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TAKE-OVER DATE ASSURED

High (ourt Upholds T I i " d N t: t ~ 1 l

Districtto

Replace Key System Oct.J

Th e California State Supreme Courtcleared the way this month for the transit district to take over Key System Transit Lines an d begin operation of a pub-licly-owned system on Oct. l .

Th e ruling of the high court, in effect,upheld the legality of th e district's $16,-500 ,000 bond issue which was approvedby the voters a year ago.

Th e court justices refused to hear anappeal on a taxpayers' suit challengingthe validity of the bonds. The bond issuehad earlier been upheld by the AlamedaCounty Superior Court and the State District Court of Appeal.

Shortly following the Supreme Courtaction , th e district sold th e entire bondissue to a syndicate headed by the Bank

of America, which submitted the low bidwith an interest charge of 3.19932.N ew Equipment Ordered

With the necessary funds assured, theboard of directors then awarded a $7,-699,000 contract for a fleet of 250 modern"Transit Liner" motor coaches, thus successfully bring to an en d nearly fouryears of planning and preparation for thea c t ~ v a t i o nof the district. (Details, page4 .)

An agreement a l ready has beenreached with Key System Transit Linesto acquire the privately-owned companyfor a purchase price of $7,500,000.

Every conceivable precaution is being

taken to assure that there is no interruption of servic e when th e district takesover th e Key System, according to JohnR. Worthington , district general manager.

Referring to the bond sale , Worthington termed the interest charge "highlyfavorable" to th e district and said it wasone-half per cent lower than the amountestimated when district operating costswere forecast.Favorable Interest Rate

"In effect, " Worthington said , "thisrepresents a savings of $85,000 a year onth e basis of an average year's interestcharges." Thus, he explained, he is confident the district will be able to achi eveits goal of paying off th e bonds an d interest charges entirely from passengerrevenues after it begins operation.

Money from th e bonds will be used tobuy Key System, new equipment andmiscellaneous capital improvements.

Only other bidder on the bonds was aChicago syndicate headed by Halsey,Stuart & Company, Inc . I t offered a rateof 3.31236 per cent .

Significance of th e faborable inter estrate was point ed out by John R. Larson,district treasurer-controller, wh o said that$30,000,000 worth of East Bay MunicipalUtility District bonds were sold lastmonth at a rate more than one-t enth percent higher.

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State PUC Approves Key Sale to District;Familiar Key Name Will Be Abandoned

Th e California State Public UtilitiesCommission granted permission to KeySystem Transit Lines this month to sellits property to the transit district.

Sale of th e company was authorized byth e commission after it was determinedth e district will "continue an d improve"the present service.

ORIGINAL SYMBOL - The first emblem ofth e old Key Route is shown above as itappeared over entrance to Key ferry terminal at end of connecting rail trestle inSan Francisco Bay.

Key is owned by Railway Equipment& Realty Company, with most of th e stockof the parent firm held by National CityLines of Chicago.

Th e long familiar symbol of publictransportation in the East Bay, du e todisappear when the district takes over th ecompany next month, goes back to 1903

when Francis Marian "Borax" Smith established his trans bay interurban trainan d ferry service. j

Though Smith's interurban was knownas th e San Francisco, Oakland an d SanJose Railway, it was popularly called th eKey Route until a reorganization in 1923when the successor, Key System TransitCompany, was formed.

Th e Key Route received its name fromthe shape of its l ines- the cities of th eEast Bay at one en d with th e trestle intoth e ba y and the ferry piers at th e othergiving th e appearance of a "key."

The transit district will take over Key's570 buses, various other operating equipment, an d three maintenance yards an dstorage terminals in East Oakland, Emeryville an d Richmond. It also will hiteall of Key's employees, except corporateofficials responsible for company policy.

Th e district plans to use Key buses until arrival of new "Transit Liner" coachesto provide basic service on most of th e73 lines to be operated. The older Keybuses then will be retired and the newerones used to augment the "Transit Liners" during commuter rush-hours.

Commuters Swing to New Express LinesNew surveys made on th e "Freeway

Flier" lines operated by th e Los AngelesMetropolitan Transit Authority show thatthis fast service is appealing to patronswho previously drove to work .

Th e latest study of 192 passengers onth e Central Valley Freeway Flier indicated that 32 per cent of them used theirow n cars to commute before th e servicewas inaugurated.

Of the passengers using th e line, 53 pe r

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cent of them travel by auto to reach th epoint where they board the "fliers."

An earlier study revealed even moresurprising results on th e express motor .coach line operating over the HollywoodFreeway between downtown Los Angelesan d San Fernando Valley.

A poll of th e riders indicated that 74pe r cent of th e passengers drove theirown automobiles to work before the express bu s line was started.

KEY INSPECTION-Thousands of nickles an d dimes from Key System fare boxes clankthrough coin counting machine-one of many Key facilities inspected by directors ofAlameda-Contra Costa Transit District in advance of taking over private companyOct. 1. Viewing noisy operation are, left to right, Directors Paul Deadrich, RobertCopeland, John McDonnell, Robert Barber, William Coburn, Jr., William Bettencourt,J. Howard Arnold an d Key President Glen L. Stanley. Operator is Henry Paterson.

Key Plant Inspected by District BoardAn extensive inspection tour of th e fa

cilities of Key System Transit Lines wasconducted this month by directors of thedistrict in advance of taking over th eprivate company Oct. 1.

Members of th e board began the tourin th e general offices of th e transit firmat 1106 Broadway, Oakland, where theyvisited th e closely guarded quarters inwhich thousands of coins collected dailyfrom th e fare boxes are counted .

An inspection also was made at Key'sthree divisional storage an d maintenanceterminals in Emeryville, East Oaklandan d Richmond. Directors visited th evarious repair shops an d garages an d examined a number of the Key motorcoaches th e district soon will acquire.

Th e tour was arranged by Glen L.Stanley, Key System president, an d John

R. Worthington, general manager of th edistrict. Stanley presided as host at aluncheon fo r th e directors prior to th etour.

District HeadquartersTo Be Moved Oct. 1 to

Key's Oakland OfficesHeadquarters of the -transit district will

be shifted in downtown Oakland to 1106Broadway when the district begins operation Oct . ! .

The new location, on the northeast corner of l I t h St. and Broadway, presentlycontains the offices of Key System Transit Lines.

Th e corporate offices of th e companywill move from the building at the endof the month, thus making room for thepresent district staff. The district also willuse the present Key telephone number,OLympic 3-3535.

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NEW LIGHTING-Bright fluorescentlights will run entire length of attractively painted ceiling panels.

LOW STEP-Entrance steps on the new "TransitLiners" have been lowered closer to the groundfor added passenger convenience.

MODERN DESIGN-Shiny aluminum will brighten bus exterior with a silvery hue.

New fTransit Liners' on the WayTh e first delivery on th e fleet of 250

mo d ern "Transit Liners " ordered by thedistrict this month is exp ected to b eplac ed in servic e about Dec . l.

District G eneral Manag er John R.W orthington r eport ed to th e board of directors that the initial shipm ent will conain 40 d e lu xe suburban coach es, pur-

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chas e d specifically by th e district fortr ans bay commut e se rvic e.

Th e trans bay buses plus thos e plann edfor s ervic e on th e n ew East Bay expresslines will b e air-condition ed . Transbaybus es also will c ontai n hi gh-back ed,d ee p-cushion s eats.

Lat est d esign featur es a re b eing built

LARGE WINDOWS-Forward slanting "picture windows" will affordgreater outside vistas and brighterdaytime illumination . Wide seatswill give increased space for relaxed travel.

RIDING COMFORT-Entire fleet of "Transit Liners"will come equipped with new air-cushion suspension,assuring a smooth ride free of pavement vibrations .

EASY EXIT - Push-typedoors will provide addedsafety with convenientholding bar for use whileste 'pping from bus.

into th e entir e fleet , Worthington said,including larg e " pictur e windows ," n ewair-cushion susp ension, w ide seats , modern colors , low entranc e step, n ew pushtype doors , low engin e nois e lev el andbright, fluor esc ent lights .

Deliv ery of th e e ntir e ord er of 250bu s es will b e compl et ed by n ext summ er, Worthington said .

As th e n ew buses ar e deliver ed , th eold er K ey Syst em bus es in u se by th edistrict will b e remov ed from s erv ice andsold , h e add ed.

The new fleet will provid e basic service on most of th e 73 lines to b e operat edby the district , with existing buses usedonly to augm ent service during commut er rush -hours.

Exterior colors of th e buses will b e silver , Tahoe turquois e an d Mont erey c ypress gre en , plus a f eatur e strip e of p ersimmon orange.

Worthington said int erior co lors an dfabr ics of th e first ship m ent of coach eswill r epresent several shades of brown ,ivory , an d antiqu e g old .

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TRANSIT HISTORY-Traffic congestion wasn't much of a headache along MacdonaldAve. in the early days of Richmond. Photo ~ e p r e s e n t sone of many periods in historical development of East Bay transit to be covered in district's ne w pictorial booklet.

Booklet: on Hist:ory oE East: Ba y Transit:,New Dist:rict: Rout:e Map Ready Eor Issue

A 32-page pictorial booklet on th e history of East Bay public transportationwill be issued next month as part of anobservance marking th e beginning of district operation.

Th e booklet, which is to be a specialissue of Transit Times, will contain nearly100 photographs tracing the developmentof public transit since 1863 when the firstline was inaugurated in Oakland.

Th e various periods of th e horse car,steam train "local," cable car, electricstreet car and interurban transbay railan d ferry service will be represented.

Also under preparation is a new ma pshowing the transit lines to be operatedby th e district.

The map is designed to encourage

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greater use of transit facilities. It willshow the streets on which district linesoperate, and will also list approximately45 points of interest in the East Bay thatmay be reached by public transit.

Th e ma p folder, entitled "A Guide forGoing Places on AC Transit," will contain directions as to th e particular linesserving ar e area's points of interest. .

Though the district scheduling will remain the same as Key System during thefirst two or three weeks of service, th eface plates of Key timetables have beenredesigned to incorporate th e district'sname and emblem.

As service on the various lines is improved, entirely new, simplified timetables will be prepared ,

What the Editors Are Saying About TransitThe Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch:

'Return to Transit' Seen with Ne w BusesT HE VIRGINIA Transit Company

deserves a hand on th e progressivepolicies which have led to its acquisitionof 15 brand new silver and green air-conditioned buses for its Richmond lines.

These spanking, shining vehicles, thelatest thing in urban bus transportation,will ,make their debuts today.

VTC thus demonstrates a forwardlooking approach to its problems. By contrast, many transit companies are lettingtheir equipment go to pot, and their patronage is suffering correspondingly. Weare fortunate that VTC has decided onmore modern an d aggressive methods.

Until the horrible weather set in abouta month ago, passenger traffic on theRichmond lines of the company was comparable to that of the preceding year. Itappears, therefore, that the steady dropin the number of passengers-which hasbeen occurring since W orld Wa r II onurban lines all over the United Stateshas been arrested.

The addition of th e luxurious ne w

equipment, which is to be pu t on exhibition today, should cause an upturn in thenumber of VTC customers. That wouldbe a good omen for th e city. Nothing cando as much for downtown traffic conges

tion as a sharp jump in the number ofpersons riding the buses. Each bus cancarry comfortably enough persons to filldozens of automobiles .

Sooner or later, Richmonders probablywill be forced to a realization that thegrowing traffic congestion downto wn canbest be made bearable if they will ridethe bus, instead of bringing their carsto the office. For those who must havetheir cars downtown for business reasonsduring the day, it is another story, butthousands drive to work who could justas well ride the bus, and thereby save another of the scarce parking spots.

Anybody who experiences the comfort,riding ease an d convenience of VTC'snew green an d silver jobs is likely to decide right away to leave his car at homethereafter when he goes to work.

'Ideal' Neighborhoods Require TransitWASHINGTON - Nearness to public

transportation is one of th e requirementsof an ideal neighborhood, the upwards of100 delegates attending a Family Conference on Housing here recenly agreed.

Th e conference was sponsored by theNational Association of Home Buildersand the Women's Housing Congress .

Women at th e conference listed privacy as their first requirement in th e

selection of a neighborhood in which tolive, while men pu t zoning laws first.

Nearness to schools, shopping centersan d public transportation were th e nextrequirements.

One woman pointed out that bus service is imperative "if we aren't all to beturned into chauffeurs for our children,taking them to the dentist, to th e moviesand what not."

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: : " " , ' ", " \ ~ , :j ' . ., : ' : . : , " ' : ' : ~ ' . - : i ~ ";',.'\,' ';.," : .. " ' , ' . 1 . '" ,, ' " ., " ; ,: ". : I , ~ ,

. 1 > ~ : ' Q ~ .' " , " ! ' _ } \., , . , , ". , . , ' , } , ,\ . - , ' .

At an adjourned regular meeting August 17, 1960, th e Board of Directors:

Awarded bond printing contract toJeffries Banknote Company of Los Angeles for $3,950, on motion of Vice President Bettencourt.

Levied a property tax of 2.9 cents per$100 of assessed valuation to finance1960-61 fiscal budget of $609,000, on motion of Director McDonnelL

Authorized issuance of $16,500,000bonds , prescribed form, term and condi

tions of bonds, and approved official bondstatement , on motions of Director McDonnelL

Called election for district directorsin consolidation with general electionsNovember 8, on motion of Director Copeland.

Officially accepted and approvedengineering reports of De Leuw Cather& Company, on motion of Director Copeland.

* * *At an adjourned regular meeting Sep

tember 7, 1960, the Board of Directors: Awarded sale of $16,500,000 bonds

to a syndicate headed by Bank of America, at a net interest cost of 3.19932 percent, on motion of Director Coburn.

* * *At

aregular meeting September 7,

1960, the Board of Directors: Sold $200,000 tax anticipation note

to Crocker-Anglo National Bank at an interest cost of 1.25 per cent per annum,

T R A N S I T TIMESAlameda-Contra Costa Transit District

700 Plaza BuildingOakland 12, California

TRANSIT TIMESPublished monthly by the

ALAMEDA-CONTRA COSTA TRANSIT DISTRICT700 PI ' ; :::' " ding..,. _5 f l ~i t t .

'OQltltiiii ." .~ . ~.

Telephonll , f 08~ , ...... - ."

Alan L Bingham, Editor

BOARD OF DIRECTORSROBERT K. B A R B E R . . President

Director ot Large

WM . J . BETTENCOURT . . Vice PresidentWard IV

Alameda, San Leandro and East OaklandROBERT M. COPELAND Director at LargeWILLIAM H. COBURN, JR. . . . . Ward I

Berkeley, E I Cerrito and Kensington

J . HOWARD ARNOLD . Ward IIAlbany

JOHN M c D O N N E L L . . . . Ward II IEmeryville, Oakland and Piedmont

PAUL E . DEADRICH . . . . . Ward VCastro Valley, Hayward an d San Lorenzo

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERSJOHN R . WORTHINGTON General ManagerROBERT

E.NISBET

. . AttorneyJOHN F. LARSON . Treasurer -ControllerGEORGE M. TAYLOR Secretary

~ t O

on motion of Vice President Bettencourt . Appointed Bank of America as pay

ing agent for district bonds , on motion ofDirector Coburn.

Awarded $7,699,000 contract for 250diesel motor coaches to General Motors

Corp., on motion of Director McDonnelL Approved application to include employees under provisions of State Unemployment Code, on motion of DirectorCoburn.

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