As San Francisco braces for a wholesale gutting of its bus system, AC Transit is contemplating similar cuts in the East Bay.
A new proposal would eliminate a dozen lines that cross through Alameda and Contra Costa counties, including the popular 72 bus that runs on San Pablo Ave. and the 67 bus that carries people to Tilden Park. Other lines could be shortened or served by fewer buses.
Between 15 to 30 percent of service could be slashed, a drastic measure to staunch financial wounds caused by the coronavirus. Once shelter-in-place orders took effect, the transit agency saw 72% of riders peel away — so buses that normally carried 189,000 weekday passengers dropped to 53,000, according to a May 29 staff report. Social distancing rules prevented bus operators from collecting fares. The agency stood to lose $5 million a month in foregone fares, and up to $80 million from dwindling sales tax revenues.
Still, transit activists and commuters were stunned by the proposed bus line cuts, which are scheduled for discussion during Wednesday’s board of directors meeting. The plan would come up for a vote next year.
“I’ve had people contacting me saying ‘I’m disabled, and they’re going to cut my line,’” said Darrell Owens, a housing and transit advocate in Berkeley. Owens doesn’t drive, so he relies on the bus to go grocery shopping or visit family. Last week he founded the group East Bay Transit Riders, partly out of anger that AC Transit had halted bus service at 7:30 p.m. during the George Floyd protests to comply with county curfews.
“A lot of retail workers at my local Safeway were stranded when they got off work and no buses were running,” Owens said.
AC Transit runs 158 bus lines, including 33 Transbay lines to San Francisco and the Peninsula and six all-nighters. The ones it may cut either suffer from low demand or have redundant service. For instance, three buses trace the 72 route — the 72, 72 M and rapid 72 R.
The cuts, while painful, could be a lifeline for the transit system. Staff estimate the 15 % reduction could save $42.4 million annually, assuming it costs $140 to operate a bus for an hour. By doubling that reduction to 30%, AC Transit could save $84.7 million annually.
“This is inevitable,” said Randy Rentschler, legislative director for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which manages bridge tolls and funds transportation projects throughout the Bay Area. “It happened with Muni, it’s happening with AC Transit. It’s going to happen with every single transit operator throughout the Bay Area. The question is when will they do it, and how deep will the cuts be.”
AC Transit will have to figure out whether its main priority is serving commuters who pack buses to cross the Bay Bridge, or shoring up a neighborhood bus that serves a few people who really need it, Rentschler said.
Owens hopes for sweeping policy changes, like raising real estate transfer taxes or expanding parking meter hours to fund transit. But those ideas take time to implement, and would likely meet resistance. It’s unclear whether Congress will pass any more stimulus packages to bolster public services, such as transit.
In the meantime, Rentschler said, “you have to maintain a system that you can afford to operate.”
Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan
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AC Transit could cut 30% of bus service in East Bay as revenue sinks - San Francisco Chronicle
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