Transit Times Volume 6, Number 10

8/9/2019 Transit Times Volume 6, Number 10

1/5

For the Good of Your CommunityVol. 6 No. 10 OAKLAND, FEBRUARY 1964

Passengers Offered free Riding withNovel Downtown Shop-a-Round PassA new transit pass which will offerdowntown shoppers unlimited free riding

during the middle of the day, will be introduced by AC Transit March 2 indowntown Oakland.

The special pass, believed by transitofficials here to be the nrst of its kind inthe nation, will be tried for four months.I f it proves successful, the "Shop-a -RoundPass" could be introduced in other majorshopping areas of the East Bay.Although of prime interest to shoppers,the pass also can be used by downtownworkers for business or luncheon trips.I t also offers unlimited possibilities forvisitors on recreational and social tripsor persons keeping appointments.Besides unlimited free riding in thecentral district between 9 a.m. and 3p.m., the pass will be good for the returnbus trip home, provided it is used beforethe 3 p.m. deadline. Passes will be goodonly on the date sold.Regular Fare

This is the way the plan will work:Passengers will pay the regular inbound fare to reach the business dishict.Once downtown, the patron can buy thepass on any bus during the designatedtime period for 25 cents or a 20-cent ACTransit token. Youngsters from nvethrough 16 can buy the pass for 10 cents.The pass thereafter is good for ridinganywhere, on any bus, in the central areabounded by Jack London Square, Grove

St., Grand Ave., and Lake Merritt andFallon St.For shoppers who drive downtown,

rather than take the bus, they can parktheir cars only once and then buy a"Shop-a-Round Pass" for unlimited freebus travel about the central business andretail district. AC Transit operates 937bus schedules through the area duringthe pass period.Inexpensive Transit

The pass will be punched by operatorseach time it is used to prevent any confusion over date, boundaries or hours.The plan was devised by W. E. Robinson, the district's superintendent ofscheduling, as a simple way of providinginexpensive business district transit with

out the extra operational expense andslower service of special shopper shuttlebuses-which have proven unsuccessfulhere in the past.

General Manager K. F. Hensel said theplan is expected to pay its own waysince no additional equipment will be required. Buses currently operate past 14thSt. and Broadway, as an example, at anaverage frequency of 90 seconds providing fast service without waiting.

Passes will be sold Monday throughSaturday and will be pink, with blue,green and black overprinting. They willfeature a photo of Lake Merritt and thedowntown Oakland skyline.


2/5

Bettencourt Named to Bay CommissionWilliam J. Bettencourt of San Leandro ,whose two-year term as president of the

board of directors helped launch the district on its program of expansion and

W. J. Bettencourt

gains, has been appointed to represent AC Transit onthe important BayAr ea Transportation Study Com mission.William H. Colburn, Jr., of Berkeley, vice presidentof the board and

another veteran transit leader, wasnamed as alternate.

The 37-member commission has beenset up by the State Legislature to study

New Employees JoinAC Transit Workers

New workers employed by AC Transitduring January included:

Emeryville DivisionBus Operators: M. D. Holden, 1640 5thAve., Oakland; T. E. Crable, Sr., 2422 8thAve., Apt. 23, Oakland; C. E. Lack, 1414Pacific Ave., Alameda; C. G. Mazuca ,2599 61st Ave., Apt . 6, Oakland; ClydeMallard, 121 Cain St., San Francisco.Richmond DivisionBus Operators: V. H. Guerra, 5233Columbia St., Apt. 2, Richmond; T. E.Swanson, Jr., 1907 Costa Ave., Richmond; J. L. Brilz, 1412 Castro Ave. , Richmond; R. E. Wampler, 5703-A San PabloDam Rd ., EI Sobrante.

Seminary DivisionMaintenance: R. T. Abraham, 7408Spencer St., Oakland; Donald F. Getz,938-B East 23rd St., Oakland, service em ployees.Bus Operators: J. F. Giambrone, 780W. Sunset St., Hayward; J. W . Smith, Sr.,1276 99th Ave. , Oakland .2

transportation problems affecting the Bayarea and to prepare master regionaltransit plans, including ways and meansof implementing their recommendations.The commission also will study publicagencies dealing with transportation anddevelop suggestions for possible reorganization or realignment of their responsibilities.Bettencourt, a San Leandro businessexecutive, stepped down in January,1963, as president of the transit board,

bu t remains as a director.Express Line ExtendedTo Serve San leandro

Additional commuters will receivelimited stop service starting March 2through extension of Express Line 34-MacArthur Blvd. from its 76th Ave . terminal to Estudillo Ave., in San Leandroduring the peak hours.

With the extension, commuters usingLines 40 and 43 will no longer need totransfer to the express at 76th Ave.Coinciding with the extension, frequency of operations on Lines 40 and43 will be reduced, with one bus eliminated every two hours.

The adjustment, effective along the entire route, has resulted from a shift inintercity riding habits from the l o c a l l i n ~ s to faster express service.Another New Record

Drivers at the Emeryville divisionsqueeked by their safety goal in Januarywith 12,516 miles per accident, 66 milesover the "bogey" of 12,450. The operatorsbeat all records in 1963 by topping thegoal nine times and are out for an unbeatable record of 12 wins in 1964.

The Richmond division also got in onthe coffee and doughnut treat in Januarywith a record of 13,821 miles per accident.

AC / transit PASSENGER REVENUE ... COMPARISON WITH PREVIOUS YEAR1.160.0001.140.0001.120.0001.100.0001.080.0001,060.0001.040,0001.020 ,0001,000.000

980.000960.000940.000920.000900.000880,000860.000

.0".I:::; J[1\ 11J1\ ,\, \\

Z, IDLI.I.....

'I

"'/

, r.....-' ;

'\ Iv'

,III""

I

LI.IZ:::l.,

....1 /

IP

Boosted by holiday shopping, passenger revenuemoved back into its estimated pattern during December, showing a gain of 5.45 per cent over the samemonth a year ago. Total passenger revenue for Decembe r was $1 ,092,585.

The number of riders similarly showed a matchingincrease, with 4,505,138 riders carried during themonth. Commute book sales were up 7 per cent, ascompared to December, 1962, totaling $158,608. Incomparison to December two years ago, commute salesincreased 13.3 per cent.Oakland department store sales picked up in the lat

ter part of the month, showing an overall increase of 4per cent for the four-week period ending December 28.

AC Transit's total i ncome of $1,287,407 was sufficientto cover operating expenses of $1,064,009-up over 4per cent-plus equipment renewal and bond debtservice.

&.7 r .4I IIII \ rY..rt ,I "'" ;::::"" "-1963- 1962

- 1961

DECEMBERPASSENGERS

I

Percentage Changefrom Previous Year

Miles of scheduled service were 1,920,482, an in- _ AC TRANSITcrease of 67,159 miles over December, 1962. _ U. S. TRANSIT INDUSTRY3


3/5

INFORMATION-Mrs. RoyWilliams, calling from herhome at 1337 McBrideLane, Hayward, for busdata, has a pleasant surprise. She can dial directto Transit Information, tollfree.

Automation Streamlines Bus InformationA new telephone system is giving information customers and employees the

same streamlined service provided busriders, with the district's "trademark" ofspeed, directness, convenience.Information calls, which have pouredinto switchboards at a rate reaching 2000daily, are now being handled with in

creased efficiency through installation ofa "Automatic Call Distributing System."First of its model in northern Califor

nia and only the second one in the State,the new ACDS allows 2,000,000 residentsin a 285 square mile area to make toll-

SPIDERWEB-Wires form a majorpart of district's new "AutomaticCall Distributing System," whichprovides faster and more efficientservice for information callers.System is so new it still presentsproblems to veteran telephoneinstaller Edward Shanahan.

4

free calls direct to the Transit Information bureau .Calls for purposes other than bus information are handled through the customary switchboard with the number of654-7878. In changing its antiquated telephone system, th e district also addedlines so employees are directly connectedwith other divisions an d executive officesand can make inter-office or outside callswithout switchboard assistance.

The ACDS by-passes the switchboardand deals out incoming calls to th e firstavailable attendant. I f all are busy, the

NEW CENTER-All calls for bus information are funneled into center, above, atEmeryville division, where ACDS takesover, distributing work load. Consolekeeps Supervisor Zada Maliriak informedon calls. Attendant Imogene Smith, shownat right, finds she can answer customerquestions more efficiently.mechanical "brain box" stacks up calls inapproximate order, gives th e customer arecorded assurance after 20 seconds ofwaiting, an d holds the calls for the firstfree clerk.

At the same time, the ACDS keeps arecord of what's going on-including thenumber of calls received an d from where;the number of customers who find linesbusy; the number wh o phone, wait andhang up. These statistics help in scheduling working hours and in determiningefficiency of service, including whetherbureau has a sufficient number of trunklines.A glance at the "control panel" alsotells Zada Malinak, supervisor of PBXand Information, which operator is busy,which one is free. I f the panel shows five. or six calls waiting, then she "goes towork," taking one of the positions toanswer questions.

The system is set up so if a caller hasto wait as long as 35 seconds, th e switchboard operator cuts in to repeat a "live"

announcement that lines are still busy .The ACDS handles 26 trunk lines,serving the East Bay district and SanFrancisco. Seven operators, working overa 16 hour period, are able to handle all

calls-quicker, easier and with less tension. They also are automatically notifiedwhere the call is coming from, so theywill be prepared with "point of origin"knowledge.

5


4/5

Study Finds Hydrofoils UnpracticalFor Transhay Commuting OperationsAn engineers study has ruled out theuse of hydrofoil or other special water

craft for practical transit purposes incrossing San Francisco Bay-at least forthe time being.

The report found the use of displacement craft in the bay "undesirable" because of high costs, crowded harbor conditions and uncertain weather-particularly fog.Although transbay commuters presently are getting a better deal by stickingto district buses and the Bridge in crossing the Bay, the study recognized futuredevelopments might reduce costs towhere water craft would be of transitvalue.

The report, made by the engineeringfirm of De Leuw, Cather & Company atthe request of the district, found a watercrossing would cost at least $1 per person, compared to current bus commutefares of 43 cents.

Total travel time by hydrofoil betweenOakland and San Francisco was estimated at 31 minutes, including the tripto Jack London Square by bus fromdowntown Oakland, plus loading and unloading passengers from the craft.

The comparable trip by bus on the ACTransit "A" line takes 23 minutes .Committees Named

Ray H. Rinehart, Piedmont certifiedpublic accountant who was named to theAC Transit board of directors last April,will serve during the coming year aschairman of the directors' finance committee.

Other directors who served as committee chairmen last year and will continuein the same posts during 1964 include E.Guy Warren of Hayward, committee onproject development, and William J. Bettencourt of San Leandro, committee onpersonnel and public relations.6

Frequent fogs, movement of other vessels, the probable necessity of cautiousoperations in certain areas, could be expected to add to the time of a crossingand affect regularity of service, th e engineers reported.

They found craft could not be expected to operate at more than 30 milesan hour, because of crowded conditions.To maintain a minimum schedule, threevessels would be needed, of a type whichcruises at 32 miles an hour, carries 22passengers and costs $132,000 each.Operating and maintenance expenseswere estimated at $266,000 annually.Hydrofoils, operating on a 16-minuteheadway, would be able to make 10 tripsacross the bay between the 4 p.m. and6: 24 p.m. peak hours, carrying a total of220 people, according to the engineers.Line A buses, during th e same period,currently make 14 trips, with a capacityof 714 riders.

IN MEMORIAMPeter S. Clemens, 83, who entered service in 1911 and worked as a street caroperator out of Central car house, diedon January 10. Mr. Clemens lived at 1514

Havenscourt Blvd., Oakland, and waspensioned in 1945.Also reported was the death of SewellE. Berkheimer, 83, of 8 Chester Dr., EastNorthport, N.Y., a fellow street car operator, who went to work in 1919 and waspensioned in 1948. He died December 24.James E. Cook, 75, of 3811 Ruby St.,Oakland, former maintenance worker at

the Oakland yards, died December 31.He went to work in 1922 and retired in1953.

Martin J. Hughes, 60, former bus operator, who lived at 1428 Alice St., Oakland, died January 28. He went to workin 1927 and was pensioned in 1960.

It All Started WithGuppies; Workers NowShare Trophy HonorsBy Virginia Dennison

If it seems like a long way betweentropical fish and the skills of mechanic"A"-you don't know guppies.

It was the guppy, a tiny type of minnow which bears its young alive, that"hooked" two mechanics at the Seminarydivision into raising tropical fish .

Fo r both, it's a family project, on theirpart, as well as that of the fish. It's alsoresulted in trophies, ribbons an d inevitably, a lot af aquariums.

The fish, who range in size from oneinch to three, might seem of odd contrastto Wayne R. West, of 1268 136th Ave.,San Leandro, a tall, husky, ex-field service engineer from a construction equipment firm.

But West, mechanic in the Seminarybody shop, has a strong feeling for familypermanence, strong enough to give up atraveling job to go to work for AC Transitand also strong enough to abandon, as aprofession, another specialty-cooking.This he does now just for fun - andlucky is his wife at dinner time.

Wayne, his wife, Eleanor, and theirtwo children, Randal, 13, an d Carol, 11 ,

FANCY FINS-Seminary division mechanicWayne West, left, holds top trophy hon-ors for collection of tropical fish. Fellowworker Lee Roy Bixler, below, also shareshobby and winning of trophies.

became interested in tropical fish afterMrs. West bought some guppies.They progressed from live bearing fishto egg-laying fish and additional varieties, including the colorful, fighting Siamese fish.The West family, which concentrates

now on improving strains, has 20 to 25aquariums and "innumerable jars." Theyalso have enough show ribbons "to papera room" and a collection of trophies,added to recently by Mrs. West who tookth ree top prizes at the Eden AquariumSociety exhibit.A fellow society member and pastpresident, Lee Roy Bixler, veteran maintenance mechanic, and his wife, Ruby, of2046 San Antonio Ave., Alameda, alsowere "captured" when they took care of aneighbor's guppies ten years ago.

They now have 50 tanks "running outof our ears," with fish swimming everyplace, except in the kitchen sink. Theyalso have trophies an d a rewarding com mon interest. Fish, it seems , are fun!

7


5/5

ACTIONS OF THE BOARDAt an adjourned regular meeting, Jan

uary 22, 1964, the Board of Directors: Approved service adjustment onLines 40 and 43, extension of ExpressLine 34 and inauguration of special service to United States Coast Guard Base onGovernment Island, on motion of Director Warren.

Authorized experimental trial ofspecial shopping pass in downtown Oakland, on motion of Director McDonnell. Declared intention of the Board thatany adjustment in the compensation ofthe General Manager currently underconsideration will be retroactive to January, 1964, on motion of Vice PresidentCoburn.

At the regular meeting, February 12,1964, the Board of Directors: Authorized district participation inregional meeting of American Transit Association in Los Angeles, April 5-8 , onmotion of Vice President Coburn. Approved construction of passengershelter in Parchester Village, on motionof Director Berk.

TRANSIT TIMESPublished month ly by th eALAMEDACONTRA COSTA TRANSIT DISTRICTLatham Square Building. 508 Sixteenth StreetO,kI,.' '54.""

BOARD OF DIRECTORSROBERT M. COPELAND ., PresidentDirector at LargeWILLIAM H. COBURN, JR. Vice PresidentWard IRAY H. RINEHARTWILLIAM E. BERK JOHN McDONNELL .WM . J. BETIENCOURT .E. GUY WARREN

Director at LargeWard IIWard II IWard IVWard VADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS

KENNETH F. HENSEL . General ManagerROBERT E. NISSET . AttorneyJOHN F. LARSON. Treasurer-ControllerGEORGE M. TAYLOR. . . . SecretaryALAN L. BINGHAM Public Information Manager1_____________ __ - - - - - - - - - - ~

Appointed Director Bettencourt torepresent District on Bay Area Transportation Commission, and Vice PresidentCoburn to serve as alternate, on motionof Director Berk.

Bus Service Started To Coast Guard BaseBus service to the U.S. Coast Guard

Station on Government Island was inaugurated this month, giving the Alamedabase its first public transportation since itwas established 38 years ago.By extending several schedules on thetransbay Line A, recruits and station personnel are provided with direct serviceto Oakland and San Francisco.

TRANSIT TIMESAlameda-Contra Costa Transit DistrictLatham Square BuildingOakland 12, California

Return Requested

Some 600 recruits are regularly assigned to the station, which is the recruitand reserve training center for the western half of the United States.

In addition to special week-end "liberty" service for the recruits, morningand evening trips were scheduled duringthe week for personnel regularly attached to the station.

BULK RATEU.S. POSTAGEPAID

Permit No . 2105Oakland, Calif.

Documents

Transit Times Volume 6, Number 10