Lured by the possibility of state funding for new transportation projects, regional transportation planners and officials quickly pulled together a package of proposals last month, featuring faster, better bus service. At the March 29 special meeting of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), called to approve the package and send it to the Governor's office for possible funding in the next state budget, participants strolled across the street to view the first of a new fleet of AC Transit luxury express buses for longer commute rides.
While other parts of MTC's Transportation Blueprint for the 21st Century (see March/April 2000 issue) were represented, particularly several commuter rail projects, the "rapid bus" concept was the centerpiece of the package sent to Sacramento. Even the highway funding segment featured HOV lanes and other improvements intended to make buses run more efficiently. The MTC staff report stated, "The principal finding of our Blueprint evaluation report is that the fastest growing parts of the Bay Area are best served by a fleet of express buses operating on the region's expanding network of HOV lanes. The challenge before the region is to build on the successful express bus services offered by Golden Gate Transit and AC Transit into San Francisco and to emulate the more fully developed systems operating in Seattle, Vancouver, and Curitiba, Brazil." The evaluation report rated express or rapid bus programs very high in cost-effectiveness by several standards.
Rapid bus transit (RBT) combines operational and equipment choices to provide riders with a faster, more comfortable trip, creating incentives to use transit rather than drive. Express buses, one version of RBT, characteristically take buses out of mixed-flow traffic, simplify routes, limit stops and offer comfortable buses for longer rides. Typically, RBT systems include some or all of these features:
As noted in the MTC report, two Bay Area transit systems already run some form of RBT service. Golden Gate Transit's service to San Francisco from Marin and Sonoma Counties uses coaches with upholstered, reclining seats and reading lights. On many routes, buses make only a few stops at each end of the route, with a lengthy non-stop segment in between. On the other hand, AC Transit service from the East Bay into San Francisco has used the same coaches as local service, and some routes have full local service at the East Bay end. Some Transbay routes are now taking advantage of new HOV lanes on I-80 to make trip times competitive with driving.
The next steps for AC Transit include the new luxury coaches on express runs, and plans for a new RBT corridor along San Pablo Avenue. The 28 new high-quality inter-city buses, the first of which was demonstrated at the MTC meeting, will be available by May. They will operate on Transbay lines serving El Sobrante, Richmond, Castro Valley, San Leandro, Hayward, San Lorenzo, Newark, Fremont and Union City, as well as the A line from Oakland International Airport to San Francisco. Passengers will find reclining seats, reading lights and power outlets for portable computers, luggage space, and air conditioning. Each bus can accommodate 57 seated passengers and two passengers in wheelchairs.
Along San Pablo Avenue, AC Transit has been working with other agencies, including Caltrans, MTC and the Alameda County Congestion Management Agency, as well as affected cities, to enhance the corridor with a series of improvements to relieve traffic congestion. Recent public meetings have considered AC Transit changes which would increase bus service to every 10 minutes, use signal priority to speed buses through intersections, consolidate some bus lines, move bus stops, and add a limited-stop service. Cities in the corridor are currently reluctant to change parking regulations to facilitate another strategy, a bus-only lane in some portions of the corridor during peak commute hours.
AC Transit buses on I-880 were included in the MTC package sent to the governor. Also included was service by other transit agencies on I-80, including "Superbus" rapid bus service extending from Fairfield to the Bay Bridge using new and existing HOV lanes, connecting to BART at the El Cerrito del Norte station, and ending at the San Francisco Transbay Terminal. This extended-hours service would stop at Park-and-Ride lots along I-80. As part of the RBT system, transfer points called Super Hubs would link bus riders to other transit systems. Service would also be provided between the Vallejo Ferry Terminal and Sacramento.
On Highway 101, express buses would use carpool lanes from Santa Rosa to the Richmond-San Rafael bridge exit on Highway 101, from the San Rafael Transit Center into San Francisco, and from Sonoma County to the Larkspur ferry. Super Hubs would be created in Santa Rosa, San Rafael and Larkspur.
Transbay service would expand bus service across both the San Mateo-Hayward and Dumbarton bridges, using bus bypass lanes at the toll plazas, with connections to Caltrain and BART. Express buses would operate along I-280 on the Peninsula, and through the Santa Clara Valley.
Express bus service was also proposed along I-680 from central Contra Costa County to Santa Clara Valley, serving major business parks in San Ramon and Pleasanton and connecting with the ACE train at a Pleasanton Super Hub. Improved rapid bus service along Highway 4 would feed the Pittsburg-Bay Point BART station, using Park-and-Ride lots located at BART extension station sites. A similar BART feeder service would run along I-580 from the San Joaquin Valley to the Dublin/Pleasanton station, and a new ACE commuter rail connection would be created at Greenville Road near Livermore.
With full state funding for the MTC proposals, approximately $130 million would be spent on capital expenses, including $70 million for high-quality buses. $60 million would be spent on expanded Park-and-Ride lots at strategic locations, and direct HOV access facilities for buses. The proposal included new operating costs of approximately $32 million per year; additional funds would also be needed. It is estimated that by 2020 the system would attract 18,000 riders per day who would otherwise drive.
Several hurdles lie ahead. At the beginning of April, the governor announced his transportation plan, which favored transit and included many projects supported by MTC, but placed less emphasis on cost-effective RBT programs than MTC's package. There are inherent uncertainties in the state budget process, and part of the transportation money proposed by the governor would depend on approval of bonds which would appear on the November ballot. In addition, the MTC package of 39 projects carried a price tag of $3.7 billion, with only $1.6 billion requested from state funds. The remainder would need to be provided from either local or federal funds, which are not guaranteed to be available.
Nevertheless, unified regional support for the MTC proposal should work toward the success of a significant portion of the package in the long run. Meanwhile, individual districts such as AC Transit will continue implementation of rapid bus service, building toward the vision of an express bus network throughout the region.
Leslie Stewart
For more information:
AC Transit: New buses, Jaimie Levin, 510-891-7244; San Pablo corridor BRT, Aena Prakash, 510-891-4792. Website, http://www.actransit.org
MTC Blueprint: Doug Kimsey, 510-464-7794, dkimsey@mtc.ca.gov; http://www.mtc.ca.gov/projects/blueprint/index.htm
Note: All MTC publications, including the Blueprint and Money Matters (see March/April issue) are available from the MTC-ABAG Library, 510-464-7836, online at library@mtc.ca.gov