June 11 Public Hearings: An Overview
News Articles
05/20/2003
On Wednesday, June 11, the AC Transit Board of Directors will hold public hearings at 3:00pm and 6:00pm to receive comment on proposed service reductions and fare changes. The public hearings will take place at the Scottish Rite Center at 1547 Lakeside Drive in Oakland. See How to Get to Hearings for more information about transportation. Look for printed brochures on all AC Transit buses for more information. Maps are available below.
Read this summary for key points, and to view charts of proposed service changes and fare changes.
For Agency Profiles from AC Transit’s federal National Transit Database Reports for FY 97-01, see charts summarizing finance, fleet and service information:
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Internal Fiscal Controls Put into Place
Proposals are being made in response to sharply declining tax revenues, which have led to projected deficits of $40-$50 million — or about 20 percent of AC Transit’s operating budget — in each of the next few years.
AC Transit has looked to control the deficit without affecting passengers, including: supervisor and administrative lay-offs; a hiring freeze; deferral of capital projects; shifting funds that are usually available only for new buses to pay for operations, and spending from reserves. But even with these measures, AC Transit expects a shortfall of at least $25 million in the fiscal year beginning July 2003. The only remaining options are to increase fare revenue, reduce service, or do a combination of the two.
Ongoing Community Support
Shortfalls would be worse were it not for strong community support AC Transit has received. In the last few years, voters approved Measure B, which increased the percentage of sales tax dedicated to bus transit in Alameda County, and Measure AA, a parcel tax for AC Transit operating funds. Unfortunately, the increased revenues through these measures have not been enough to solve our financial situation.
Fare options would raise between $5.5 million and $8.7 million in additional revenue per year. Proposed service cuts would save about $15 million a year in the areas covered, which exclude Fremont and Newark. A separate public hearing will be held in southern Alameda County to address proposed service reductions there.
Following public hearings, the Board of Directors will review all public comment received in person, and via letter, fax, email, and voicemail. At a subsequent meeting, the Board will decide which fare and service changes will be implemented. Fare changes would likely begin in September 2003, followed by service reductions.
Criteria for Reducing Service
Bus lines proposed for reductions are generally lines with the fewest riders per hour relative to other lines. Highly used “trunk line” service on major corridors such as Broadway, International Blvd., Telegraph Avenue, San Pablo Avenue, Shattuck Avenue, and University Avenue would experience minor schedule changes, at the most. An exception is MacArthur Boulevard,which does have high ridership. Service along this corridor is proposed to change significantly to simplify the route structure and reduce duplicative service.
MacArthur Boulevard Local Service
A restructuring of service is proposed with Eastmont Transit Center serving as the hub. Both options involve the same bus lines, and are closely similar except for the handling of Line 58. Click links below to see maps for each option:
Option A
- Line 57 Would operate every 12 minutes between Eastmont Transit Center and the Emeryville Public Market via Shellmound Street.
- Line 58 Would be discontinued. Passengers bound for downtown Oakland would take the restructured all-day line NL.
- Line 61 Would operate from the Oakland Airport to Coliseum BART and Eastmont Transit Center, and then east on MacArthur Boulevard, terminating at Bay Fair BART. Service would run every 15 minutes between Coliseum BART and Estudillo Avenue, and every 30 minutes between the Oakland Airport and Bay Fair BART.
- Line NL Would operate along MacArthur Boulevard, beginning at Eastmont Transit Center, to 20th Street and Broadway via Grand Avenue, and then to San Francisco. Service would operate every 15 minutes, carry both local and TransBay passengers, and make limited stops.
Option B
- Line 57 Same as Option A
- Line 58 Would operate from Eastmont Transit Center to Oakland Amtrak and Jack London Square, and make limited stops.
- Line 61 Same as Option A
- Line NL Same as Option A, but operate during commute hours only
How to Get to Hearings
Hearings will be held in Oakland at the Scottish Rite Center located at 1547 Lakeside Drive near 17th Street. Lines 82/82L and 13 operate nearby on 14th Street. Line 59/59A operates nearby on Jackson Street. (Line 82/82L runs 24 hours a day, while lines 13 and 59/59A run until approximately 7:00pm).
A free bus shuttle will operate to and from 14th Street and Broadway to the Scottish Rite Center every 15 minutes, between 2:30pm and the conclusion of the public hearings. Board the shuttle on 14th Street on the west side of Broadway (near The Gap).
How to Comment
Individuals, organizations, and agencies may submit comments on the proposed service and fare changes in a number of ways:
- Speak at one of the public hearings
- Submit written comments at one of the public hearings
- Submit written comments by 6:00pm, June 11:
- by mail to AC Transit Board of Directors
- 1600 Franklin Street, Oakland, CA 94612
- by fax to (510) 891-4874
- by email to planning@actransit.org
- by mail to AC Transit Board of Directors
- Leave your comments in a voicemail message by 6:00pm, June 11 by calling (510) 891-4854