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Vol. 4 No.5 OAKLAND, SEPTEMBER 1961

Bus Modernization District Pays Tax BillAhead of Schedule Nearing $1,000,000 in

With Big Savings First Operating YearAC Transit's program of rehabilitating

and "dieselizing" equipment acquiredfrom Key System is now in its final stagesof completion-and at a cost far less thanoriginal estimates .

In a r ecent progress report to th eboard of directors, General ManagerJohn R. Worthington disclosed that although $360 ,000 had been allocated forthe program , total costs had been reduced to $208,105, a savings of nearly45 per cent.

The program is well over half completed, he said, with about $113,500spent so fa r and $94,612 in work remaining.

Of 276 Key System diesel coaches acquired for continued service , 162 havebeen repainted in district colors and refurbished , with some 114 still scheduledfor rehabilitation.

Work on these coaches was haltedtemporarily, Worthington explained, toconcentrate on rebuilding and repainting10 smaller gasoline coaches for hillservice.

After extensive study and some shop

ping around, it was found that by making use of available second-hand transmissions and use of second-hand dieselengines, the buses could be convertedand thoroughly rehabilitated at a cost of

(Continued on Page 2)

AC Transit will pay almost a milliondollars in local and state taxes duringits first year in operation.

Almost half of the total, approximately$426,000, has already been paid by theso-called "tax-exempt" transit system, onthe purchase of Key System TransitLines and on 250 ne w buses.

In addition, the district expects to payabout $500,000 a year in sales taxes andstate fuel taxes through normal operations.

Of the amount paid on purchase ofbuses and operating facilities, th e 11cities and unincorporated area servedby the district will receive $lO7,205 inlocal sales taxes.

Cities Benefit

With the last of the new buses delivered and placed in service, paymentof the tax revenue on their purchase willbe made by th e State Board of Equalization.

Local sales taxes on the new buses ,amounting to $71,268, will be distributedon th e basis of miles operated during1960 in each of the 11 East Bay citiesand unincorporated area, according toan allocation formula prepared by thedistrict and approved by the state board .

(Continued on Page 10)

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Pioneer Montclair Line

Drivers Recall Beginning of Bus ServiceA 40-year -old photograph, showing

th e first bus trip into Montclair whenthe area was pasture land fringed bytrees, le d to a reunion this month between two former bus drivers who pioneered local motor coach service in theEast Bay .

J. L. "Marty" Martin, 75, who wentto work in May, 1921, and C. E. Pehrson,68, who started in September of thesame year, are believed to be th e onlysurvivors of th e first group of bus operators hired by Key System to operatetheir fledgling motor coach service.

Company records indicate that th e firstbus line started on May 16, 1921, fromthe end of the old No. 7 street ca r atYgnacio Ave. and Trask St., Oakland,via Foothill Blvd., Seminary Ave. andTrenot St. to Mills College.

Th e Montclair service, generally believed to be the first, is listed as startinga week later, on May 21.

Both men remember that buses weresomething new-viewed with suspicionby some of th e passengers who were inclined to hang on for dear life.

Although they hadn't seen each otherfor well over 35 years, Martin and Pehrson recognized each other immediatelyat a meeting in Montclair at Moraga an dLa Salle Aves., site of the tree-shadedlane where they parked their newfangled coaches.

They remembered that th e RealtySyndicate-relative of th e Key Systempaid the bills for th e motor coaches, toprovide transportation for potential customers to the ne w Montclair real estatepromotion.

Th e buses met local streetcars and SanFrancisco trains at 41st and PiedmontAve. and chugged over Piedmont toPleasant Valley Rd. and up PleasantValley to Moraga Rd., through Piedmont

NEW SERVICE - M on tcl ai r was wide open spaces when the first bus carried potential customers to the Realty Syndicate'S tent tract office on Ma y 21, 1921. Eventmarked start of Montclair development and eventual establishment of area-widebus transportation.-Photo from Vernon Sappers collection.

FIRST DRIVERS - J. L. "Marty" Martin (left) and C. E. Pehrson, who drove on the. first bus service to Montclair in 1921, find AC Transit's equipment far different fromold coaches. Terrain also has changed. Site of original Realty Syndicate tract office ,terminal for initial bus operations, is in background.

on Moraga Rd. an d up Moraga to th ereal estate tract office.

Th e first office was in a tent, but asbusiness progressed it was replaced bya handsome, Spanish-style building-thefirst business structure in Montclair, according to Martin's memory .

The building later was moved to atriangle at Mountain Blvd., Antioch St.and Antioch Ct. Its original site, on thePiedmont hills side of Moraga Rd., isnow in the middle of the Warren Blvd.freeway.

Martin recalls that th e buses ra n on a40 minute schedule-he used to exercisehis horse between trips . If it was raining , he would le t passengers off in front

of their homes-driving around the blockif necessary.

He worked for th e transit company forthree years and later operated the Montclair stonevard. He lives now at his cattleranch, 14575 Cull Canyon Rd., Hayward.

Pehrson, 2 8 4 8 ~ fCentral Ave., Alameda,liked people and liked driving wellenough to work 38 years as a bus driverbefore his retirement in 1959. But nothing in Pehrson's opinion ever matchedthose first years, when passengers anddrivers were part of one, friendly family.

Both me n are credited with helping toset up a profession of bus operations thathas evolved into today's AC Transit system.

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Riders Jam Hayward Lines to WelcomeNew Network of Neighborhood Lines

A surprising response to courtes y freerides, which recently introduced threeneighborhood bus lines in Hayward , resulted in th e "most people and the leastcars" in downtown Hayward in th ememory of local Chamber of Commerceofficials.

On the :first day of th e free rides, some1,427 passengers rode into th e downtownsection on the three new lines, while atotal of 1,041 took outbound trips duringthe free ride period between 9 a.m . and3p.m.

Th e second day was even more amazing, with 1,628 riding inbound and 1,190taking advantage of courtesy rides outbound to th e southwestern Hayward residential areas.

As result, four extra buses were rushedinto service to handle th e crowds, providing second sections on all scheduleson the new 90, 91 and 92 lines.

"I t was just like opening of th e Oklahoma Territory," according to GeneralManager John R. Worthington.

"The two buses would pull up , thedoors would open and the crowds wouldpour out.

"There were women with strollers,

women with babies. I didn't expect halfthe number of riders."He said th e response indicated that

the new lines into Palma Ceia Village,Schafer Park an d other residential areashave a good chance of success.

"It shows th e value of cooperative effort between merchants an d trans it. Infact it shows the value of transit in maintaining and helping to assist growth ofbusiness areas," Worthington pointedout.

Th e free rides to celebrate inauguration of the new service were supportedby Hayward retail merchants and the

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FIRST LADY - Mrs. Charles Jurasken,24763 Woodacre Ave., Hayward, firstpass e ng e r to leave the 92 bus duringinauguration free-ride festivities, receivescorsag e from General Manager John R.Worthington . At right is hostess ElaineClark.

transit dis trict.A similar unexpected response came

three days later when another free rideprogram introduced the new 60-Montclair bu s line to residents of the upperBroa dway Terrace and upper SnakeRoad areas.

A total of 1,346 rode the inbound tripsan d 1,188 took outbound rides , givingthe Mon tclair business district a realflurry of visitors . Extra buses also werecalled into service to ru n second sectionsduring th e free ride period in Montclair.

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Drivers, Other Workers, Join DistrictAC Transit welcomed another group

of ne w employees during August, including 17 bu s operators, assigned as follows:Emeryville Division

L. B. Bone, 687 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland; C. L. Bond, 1180 Ocean Ave., Oakland; John Contino Jr., 945 - 45th St. ,Emeryville; O. J. Witthoeft, 1089 57thSt., Oakland ; F. N. Gomez, 1714 CedarAve. , San Leandro .

Also new at Division 2 are William C.

Godfrey , 2607 - 12th St., Oak land, an dDonna Lee Billings, 11015 Foothill Blvd.,Oakland , transportation; J. Ronald Vidinha, 1280 - 148th Ave., Oakland, b uildin g maintenance, an d Kenneth Ayres,474 - 36th St., Oakland, maintenance.West Contra Costa Division

H. J. Barnes, 78 Nichols St., Richmond; E. R. Hiatt, 1712 Elm Ave., Richmond; M. J. Dube, 214 Reis St., Vallejo;

Charlie Collins Jr., 1430 Contra CostaAve., San Pablo .

Assigned to Division 3 in maintenanc ewas Allen Daniels, Avalon Hotel, Oakland.East Oakland Division

W. D . Henshaw, 678 Juana Ave. , SanLeandro; C. E. Davis, 1151 - 73rd Ave.,Oakland; Leonidas Davidson , 521 BerryAve., Hayward; 1. J. Koehler, 2843 21stAve., Oakland ; R. C. Young, 523 B St. ,

Hayward; Frank Glorioso, 9956 CSt . ,Oakland; G. E. Grandison , 2610 Grand eVista Ave., Oakland.

New in Division 4 maintenance a reDegartria Jackson Jr., 900 Virginia Ave. ,Richmond and Weldon D. Drury, 2451Church Lane, San Pablo.

Welcomed at the general offices hasbeen Carl E. Strand, 16230 Windsor Dr. ,San Leandro, assigned to treasury.

Improved Service Starts in 6 CitiesService expansion on several transbay

and local lines brought improved transitto residents during the month, with commuters getting special attention.

Improvements included extending an d

re-routing a special commute branch ofth e transbay R line, to provide Hayward's large residential area of PalmaCeia and Southgate its :first direct busservice to San Francisco .

The re-routing , to make greater useof th e Nimitz Freeway, cuts betweenseven an d 14 minutes from th e previousrunning time between San Lorenzo andSan Francisco .

Oakland area residents along SkylineBlvd. were given their :first direct transba y commute service through an extension of a special commuter branch ofLine C to Montclair.

In addition, new midday service between th e intersection of Redwood Rd.an d Skyline Blvd. an d Montclair was provided by inauguration of Line 77-A.

By supplementing opera tions of Line

77, the new branch doubles service between Montclair, Oakmore and the intersec tion of Joaquin Miller Rd. an d Lincoln Ave.

Extension of Line F-Shattuck Ave.into Albany, requested by Mrs . KathieZahn of Albany, no w provides hourlyservice along Solano Ave. direct to SanFrancisco Mondays through Saturdaysand seven nights a week.

Improved midday service on Lines EClaremont an d Line C-Piedmont alsowas inaugurated, with buses runningevery half hour, instead of th e previous45-minute headway .

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WHAT IS IT-To more seriousfishermen, it's a bullhead.But to two young enthusiasts,it wiggles and it's a fish, intriguing to watch.

Transit Trails

FISH ON - Hopeful fishermen enjoy anticipation andpleasant sun on BerkeleyPier, favorite spot for families and sportsmen.

Trip to Berkeley Pier Provides Fun, FishBy Virginia Dennison

Th e Berkeley fishing pier has alwaysbeen a great place for th e kids, one ofthe ideal spots for father-and-son (anddaughter) outings.

Bu t now, with the clean water in thebay an d striped bass flipping aroundlike mad, an expedition to . the pier hasa good chance of paying off in th e kindof fishing that brings sportsmen out, aswell as parents.

Of course, the stripers aren't alwaysright there, bu t they do have a specialtaste for the shiners that cluster aroundthe piles an d it adds impetus to the "bustour of the month" to know that you just

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might make the return trip with a largesized catch.The pier itself has been improved to

to haul in bullheads and shiners an d attimes, perch, flounders an d jack smelt.

Rod holders, in any case, can expectmake fishing a pleasure as well as a sport.It has concrete paving, sanitary facilitiesan d a place to clean fish. And with pleasant .autumn weather ahead, there shouldbe a flock of just-right times with incoming tides at reasonable hours an dassurance of balmy days under the sun,plagued only by th e frequency with

which bullheads strip the bait.

As an added dollop, there's a bait an dmarine shop on the pier that seems rightout of South Pacific. I t has everythingfrom sardines to old anchors an d abaloneshells, topped off by a real, live parrotthat may talk. Nice place for snoopingor for enjoying a cold can of beer. .

Might even plan to make it the firststop, for it's a healthy hike-and interesting-from the end of Line 51-CollegeAve. at the Southern Pacific Depot inBerkeley.

Youngsters, particularly, might enjoyth e novelty of crossing the tracks and

walking under the freeway ramp to reachstairs an d a walkway that takes you overfreeway-whizzing cars.

HE WHO WAITS - Patience makes thefisherman and, sometimes, a catch ofbass.

QUIET BEAUTY - Berkeley Aquatic Park,serene and uncrowded, is discovery spotfor a tranquil day in the sun.

From there, it's onward straight ahead .This is the same procedure for those whomight want to watch or sample the sportfishing boats leaving from the BerkeleyYacht Harbor. And while there, by allmeans take the detour to the harbor towatch the weekend sailors at their usualtask of working on their boats.

From the same bus and same terminalyou might also want to take advantageof Berkeley Aquatic Park, a hop and skipfrom the S. P. Depot.

Ideal for small sailboats, the park hasa lawn, trees and pretty vistas an d seems

surprisingly deserted. You might be thefirst to discover it's a wonderful place forfamily picnics and lolling in the sun .

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What the Editors Are Saying About Transit

The (Oakland) Montclarion:

An Example of Public Morality

M ORE and more, it seems to us,individuals and public bodies dono t seem to take seriously pledges theyhave made, making plausible excusesfor non-performance.

Perhaps this is a generalization basedon limited observation an d thereforenot universally true.

At any rate, it has been a source ofgreat satisfaction an d respect to observeho w th e ne w AC Transit system, itsboard of directors an d its executivestaff, has more than fulfilled its pledgesmade before th e election in which thevoters approved public ownership ofth e east ba y transit system.

Th e system has added approximatelyone million bus miles to its service.

It has instituted a ne w line servingth e Montclair residential district for

Sales Tax Allocated

To East Bay Cities(Continued from Page 1)

Amount of tax revenue from the newbuses will be shared as follows:

Alamed a , $4,191; Alb an y, $1,718;Berkeley, $10,305; EI Cerrito, $2,259;Emeryville, $1,112; Hayward, $855; Oakland, $39,576; Piedmont, $869; Richmond , $4,347; San Leandro, $3,563; SanPablo, $378; an d Alameda County (unincorporated area) , $2,095.

In addition, Alameda County alsowill receive $35,937 in local sales taxeson the Key System purchase, whichcame to approximately $7,500,000.

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which residents have been waiting for35 years.

In starting this ne w line, AC Transitwent beyond recommendations for improved service in th e hills, as made byDe Leuw, Cather, th e research firmhired before th e election to make astudy of transit needs. De Leuw, Catherrecommended new service in the hillsbut indicated this could not be doneuntil the city improved th e streets forbu s transit. AC Transit bought specialbuses that serve th e purpose.

AC Transit has also introduced directservice to San Francisco for Crestmontan d Montclair commuters.

It has cooperated with the Oaklandboard of education to provide schooltransportation for the ne w Skyline highschool an d other schools at a reasonableprice.

And in spite of, or because of theseimprovements in service - plus th e introduction of modern air-conditioned

buses - th e transit districtis

showingan increase of 4% in revenue for th efirst six months over last year. It is th eonly system on the west coast that hasshown an increase; indeed many systemsall over th e U.S. are losing money orbarely holding their own.

Th e Montclarion is happy to pay tribut e to General Manager John Worthington, his staff, an d members of th e ACTransit board of directors fo r their honorable an d painstaking attention to fulfilling pre-election pledges - an d makingit all payoff without requiring more taxsupport.

Information Clerics Talcen on ---'Tour ,''''',;.'', , ' ~,

' , !f ""-110;

Of Discovery' to see Trans;t: ;'ChangesAC Transit information clerks were

especially well informed this month asth e result of a tour of discovery arrangedby traffic engineer E. Sam Davis.

Davis took nine of th e women inTransit Information on th e tour - th etenth was absent on sick leave - dividin g th e fact-seeking session into threeafternoon trips .

They were driven over th e routesof th e new 90, 91 an d 92 lines in Hayward and saw for themselves where andhow the buses ru n . They also inspectedroutes of the new City Express lines,drove through Washington Manor, tooka detour to th e new Skyline High Schoolin Oakland, getting a thorough look-seeat many of th e service improvements

inaugurated by th e district."After giving ou t a great deal of in

formation on the telephone about landmarks an d bu s stops, the clerks finallywere able to personally see them, " Davissaid. "They took notes just like they werepreparing for an examination , even noting street numbers."

Fo r most of them, it was theirfirst actual look at developments insouthern Alameda County an d a revelation to actually see what they've beentalking about in their work of answeringquestions about transit services.

"It's going to make it a lot easier toanswer inquiries-and it certainly makestheir work more interesting an d moreefficient," was Davis' report.

Drivers Assist Transfer ConnectionsBus operators were urged this month

to keep a sharp lookout in assisting passengers with proper transfer connectionsas an important improvement to bu stransit.

Schedules are established to provide

best possible connections at transferpoints, and, as a result, some connectionsare tight and require the alertness ofdrivers.

Operators with passengers making aclose connection were urged by D. J .Potter, general superintendent of transportation, to sound their horn to attractth e attention of th e other driver. Anddrivers also were instructed to wait andgive the intending passenger an opportunity to make the transfer.

Inauguration of new routes an d improved service has made the assistance

of drivers in transfer connections particu -1arly important to avoid aggravating"just-misses," Potter pointed out.

IIN MEMORIAM

IDeath came in August to tw o veteranstreet ca r operators who worked ou t ofCentral Division in the heyday of trolleyservice.

Matthew Walsh, 81, who died Aug. 11,went to work on th e street cars in 1912an d was pensioned in 1945. He made hishome at 525 Spruce St., Oakland.

August Loux, who died Aug. 31, beganhis service in 1907 an d was pensioned in1948. He was 76 an d lived at 2841 AdamsSt., Alameda.

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At an adjourned regular meeting August 30, 1961, the Board of Directors: Authorized the purchase of 15,000

token holders for resale to transit ridersat the rate of 10 tokens and one holderfor $2.25, on motion of Vice PresidentCopeland.

Approved extensions to Lines CPiedmont, F-Berkeley and R-Hayward,increased service frequency on Lines Cand E-Claremont, and inauguration ofLine 77-A serving Crestmont, on motionof Director Coburn.

Adopted current property tax rateof 2.9 cents per $100 of assessed valuation for the 1961 -62 fiscal year, on motionof Vice President Copeland.

Authorized Directors and GeneralManager to attend annual meeting ofthe American Transit Association, onmotion of Director McDonnell.

Authorized Board President an dGeneral Manager to attend meeting inNew York City to receive national awardon AC Transit equipment color design,on motion of Director Coburn.

T R ANSI T TIMESPublished monthly by the

ALAMEDACONTRA ~ R A N S I TDISTRICT11

BOARD OF DIRECTORSWM. J . BETTENCOURT . President

Ward IVROBERT M. COPELAND . . Vice President

Director at Large

ROBERT K. BARBER . . Director at LargeWILLIAM H. COBURN, JR. Ward IWILLIAM E. BERK Ward IIJOHN McDONNELL Ward II IE. GUY WARREN . Ward V

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERSJOHN R. WORTHiNGTON Genera l ManagerROBERT E. NISBET AttorneyJOHN F. LARSON . Treasurer -ControllerGEORGE M. TAYLOR. . . Secreta ry~ 9

At th e regular monthly meeting September 13, 1961, th e Board of Directors:

Authorized street Hoor office at 110Broadway, Oakland, for ticket sales,transit information, lost and found bu-reau and charter services, on motion ofDirector Coburn.

Veteran Workers Retire from DistrictTwo veteran employees have been

pensioned after long years of service.Lloyd Beekman, 65, pensioned as of

Nov. 1, went to work 25 years ago in KeySystem's Emeryville shops as a carpenter. In the years since, he worked in bodyrepairs and as a mechanic in th e building

T R A N S I T T I M E SAlameda-Contra Costa Transit District

1106 BroadwayOakland 7, California

maintenance department. He lives at2401 McKinley Ave., Berkeley.

Herbert R. Andersen, 65, pensionedeffective Oct. 1, spent most of his 27years of service as a motor coachoperator. He resides at 1902 - 40th Ave .,Oakland.

BULK RATE

U.S. POSTAGE

PA I DOakland, Calif.

ROBERT E NISBET ~ - 52687 SHASTA RD.BERKELEY 8. CALIF.

Permit No . 2105

Form 3547 Requested