40, 90, 32. Three busses, 2 hours, and $4.25 just to visit my brother.

I am the Co-Chair of the ACCE (Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment) Riders for Transit Justice. We are an organization of bus riders and drivers that came together last year to take action against the severe cuts to service and fare increases that are currently affecting AC Transit across the Bay Area.

I depend on the bus to get around, and let me tell you, it’s hard. Long waits because of service cuts, crowded busses, increases in fare, and having to take multiple busses to get to my destination are just some of the issues I face. Being a mom of three makes it more difficult. Thousands of AC Transit Riders have a similar story.

In the past, our members attended AC Transit Board Meetings but felt ignored.

That’s why we organized a Transit People’s Hearing last Thursday. AC Transit Board Members Joel Young and Jeff Davis joined 80 ACCE members, allies from St. Mary’s Center, Youth Uprising, Genesis, Urban Habitat, ATU 192, the Ella Baker Center, and other organizations to sign on to recommendations that bus riders had brainstormed. It was empowering when Directors Young and Davis both signed on to support an unlimited transfer, AC Transit Proposal for more funding to sustain service, and creating a MTC (Metropolitan Transportation Commission) seat for Oakland and San Jose. However, we were concerned when they wouldn’t sign our recommendation around keeping the Youth and Senior bus passes affordable.

It was no coincidence that we organized our People’s Hearing on Earth Day Eve. We feel that making bus service affordable and accessible makes it a viable transportation option, which reduces our dependence on foreign oil and reduces greenhouse gases. MTC is spending more than $250 Billion on transportation projects over the next 25 years, but most of it is likely to be slated for freeway expansion. That type of growth does nothing to help the thousands of Californians who rely on public transportation to get around. Nor does it help ensure a brighter environmental future for our state since it forces more people to drive more often. Especially because bus operations funding is being slashed at the same time.

Our work continues. Next week, we plan on attending the Fare Policy Hearing and MTC meetings. And we’ll continue to lift the concerns of riders that we talk to every single day on the AC Transit busses. For more information about how to get involved, please contact Jason at josajima@calorganize.org.