Board approves AC Transit proposal
One-year pilot program to start fall 2008
Semaj D. La Niger
Issue date: 5/22/08 Last update: 5/22/08 at 6:38 PM PST
Section: News
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.
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.
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