#ac transit

“transbay terminal, 1965” (2019) 25’x9’ by amos goldbaum. 

ride the bus across the bay bridge in the 1960s.

“Initially, the lower deck of the Bay Bridge was dedicated to the Key System commuter rail, trucks and buses. After the Key System was abandoned and the state removed the rail tracks from the bridge, planners dedicated a lane for buses and designated additional lanes to get buses through the toll plaza.”

“AC Transit’s $216 million bus rapid transit project through Oakland and San Leandro begins service today, Sunday 09 August. 

The new Tempo line takes riders to/from Oakland’s Uptown district and the San Leandro BART station. The new rapid buses will zip for most of the 9.5-mile route along a corridor of dedicated bus lanes running down International Boulevard (fka East 14th Street), stopping at dozens of gleaming new canopied stations along the way.

“The Tempo line buses are wrapped in a purple and blue livery that looks nothing like the other coaches in AC Transit’s typically green and white fleet.

“With no car traffic in the dedicated lanes, plus frequent service and technology that gives buses priority for green lights (transit signal priority, TSP), the system is meant to function more like a sleek light rail line, saving riders time and, supporters say, making Tempo a more appealing option than driving.

“Buses will arrive every 10 minutes between 6am and 7pm, and every 15 minutes from 7pm to midnight. Early morning service on the 24-hour line will run every 30 minutes on weekends, and hourly on weekdays.

“Passengers will pay their fare at the bus stop—each station will have Clipper card readers and ticket machines—then step onto the long, articulated coaches from the middle or rear doors, rather than the front door. AC Transit says it will have fare inspectors come around to ensure riders have proof of payment. 

To celebrate the start of the line, and make up for the construction delay, AC Transit won’t charge fares to ride the new rapid buses until 08 Nov. After that, Tempo riders will be charged the usual local AC Transit fare, which is $2.25 for an adult with a Clipper card.”

the airline industry (private) has been nearly guaranteed a bailout from the federal government, but there is no agreement yet on providing funding to protect and stabilize our public transit agencies.

“On March 16, 2020 the California State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 89 and Senate Bill 89, which are now awaiting the Governor’s signature. This funding would authorize $500 million immediately and up to $1 billion in total to be used at the Governor’s discretion with the purpose of providing assistance related to the impacts of COVID-19.

“On 17 March 2020, the “shelter in place” order began in nearly every county in the Bay Area. This order assumes that public transit will still be available for those requiring “Essential Travel,” which includes critical business and government functions. This means that even during the most extreme social distancing measures, our region needs safe, functioning and reliable public transit.

Given our current conditions, that is not possible without additional funding.

“In the first week of social distancing (March 9-15), every public transit agency saw precipitous drops in ridership:

BART saw a 24%-61% drop in ridership, adding up to approximately $5 million in revenue lost

Muni averaged approximately 35-50% drop in ridership and $1 million in revenue lost

Caltrain saw a 75% drop in ticket sales, correlating with the drop in ridership

AC Transit, VTA, and other agencies have seen similar drops

Transit operators have no idea how long the COVID-19 crisis will last, or even how long shelter in place orders will remain in effect.

Therefore, we call on the California Legislature, Governor Gavin Newsom, and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to urgently prioritize the following as part of the recently-passed bills to provide emergency funding:

Allocate state funding, particularly that made available by AB89 and SB89, for Bay Area public transit operators, with a focus on transit operations and fare recovery for transit operators with high farebox recovery rates, and

Ensure guidelines for state and federal pass-through funding is eligible for transit operators.

Sign the petition to call for our regional institutions and state government to support public transit, its riders and operators with emergency fiscal stimulus as quickly as possible.”