Passenger Bus, Rail and Motorcoach Industry News

Fare will not be raised by 15 cents on July 1, as initially planned. Staff is also exploring potential changes, including lowering the basic adult fare to $2, eliminating transfers and moving to a pay-per-boarding system and introducing a day pass, to increase ridership and revenue.

With the successful passage of the referendum, the new Class Pass program will begin fall 2013 and end spring 2020. Class Pass is the brand name at UC Berkeley of AC Transit’s EasyPass program.

It is the first step toward upgrading a fleet of nearly 700 buses by opting to buy as many as 300 American-made buses over the next two years to replace aging, less dependable vehicles.

May focus its service in key ‘trunk’ corridors with the greatest potential for increasing ridership and reducing congestion.

New performance and management strategies have taken hold over the past year, cutting expenses, boosting workforce efficiency and winning approval from the AC Transit board of directors.

Presented with the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award, the highest environmental honor in the state of California, for building the most comprehensive hydrogen fuel cell demonstration program in the country. Its zero-emission fuel cell buses achieve nearly double the fuel economy of conventional buses.

Once in service the vehicles will account for 18% of AC Transit's 60-foot articulated fleet. Production of the buses is anticipated to begin in March 2013 , with delivery expected by August 2013.

In April, the board of directors approved the $150 million project, which runs from the San Leandro Bay Area Rapid Transit District through downtown Oakland.

The incident occurred at approximately 2:15 a.m. when a blaze in a building under construction near the West Oakland Station damaged electrical and communications systems on the elevated BART tracks and forced the transit agency to cancel Transbay service just hours before the start of the morning commute.

With construction expected to begin in 2014, the system could be fully operational by 2016.