Board approves AC Transit proposal

The Peralta Board of Trustees voted unanimously May 20 to fund a one-year pilot program with AC Transit that will subsidize the costs of bus passes for full-time students at its' meeting.

The Peralta Pass will be available to all full-time students enrolled in any of the four Peralta campuses. Students would be able to pay up to $50 per semester for a bus pass that would allow them to take unlimited trips, compared to the current $70 per month for AC Transit's 31-day ride pass.

The item was first appeared on the agenda at the board's Nov. 13 , 2007 meeting as an informational report to the board. At the meeting, a survey was presented that showed that a significant number of Peralta students used AC Transit and a large majority would be willing to pay a fee for a discounted bus pass. The item was to be voted on at the Dec. 13 meeting, but it was listed as a "presentation" and could not be voted on.

The Tower reported in March of this year that the item was pulled from the agenda. The major concern at the time would be the proposal's source of funding, especially considering the governor's proposed budget cuts.

The board voted to double-parking fees at its April 22 meeting, with the intention that some of the increased revenue could be used to fund the bus passes.

"The district has been able to find non-general fund money to fund the program," said Vice-Chancellor of Special Projects, Dr. George Herring.

Students have been waiting years for a program, similar to the Class Pass at UC Berkeley. According to the Tower, in 2001 when students took over the Peralta board room in protest the board not renaming the Merritt Student Lounge after Black Panther Party founders Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, one of the students demands was that the "district subsidization of AC Transit bus passes for Peralta students."

Student Trustee Reginald James who, along with Student Trustee Marlene C. Hurd, initiated the proposal, was excited that students could look forward to discounted transportation.

"I've been working on this for three years," said James, who began working on the program in May 2005 when AC Transit last voted to raise fees. "And considering the proposed AC Transit fee increases, now is the time. I'm pleased that Peralta is moving forward with providing this service to our students."

The program would start in the fall of 2008 and would be a one-year program, according to James. At that time, a majority of eligible students would have to vote in favor of the measure in order to self-asses a fee.

There is currently legislation, Assembly Bill 1980, the Peralta Transportation Accessibility Act, sponsored by Assembly Member Sandre Swanson (D-Oakland) that will help maintain the affordability of the passes. The bill adds Peralta to a previous bill, AB 1968, which was signed by the governor in 2006, that authorized Los Rios and Rio Hondo community college districts to assess a fee to all students for similar transportation programs.

AB 1980 passed the Assembly Floor May 5 and is headed to the Senate. Chancellor Elihu Harris reported at the meeting that he had a meeting schedule with the governor during the last week of May to discuss the bill.

AB 1980 will go to the Senate Higher Education Committee on June 13. The committee is chaired by Senator Jack Scott (D-Pasadena), who was recently appointed as the Chancellor for the California Community Colleges system at the Board of Governors' May 5 meeting.

The AC Transit Finance Committee also approved the proposal at its May 14 meeting and it will go before its full board May 28.

"The critical features that must be solved for the bus pass are the distribution for the passes," said Herring, who has been working on the program since last summer.

It is unclear how the passes will be distributed, but AC Transit has volunteered to help market the program and provide technical assistance to Peralta.

"The bus pass program we approved tonight is a win-win for everyone," said Board Vice-President Nicky Gonzalez Yuen. "Students will now have an affordable transportation" and "We raise eco-consciousness while promoting public transit."

The item passed as a part of the regular consent calendar, and was approved with all other items presented at the meeting.

"An extra aye for the AC Transit initiative," added Trustee Abel Guillen following the unanimous decision.