AC Transit
Sun,
Oct. 08, 2006
By Kiley Russell
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
The victor of AC Transit's board election will take a
seat in the midst of the agency's drive to increase ridership and reinvent
itself as an eco-friendly service.
AC Transit runs more than 100 buses in 13 cities and
unincorporated areas in
In November, voters will choose between incumbent
Rebecca "Reb" Kaplan and challenger James Karim Muhammad to represent
the system's entire electorate in the "at large" seat on the AC
Transit board.
Kaplan said she will continue her push to get AC
Transit more interested in alternative fuel technologies.
"We really need to be fully prepared to move to
sustainable forms of energy -- not after all the oil runs out, but
before," Kaplan said.
The system already has a solar-powered hydrogen
re-fueling station and three hydrogen powered buses. It has also ordered a
fleet of 10 hybrid electric buses and Kaplan wants to see the agency test
bio-diesel fuel technology on buses as well.
"We really need to have the courage to innovate
and experiment and gather the data on how the different technologies
work."
Kaplan also wants the agency to put more energy into
public outreach to encourage more people to jump on buses.
"We need to reach people who are not currently
riding," she said. "We need to improve."
Muhammad claims the current board is mismanaging its
budget -- although it's currently operating a balanced budget of more than $200
million -- and he wants the drivers treated with "more respect."
"The budget needs to be looked at exactly to
find out whether or not they are following the promises made to the general
public," Muhammad said.
Muhammad, when asked, did not have specific ideas
about how to get more people to ride the system.
"To increase ridership you really need to manage
the budget properly."
James Karim Muhammad
Age: 73
Education: Attended
Background: Freelance paralegal, 1976-present. Clerk at the
state employment office, 1970-1976.
Rebecca "Reb" Kaplan
Age: 36
Education: B.S., cognitive psychology, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Cognitive Psychology, M.A., urban and environmental policy,
Tufts University; J.D., Stanford Law School.
Background: AC Transit Board of Directors, 2002-present;
Communications and Policy consultant, 2002-present; Transportation and Land Use
Coalition, Policy Outreach director, 2001; California State Assembly,
legislative assistant, 1999-2000; Law Offices of Phillip Rapier and Associates,
legal associate, 1998-2000.
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