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Transit Times Volume 12, Number 10

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    TRANSIT DIRECTOR Claude Daughtrytakes oath as newest member of AC TransitBoard o Directors. The oath was administered by Superior Court Judge RedmondC. Staats, Jr. a resident of Berkeleq-oneof the areas Daughtry will represent on thetransit board.

    THE COVEROne photographer swooped over yplane; others stood on the canopq at theBay Bridge toll plaza or perched on topof nearby buildings to capture a historicfirst opening of an exclusive lane whichallows commute buses bq-pass congestion:The cameras told the storq. AC TransitbttSes move freely, while cars form a patternof traffic strangulation.

    A new irectorssumes office

    Claude Daughtry, 51, Berkeley realator and civic leader, was sworn in asa director of AC Transit this month bySuperior Court Judge Redmond C.Staats, Jr., a resident of Daughtry's ward.The new director represents Berkeley,Emeryville, and a portion of northwestOakland on the seven-man board. Hewas appointed last month to serve out

    the term of William H. Coburn, Jr.,Berkeley attorney, who resigned aftermoving out of the District. The termexpires at the end of 1972.A real estate broker since 1948,Daughtry also is a State inheritance taxappraiser and is licensed as a professional mechanical engineer, insurance agentand general contractor.

    He is a member of the Berkeley Boardof Realtors, West Contra Costa CountyBoard of Realtors and is active in theBerkeley Y.M.C.A. He also is a memberof City of Berkeley Planning Commission, California Real Estate Associationand National Association of Real EstateBoards. He is past president of theBerkeley and El Cerrito Chambers ofCommerce.

    Daughtry's other activities includemembership on the Board of Trustees,United Crusade; vice chairman of theBerkeley Red Cross; past president ofthe El Cerrito Good Government Leagueand membership in Berkeley Elks Cluband Rotary International.

    He was an instructor on real estateprinciples and practice at University ofCalifornia Extension Division for 11years. The new director was namedBerkeley Realtor of the Year in 1967.The family home is at 664 ArlingtonAve., Berkeley, where Daughtry liveswith his wife, Mary, and son, Scot.Daughtry also has two married daughters and two grand children.

    Time e ge for public transitExclusive lane speeds buses

    An exclusive bus lane through the SanFrancisco-Oakland Bay Bridge toll plazawas giving commuters a fast-and happy-ride this month, delivering them ontime to their jobs n San Francisco.The by-pass lane has been zoned offfor westbound commute buses between6 a.m. and 9 a.m., routing them throughtraffic congestion during the morning

    peak hour rush.Buses do not have to stop to pay tolls,but can roll right through on their ownlane, according to E R Foley, chief engineer of the Division of Bay Toll Crossings. Tolls still will be paid, but on anhonor system, rather than at the expenseof commuters' time.

    As the lane was inaugurated April 15buses zipped past automobiles jammedin traffic and arrived at the TransbayTransit Terminal, San Francisco, threeto eight minutes early. A recent surveyshowed 75 percent of the buses runningan average of five minutes late duringthe morning commute period.Initially , ,Lane 11 including ap -

    proaches on both sides, was zoned offfor the commute buses. An alternate lanealong the north side of the entire tollplaza area is under consideration inevent Lane 11 is not fully satisfactory.The by-pass is expected to ease traf

    fic congestion and encourage motoriststo switch from cars to public transit.Two percent of vehicles on the bridge

    during peak commute hours are busesand they carry approximately half of thecommuters, according to Alan L. Bingham, AC Transit general manager.A total of 494 AC Transit and Greyhound buses operate through the lane,carrying some 18,300 riders, Binghamsaid. Buses roll at an average of every22 seconds during the by-pass periodand at an average of every 11 secondsduring the peak of the commute.Bus passengers-as well as driverswelcomed the chance to move throughtoll plaza congestion. One commuterobserved it was the first time she hadreached the terminal on time in overa year of bus commuting.

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    TR INING P R O C E S S I ~ s t r u c t o r Stan Hodge guides trainee through driving course.

    ow us drivers make the gradeo you want to be a bus driver?You're not a lo ne - l as t year over 2,500

    people applied for operator positionswith AC Transit.

    Only 173 men were accepted for training, roughly one in every 14 applicants.And of these 173, 20 did not graduate,for one reason or another.Obviously the competition is prettystiff. It should be, considering that thousands of passengers each year will placetheir trust in safe transport in the handsof those who make the grade.

    The hiring and training of operatorsis the responsibility of District Safety4

    Engineer Gordon Wadsworth, to whomthe Chief Training Instructor and theEmployment Supervisor report. It's noaccident (pun unintended) that employment and training fall into the safetybag.

    If an applicant doesn't have a personal record of .safe driving, then wecan't in good conscience hire him, explains Wadsworth . If he does have agood record, but for some reason weare unable to train him to be an evensafer driver, then we cannot put him onthe job either. There can be no suchthing as a half-safe operator.

    INST NT COMMUNIC TION - Studentlack Collier learns how to use the two wayradio system from Instructor George Silva.In qualifying applicants, EmploymentSupervisor R J Ballard, himself a for

    mer driver and instructor, follows certainstandard physical requirements including, of course, good eyesight. Height isa factor too, since a man who is too tallor too short would have visual problemsin the driver's seat.High school or equivalent educationis an indication of the applicant's abilityto handle the complex fare structure andother facets of operating procedure.Driving records are checked with Sacramento, fingerprints with the FBI. Abilityto qualify for at least a temporary Class2 (bus) license is necessary.There are few fixed rules for hiring,Wadsworth notes. We try to judge allpoints on individual merit. Once thephysical and legal requirements are me t,we try to determine through an interview whether an applicant understandsand could handle the constant 'human'demands of the job .

    If the applicant is accepted, he becomes a trainee, with four to six weeksof supervised study and practice aheadof him. At the Seminary Division location, Chief Instructor S O. Pearce hassix instructors, each of whom is usuallyassigned two students at a time.Training consists of unit and line instruction. Unit instruction begins withclasses on fare structure, transfers, paddles (cards each driver carries containing specific route instructions and

    variations), hat check identification,general operating procedure, audiovisual presentations on accident reporting and safety, safety, and MORE safety.

    The trainee first gets behind the wheelin the yard, where a course is set upwith rubber cones. Once he has masteredthe art of turns, clearances and othertechniques of safe driving to his instructor's satisfication, he heads for the roadin an area away from heavy traffic, creep ing closer to the city and narrower streetsas his skills progress.By the end of the fifth or sixth day,he should be ready to drive anywhere -with no passengers, in light traffic, andwith no schedule to meet.Now he is ready for line instruction.Under the guidance of an instructor orregular driver, he must go out over everyroute to learn the lefts and rights ofbusiness in his division.Between the 12th and 15th day oftraining, the student is brought backfor a 2-3 hour written test, followed bya driving test to make sure he has pickedup basic safety habits. The tests are notgraded; their purpose is to find out whichareas need special attention.It's no cinch to become a driver forAC Transit. Our stockholders wouldn'twant it any other way.THE EYES H VE IT Employment Super-visor R ]. Ballard scores depth perceptiontest taken by applicant Sylvester DeLuchey .

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    Shelter for passengersasked foreather protection

    Riders transferring from BARTSpecial passenger shelters should beconstructed at BART stations if transferring riders are to have adequate pro

    tection against the weather.AC Transit directors have taken thisstand in concern over the comfort of

    p s s e ~ g e r s leaving stations and transferring to feeder bus service.The board urged BART to constructshelters at stations where no other doorto door protection is afforded. Nearlyevery East Bay station would be affected.To obtain the greatest transit im

    provement and highest quality of transportation possible, people must be ableto transfer in comfort and convenience,Director William J. Bettencourt said .Directors are reviewing BART's plansfor each station as part of an ongoingstudy into all phases of coordination between the bus and rail system.Directors found at most stations, riderstransferring from BART will be requiredto board buses at locations away fromshelter protection of the station.

    Golf tournament toTest driving skill

    Bus operators and other District personnel will have a chance to prove theyare on the ball Saturday, May 9 at thesecond annual AC Transit golf tournament.

    The men-and women-will step up tothe tee at Skywest Public Golf Course,1401 Golf Course Dr., Hayward, at 11a.m.Sign-ups can be made at maintenanceor operating departments at all divisions,according to A. R. Tony Lucchesi,chairman.6

    At the first of a series of progress reports, Alan L . Bingham, general manager, told directors nearly every ACTransit route would be affected by BARTservice.Bus coordination from the beginninghas been planned on the policy the public is entitled to the best possible ride,with the most convenient and best possible service, no matter what system orcombination of systems is used, hepointed out.

    In considering bus accessibility to 18BART stations in AC Transit servicearea, between Richmond and south Hayward, directors found five stations presented problems of efficient service whichhaven't yet been resolved, due to oneway street patterns, traffic signals or actual movement of the bus in the stationvicinity.Studies still are underway as to adequacy of space at several stations whereheavy transfer of passengers betweenBART and AC Transit is anticipated,Bingham said.

    Although no final decision has beenreached, Bingham told directors stationdesign is part of an on-going series ofmeetings between the two systems.

    IN MEMORIAMLeo P. Hahn, 71, 4049 WaterhouseRd., Oakland , died Feb. 21 A Class A

    mechanic assigned to machine repair atthe General Office prior to his retirementin 1965, Hahn entered service in 1919.Charles R Upton, 77, 277 RamonaAve . Sierra Madre, who was pensionedin 1957 as a leaderman in Maintenance,died Feb. 24. He entered service in 1918.

    BACK TO CLASS Don S. Larsonleft and John A. Krajcar are repre-senting C Transit at governmentsponsored management trainingprograms.Two District representatives havejoined applicants from across the country

    at a management training program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation as an aid to transit improvement and progress.

    The two-week course is given atAndover, Mass., to workers chosen forinstruction that will assist them in qualifying for advancement. The training notonly aids working understanding ofmanagement responsibilities, but givesattendants a chance to meet and talk tosimilar transit representatives from allparts of the nation.

    Attending the first session was DonS. Larson, 29, assistant superintendentof schedules. Larson makes his home at164.3 Orchard Way, Pleasanton, with hiswife, Jan, and five young boys.

    District takes partIn managementTraining program

    He joined AC Transit in May, 1961,after graduating from Bishop O'DowdHigh School in Oakland and attendingUniversity of San Francisco. He startedas a traffic checker, then became a schedule analyst. He was made supervisor ofschedules in 1965 and assistant superintendent in the department Jan. 1, 1970.John A. Krajcar, scheduled for thesecond session, is assistant purchases andstores manager. Krajcar, 49, makes hishome at .386.3 Huntington St., Oaklandwith his wife, Caroline. He is the fatherof six children.Krajcar joined the Key System in 1946after service in the Army Signal Corpsas a staff sergeant in supply.

    He worked up through all phases ofstores before he was named to hispresent post in July, 1968.

    AC Transit amper Club provesThe wheels have it on fun trips

    What do AC Transit drivers do ondays off?Some have fun on wheels as membersof an AC Campers Club.Organized a year ago by Odie McNutt,1239 Park Ave., Alameda, driver atEmeryville Division, the group meets ata pre-selected site, then participates inactivities like bocci ball, darts, cardgames, pot-luck suppers, pancake breakfasts, and campfire sing-a-Iongs.

    t isn't even necessary to have acamper. Some members, like DeanMann, circle up in a tent.Officers include John Driver, president;Marvin Paulsen, vice president; AugieGiuliani, treasurer; Vickie Giuliani, secretary, and Frank Armas, news editor.Paulsen provides unusual entertainment. He builds and operates radiocontrolled planes and puts on air showsat some of the gatherings.

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    8

    J. W ASHLEYTransportationDIVISION 3

    J. K. CERVELLITransportationDIVISION 4

    A. E COLVINTransportationDIVISION 2

    E F EVERSONTransportationDIV ISION 2

    G. A. BRAZILTransportationDIVISION 4A L BROWNTransportationDIVISION 2

    J. R BUCHANANTransportationDIVISION 4

    G. D. CHANEYTransportationDIVISION 4

    B. F CUMMINGSTransportationDIVIS ION 2

    W F FELSTransportationDIVISION 3

    C A. CHRISTENSENTransportationDIVISION 4

    D. R DeLAMATERTransportationI ) I ~ I S I O N 2

    J. E. FLEMMINGTransportationDIVISION 2

    D J. CICCOLOaintenanceDIVISION 4

    S. C. DELUCHEYTransportationDIVISION 2

    J. E GARRETTTransportationDIVIS ION 2

    W E. CLAYTONransportationDIVISION 2

    C. W. DUNNTransportationDIVISION 2

    R L GETTYSlaims DepartmentGENERAL OFF ICE

    R. M BUSBYTransportationDIVISION 4

    J. N COLLIERTransportationDIVISION 2

    D A. ENGLANDransportationDIVISION 2

    R. K GREENMaintenanceDIVISION 4

    J. D. HODGDONransportationDIVISION 4

    K. J. LEONTransportationDIVISION 3

    . L P MORGANTransportationDIVISION 3

    J . R TUCKERData rocessingGENERAL OFFICE

    NELSON JONESTransportationDIVISION 2N N KOPETransportationDIVISION 4

    W. E. KUMMERTransportationDIVIS'ION 3

    L. G. MANIBUSAN J. M. MARTINEZTransportationDIVISION 4

    S. R PACKARDTransportationDIVISION 2

    LeROY TUCKERTransportationDIVISION 2

    aintenanceDIVISION 3

    G. V. PRICETransportationDIVISION 4

    HERBERT WARNELLTransportationDIVISION 4

    M P. MARZORINITeasuryGENERAL OFFICE

    J. P. RAGANaintenanceDIVISION 4

    J. G. WATSONTransportationDIVISION 2

    G. W McCLUNGTransportationDIVISION 4

    . D. SEGURATransportationDIVISION 2

    A. K WINTERTransportationDIVISION 4

    H. K LANGDONransporta tionDIVISION 2

    W. C. MILLERTransportationDIVISION 2

    C. W. SIMSTransportationDIVISION 2

    M F WONGSchedule DepartmentDIVISION 29

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    PARTY TIME-Janet Willcomcuts the cake at party markingher retirement. Getting in onthe act are John T. Stockman,Data Processing Supervisor, andAllJce Seright, senior clerk.R TIR M NTS

    Jack Hegarty may be hanging up hisdriver's hat, but he plans to dance thejig on my lO4th birthday, just like myaunt in Ireland did.He's got a way to go yet, consideringhe's a mere youth of 73. Hegarty retiresMay 1 from the Richmond Division after43 years in East Bay transportation.

    He started driving street cars in 1937,went from there to trains as a motormanand conductor, and finally to buses asan operator.Sometimes I still dream about driving, he laughs. A different sort of dreamwill come true for Hegarty this summerwhen he returns for a visit to his nativeIreland, which he left in 1923 and hasn'tseen since 1929.

    Hegarty and his wife make their homeat 7109 Blake St., EI Cerrito .

    When he isn't busy painting the inside of his duplex at lO41 Georgene St.,Hayward, John Law is fishing at ClearLake with his grandson or enjoying thesunshine at Palm Springs with his wife.Law, whose retirement was effectiveJan. 1, recalls his 27 years as an operator on bus, train and streetcar.

    I saw kids I once took to schoolgrow up and start pushing baby bug-gies down the same street where I usedto pick them up, he says.lO

    Richard Dias, a utility man at Emeryville Maintenance, says he's finding hisnew life a little hard to get used to aftermore than 35 years on the job, but he'slooking forward to buying a place inMissouri where he can enjoy the huntingand fishing to his heart's content. Hishome is at 5969 Marshall in Oakland.Arthritis has been keeping GeorgeGonzales from doing much more thanworking in the garden, but he frequently finds time to visit the boysback at Emeryville Maintenance.Gonzales started with the old KeySystem in 1946 and retired as a ClassA Mechanic this January.His daughter Lorenzita (better knownas Lorry ) also keeps him up onhappenings. She's a PBX operator withthe District. Gonzales and his wife liveat 1918 16th St. in San Pablo.Felix Guerra, Emeryville operatorwho has been on sick leave since suffering a heart attack last year, has movedto San Antonio, Texas. He joined theDistrict in 1946.Fishing, bowling and volunteer workare on the agenda for Janet Willcom,who recently retired after 24 years ofgeneral bookkeeping duties.First with the Key System in 1946,then with the District, Miss Willcomrecalls watching the growth of the dataprocessing industry, going from simplekeypunch machines to computers.

    $ 1,280,0001,300,0001,260,0001,240,0001,220,0001,200,0001,180,0001,1 60,0001,140,0001,120,0001,100,0001,080,0001,060,0001,040,0001,020,000

    g e r p ss nge r . . . . eoDlparN.nI1 9 7 0- 1969

    1968 1J

    \ J -..l - 7 ... 7'

    I(IIr

    'I1II

    Note Chart I ased 0 13 fou week I eriods I r year.DEC. JAN . FEB. MAR. APR. MAY JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC.JAN . FEB. MAR . APR. MAY JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV . DEC. JAN .

    The number 01 passengers carried nd lare box revenue continued on theupswing during February.Passenger revenue totaled $1,198,858, up $93,648 or 8.47 percent overrevenue 01 $1,105,210 lor the same month in 1969. On East Bay lines, larebox revenue was $651,736, an increase 015.53 percent compared to year-agorevenue 01 $617,597. Transbay revenue also showed an increase, with a total01 $547,122, up 12.20 percent over revenue 01 $487,613 tallied in February,1969.Commute book sales were up 18.2 percent, with a total 01 S247lJ73, compared with sales 01 $209,805 made in the same month, a year agoThe number 01 passengers carried during the month totaled 4,150,876, anincrease 012.82 percent over the 4,036,866 who rode District buses in February, 1969. On East Bay lines, the riding total was 3,002,091, an increase0/ 3 .25 percent over last year s February figure 01 2,907,703. On transbaylines, the passenger count 0/1 148 785 was up 1.74 percent over the yearago total 0/1,129,163.Operation costs during the month came to $1,518,147, up 10.46 percentor $143,819 over costs 01 $1,374,328 lor the same month a year ago TheDistrict operated 1,895,865 miles 01 service, a decrease 0/574 miles or .03percent below mileage 0/1,896,439 operated n February, 1969.Total income 01 $1,747,075 was sulJicient to cover operational costs, Uhpreciation nd bond debt requiremen s.The transit industry nationally indicated a riding decrease lor the month01 6.30 percent.

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    ctions 1 the oardAt an adjourned regular meetingMarch 25, the Board of Directors: Awarded contract for furnishing bus

    washers to Wiegand Engineering Corp.,on motion of Director Rinehart. Awarded contract for data collectorsto Trip, Inc., subject to approval ofUrban Mass Transportation Administration, on motion of Director Copeland. Urged construction of bus sheltersat BART stations, on motion of DirectorBettencourt. See story, Pg. 6) Accepted report of Advertising andPublic Relations Committee concerningforthcoming advertising campaigns, onmotion of Director McDonnell. Adopted resolution providing forsafekeeping of securities owned by ACTransit, on motion of Director Rinehart. Adopted resolution supporting legislation permitting use of fuel taxes forpublic transportation purposes, on motion of Director McDonnell. Commended California Toll BridgeAuthority for reducing Bay Bridge tollsfor commuter buses, on motion of Director Bettencourt. Postponed bid opening date for pur-chase of 30 new buses from April 8 toApril 22, on motion of Director McDonnell. Named Claude Daughtry, Berkeley,to Board of Directors, representing WardI, on motion of Director Rinehart. (Seestory, Pg. 2)

    At a regular meeting on April 8, theBoard of Directors: Appointed General Manager to serveas representative and Assistant GeneralManager for Administration, as aIter-

    AC TransitLatham Square BuildingOakland, California 94612

    eturn equested

    ransitlimesPublished monthly by theALAMEDA-CONTRA COSTA TRANSIT DISTRICT508 16th St., Oakland, California 94612Telephone 415) 654-7878BOARD OF DIRECTORSWILLIAM E. BERK Pr dlnt

    Ward IIE. GUY WARREN . . . .Ward V

    ROBERT M. COPELANDRAY H. RINEHART. .CLAUDE DAUGHTRYJOHN McDONNELL .WM. J. BETTENCOURT .MANAGEMENT

    . Vice PresidentDirector at LargeDirector at Large. Ward IWard III. . . Ward V

    ALAN L BINGHAM . . . . General ManagerHAROLD M. DAVIS . Assistant Gene.ral Managerfor PersonnelGEORGE M. TAYLOR . Assistant General Manager. . . for Administration and District SecretaryH. DONALD WHITE . Assistant General Managerfor OperationsHOWARD D. BEEBE. . Purchases and Stores Mgr.E. SAM DAVIS . . Research and Planning ManagerVIRGINIA B. DENNISON Public Information Mgr.OZRO D. GOULD . . Claims ManagerANTHONY R. LUCCHESI . . Maintenance ManagerROBERT E. NISBET . . . . . . . . AttorneyDONALD J . POTTER . . . Transportation ManagerWARREN E. ROBINSON . Transportation EngineerROBERT D. TOUGH . . . Treasurer-ControllerGORDON G. WADSWORTH . . Safety EngineerI ~ 9nate, on Board of Controls for feederbus studies in areas outside of ACTransit boundaries, on motion of Director Bettencourt. Endorsed Senate Constitutional Admendment permitting highway user taxesto be used for mass public transit, onmotion of Director Rinehart.

    rivers top safety goalEmeryville and Seminary Division busdrivers moved into top class this month, beating the goal for safe drivingmiles. Emeryville operators had an average of 14,101 miles per accident, whileSeminary drivers had 13,150 miles.


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