Android app to present the surveys to participants. iPhone users have the option of adding themselves to a mailing list for a potential future iPhone-based study that might be conducted early next year (if resources permit). If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me! You can find the contact form on the study website: http://sftravelstudy.berkeley.edu