Clean Buses Slow to Arrive in Bay Area (March/April 2000): The California Air Resources Board (CARB) will reconsider allowing bus fleets to delay a change from diesel to alternative fuel until hydrogen fuel cell buses are available. According to a recent report in the San Francisco Chronicle, only 2 agencies in the Bay Area chose to move immediately to alternative fuels, and other agencies have been slow to acquire natural gas vehicles. While agencies which chose to remain with diesel technology argued that cleaner diesel buses could be achieved using upgraded engines, other retrofits and low-sulfur fuel, the diesel industry has not provided the technology to meet California standards, and transit districts have not produced required pollution reduction plans. CARB will vote on the issue again at its meeting in March.
Late-Night Bus Service Expanded (April/May 2001): SamTrans recently added 24-hour service between San Francisco and Palo Alto, more service to East Palo Alto and more frequent service along El Camino Real, continuing improvements to service for riders at non-peak hours. Redi-Wheels will add overnight paratransit service in the El Camino Real corridor. Samtrans has increased the number of bus drivers, operations and maintenance personnel to provide the increased service. For more information: Jayme Maltbie, 650-508-6238.
Car-Sharing Grows in Region (December 2001/January 2002): Hertz has opened a shared-car facility at the Colma BART station, building on its success with its first location at Fremont BART. Participants are guaranteed one of 25 parking spots near the entrance to the BART station. Subscribers have a choice of renting a compact car or an electric Th!nk City vehicle; larger vehicles may also be rented for an additional fee. Monthly rates, which include all maintenance and fuel, range between $300-$350. For more information: Hertz, 877-559-7856 or sfstationcar@hertz.com. CarLink II, the carsharing research program based at the Palo Alto Caltrain station, has been awarded the President's Transportation Award for Intermodal Transportation by the Merican Association of State Highway Transportation Officials. For more information: Jayme Maltbie, Caltrain, 650-508-6238. City Carshare will expand to 15 cars in Oakland at its 24th and Clay location, and 5 cars around Berkeley. For more information: http://www.citycarshare.org.
Correction: In the print version of the December '01/January '02 article "Setting Priorities for New Transit", an incorrect statement read, "A very small portion of the funding apportioned by the RTP (Regional Transportation Plan) is available for transit." It should have read, "A very small portion of the funding apportioned by the RTP is available for new transit expansions ." Nearly 80% of RTP funds go to support transit, but most of the funding is designated for rehabilitation and operation of existing transit, ensuring that new service is not provided at the cost of cutbacks in existing operations. The Monitor regrets the error.