Bus and Rail

Oakland Airport Connector Options Analysis

This report provides an updated and expanded analysis of options for the Oakland Airport Connector. The intent of this report is to inform current discussions on the Oakland Airport Connector through a valid comparison of the four key modal options.

Download Final Report (6.5MB)

Proposed half-billion dollar tram to Oakland Airport threatens Bay Area transit

September 8 Vote is a Chance to Stop the Boondoggle

BART's proposed $500 million Oakland Airport Connector project will not only drop you off in a parking lot rather than the terminal, but is slower and costs six times more per new trip than a more convenient to use option, a new TransForm study shows.

The cost to the taxpayer per new transit trip generated, is $102.74! And the faster option costs $350 million less, all of which can be used instead to support public transportation service that people actually use.

Some of the Bay Area's Metropolitan Transportation Commissioners have expressed concern about BART's proposed project, but not until now have they had proof that the tram is such a poor use of money. Now they know.

Read a 4-page summary of the report.

Get the full report here: Oakland Airport Connector Options Analysis (6.5MB)

The chart below summarizes the findings of the report showing how a "RapidBART" bus alternative compares to the proposed Oakland Airport Connector (OAC). 

OAC and RapidBART Service Comparison Chart

For more information, check out the links below:

BART and MTC are pushing forward with the Oakland Airport Connector, a project that could end up causing fare increases and/or service cuts for the rest of BART riders due to its exorbitant cost and reliance on BART accruing $150 million in new debt.

World-Class Transit Report

In 2000, TransForm released World Class Transit for the Bay Area. The report presented a detailed vision of harnessing the power of our existing transportation infrastructure, including nearly 18,000 miles of roads and 600 miles of rail tracks, to create a system that greatly increases transit ridership.

The timing was perfect. As noted in the the report: "The Bay Area stands on the threshold of a new era of massive transportation investments. Counties throughout the area are now creating transportation sales tax proposals that could be worth over $10 billion, and billions more dollars may come from state legislation and other sources."

Indeed, over the next 4 years Bay Area voters passed $17 billion of new investments as part of county transportation sales taxes and a $1 bridge toll increase. TransForm helped lead joint environmental/social justice campaigns on many of these, as described in our History and Highlights. In total, 75% of the funding, over $12 billion, will help expand and operate the region's public transit systems, with over $1 billion for safe walking and bicycling.

For a detailed account of our effort on the Alameda sales tax as covered in Dr. Robert Bullard's Highway Robbery: Transportation Racism and New Routes to Equity, (when we were known as TALC) click here.

You can read World Class Transit, or to get involved with TransForm's ongoing work to achieve our vision for world-class transit contact Carli Paine.

TransForm's World Class Transit for the Bay Area report and a variety of follow-up reports lay out the case for a transportation system that makes much better use of our existing network, and can help us meet key regional goals cost-effectively.

World Class Transit for the Bay Area

How to build a cheaper, faster, smarter transit system for the Bay Area.
TransForm's seminal report.
download the full report (7.9 MB PDF file)

Executive Summary

The path to World Class Transit lies right in front of our eyes. By harnessing the power of our existing transportation infrastructure, including nearly 18,000 miles of roads and 600 miles of rail tracks, we can create a system that greatly increases transit ridership and decreases congestion within just a few years.

Revolutionizing Bay Area Transit...on a Budget

Creating a state-of-the-art rapid bus network
Outlines a Bus Rapid Transit network that will provide the fastest, lowest-cost way to dramatically improve the speed and quality of public transit in the Bay Area.
download the full report (3.4 MB PDF file)

Executive Summary

The Bay Area faces a growing transportation crisis, including intense traffic congestion and a declining share of trips taken by public transit, bicycle and on foot. In response to this crisis, Bay Area politicians are proposing an estimated $12 billion in new transportation funding sources in the form of sales taxes and bridge toll increases. This massive transportation funding spree will largely lock in the

Overextended

An Analysis of the Economic Uncertainties and Environmental Justice Risks of Extending BART to San Jose
<p> While outdated, this report contains some useful background information that is still relevant today. </p>
download the full report (64k PDF file)

Executive Summary

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission has announced that a "Regional Transit Expansion Policy" (RTEP) for the Bay Area will be developed by August 2001. BART to San Jose is being touted as a likely priority project with a price tag of $3.8 billion.

¡Acceso Ahora!

Spanish version of Access Now! guide.
download the full report (1.6 MB PDF file)

Obtenga un Transporte Justo Para su Comunidad

Trabajos fuera del alcance, sitas perdidas del medico, estudiantes que no pueden llegar a sus clases nocturnas para graduarse. Estos problemas tienen una causa en común: transporte inadecuado. Frecuentemente estas son consecuencias resultando de décadas de decisiones sobre el transporte y desarrollo urbano que fallaron en involucrar adecuadamente a las personas con las necesidades más grandes. En

Access Now!

A Guide to Winning the Transportation Your Community Needs
Inadequate transportation is a major barrier to accessing jobs, education, child care, and health care. This comprehensive guide can help communities throughout the Bay Area to win safer streets and better transit.
download the full report (2.2 MB PDF file)

Contact us for free printed copies of the report.

Transit Connectivity Plan

With buses bogged down in traffic and trains that don't meet up, the Bay Area is losing its chance to become a "transit-first" region. San Francisco's new program, and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's "connectivity study" are showing us a better way.

Transit Connectivity Plan

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) developed a Transit Connectivity Plan that identified the best ways to overcome barriers to transt use in the Bay Area. The plan lays out strategies from timed transfers and convenient connections to a universal fare system.

TransForm is advocating for these recommendations to be implemented, including:

  • Full funding for the Transbay Terminal in San Francisco
  • Advocating for a universal fare card
  • Administering the Bay Area's Safe Routes to Transit grant program

Muni's Transit Effectiveness Project

In San Francisco, Muni has performed a top-to-bottom, data-driven assessment of their transit system to identify ways to make their buses and trains faster, more reliable, and more frequent. Muni's Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP) provides a model that other Bay Area transit agencies should follow.

TransForm is advocating for funding to enabale the region's largest transit agencies to follow Muni's lead and conduct their own comprehensive assessments and improve their services.

With buses bogged down in traffic and trains that don't meet up, the Bay Area is losing its chance to become a "transit-first" region. San Francisco's new program, and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's "connectivity study" are showing us a better way.

Bus Rapid Transit

An Affordable Way to Make Buses Faster and More Reliable

TransForm wants to bring Bus Rapid Transit to the Bay Area to prove how public transportation can be made much faster and more reliable – without costing a lot.

Bus Rapid Transit, with its dedicated lanes, state-of-the-art buses, and other key features, is an affordable way to make bus service much faster and more reliable.

Several Bus Rapid Transit routes are now in the works in the Bay Area, and TransForm is working to engage local communities in shaping these routes in the East Bay and South Bay. Bringing Bus Rapid Transit successfully to the Bay Area is an essential part of TransForm's strategy to create a fast, interconnected regional public transportation network, as outlined in our 2002 report Revolutionizing Bay Area Transit on a Budget.

Read on to learn more about Bus Rapid Transit overall, or click on the links on the right to learn about and get involved TransForm's specific work in the East Bay and South Bay.

About Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is revolutionizing public transportation service around the world by emulating the best features of rail through its use of dedicated bus lanes, traffic signal priority, state-of-the-art buses, and proof-of-payment systems. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is essentially light rail without the tracks - and at a fraction of the cost.

Watch Bus Rapid Transit in Action in this Simulation

Bus Rapid Transit Success Stories from Around the World

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has been highly successful at increasing public transportation ridership, reducing congestion, increasing access for people of all incomes and ages, and improving air quality in many cities throughout the world.

BRT was first implemented in the cities of Curitiba (Brazil) and Bogota (Columbia) and has since spread throughout the world, including Brisbane, Australia, Roen, France, and Los Angeles.

Watch these inspiring video clips about how BRT has improved the environment and quality of life in cities across the globe, plus examples of cities that are planning for BRT to become and integral part of their vision for a more sustainable future.

Bogota, Colombia

Curitiba, Brazil

Los Angeles, CA

Roen, France

San Francisco, CA Planned BRT

Birmingham, Alabama Proposed BRT

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a revolutionary new approach to public transit that offers reliablity, reliability, comfort and flexibility. BRT lines are now being planned for San Francisco, the East Bay, and the South Bay. Learn how we can revolutionize transit.
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