| My message is simple: I will focus on nuts and bolts, bread and butter matters. Clean buses with courteous drivers. Expanded use of satellite GPS technology to improve on-time bus service. Preserve neighborhood bus lines, as well as main lines. I am an urban planner by profession, a Councilman, and, I am a bus rider. I ask for your vote. |
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| Tony Responds to Positive E-Mail: "Thank you. My focus on basic issues of concern to bus riders, believe it or not, has a 'rhyme and reason.' If you go to the California State Controller's web-site, you will see years and years of AC Transit's operating revenue data (as well as expenditures). Throughout the 1990s (and into year 2001, I believe), bus passenger revenues amounted to roughly 24% of operating revenues (even before the height of the dot.com economy), although in the last several years, it's been around 17% and 18%. If AC's operating revenue today was 22% to 24%, the bus system would be running in the black, as opposed to year-in and year-out deficits it finds itself with. So, what we need to do is focus on things that matter to the bus rider -- to keep them and, for those who left, to get them back. First, as I indicated, the bus has to be comfortable and clean, and bus drivers need to be courteous. And, we need to expand the use of 'GPS' (global positioning system) technology. Now, you might wonder: is 'GPS' a 'razzle dazzle' technology that amounts to a hill of beans? Does it improve the bus ride experience? First off, keep this in mind: the AC bus you ride at this very moment already has a GPS system -- it's in the black box-like console you see as you pay for your ride. It's been there for years now. However, the AC Transit management uses this GPS to track where its buses are -- but it doesn't share this information with the bus rider. However . . . help is on the way: the AC Transit system is starting an experiment in the use of GPS for bus riders at the Hayward BART Station. |
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| In the future, you should be able to go on-line to find out via GPS how soon it will take your bus to get to your bus stop. Also, in the future, BART Stations or neighborhood stores wil also have these GPS consoles that lets you track the whereabouts of your bus. This really exciting stuff, and this gets to the bottom-line need of the bus rider: 'Where is my bus! How long do I have to stand at this bus stop?' Now, not all technologies are necessarily good for AC, by the way. AC Transit recently installed WIFI system on some Transbay buses, with some thought of expanding this to other lines. I'm not convinced that that's a technology that really improves the *bus system*. It's nice to have, sure. But, if the bus is still late and you have no clue where it is (or even worse, if the bus is not clean, etc., etc), what good is WIFI on a bus? On another important note about why we need to focus on passengers: Going back to the State Controller's data, you will see that, as a percentage of revenues, state and |
| federal funds to AC Transit go up and down. It's good to get when you can, but you can't really depend on it. In addition, these sources primarily fund capital expenditures (i.e. new buses), not operations (i.e. the cost of providing bus service). The reality is that the bulk of dependable operating revenues comes from fair box (i.e. passenger revenues) plus your property taxes, plus your sales taxes (although sales taxes also fluctuate with the season and nature of the economy). Thank you so much for writing the email you wrote. I wish you all the best." Tony Daysog (also a regular bus rider) |
| Alameda Journal article, May 16, 2000: "Every day is Bike to Work day for vice mayor!" |
| Positive E-Mail from Constituent: "I voted for Tony Daysog. Tony is about 'nuts and bolts' such as 'clean buses with courteous drivers.' . . . . |