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Vo l.6 No.1

Governor Vetoes BillBanning AC TransitCharter Bus Service

A bill which would have legislatedAC Transit out of providing charter busservice was vetoed this month by Governor Edmund G. Brown.His action killed the measure whichwould have prevented the public fromchartering its own buses, lopping an important source of revenue from districtoperations.

The Governor pointed out in his vetomessage that to remove this source ofrevenue from AC Transit at the expenseof the taxpayer "for the benefit of privateconcerns who have been unable to meetthe public's over-all transportat ion needs,is an unwarranted imposition on the localtaxpayer and commuter."The bill had been sought by privatebus operators, who charged that districtcharter operations were an intrusion intoprivate business.In Public Interest

The Governor, in answer, said he hadconcluded that "the greater public interest favors encouragement of efficient andeconomically sound systems.""Plivately owned transportation generally has been unable to provide a comprehensive system of mass transportation," he pointed out.

To sign the measure, he said, wouldbe to place "in jeopardy the opportunityto establish a comprehensive Bay Area

(Continued on Page 3)

For the Good of Your CommunityOAKLAND, MAY 1963

New Bus Bids RejectedPending Study onMotorCoach Advancements

Before AC Transit spends an estimated$855,000 for new equipment, district directors have decided to study motorcoach improvements, including a refinedrear door exit, better interior lighting andcontour seats .

The directors, who earlier in the yearcalled for bids on 30 new buses, with anoption for another 30 to be ordered whenneeded, decided to reject the bids presented by two manufacturers.Studies Ordered

Instead, they ordered studies to bemade into a new power-assisted pushtype door which retains the safety features of the rear door exit already in use,but opens at finger-touch control.

Officials also are interested in a ' newapproach to glare-free Ruorescent lighting, which would improve reading facilities, give a luminous effect and enhanceinterior advertising space.

The directors concluded a recently developed contour-type seat called for inspecifications needed further refinementbefore substituting it for the present seatmodel.

An opinion by Robert S. Nisbet, ACattorney, also cast doubt on legality ofone of the bids. The board held elimination of the bid could jeopardize the competitive aspects of the bidding process.(Continued on Page 2)

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Public Help Aslced in Locating HistoricalPlaque, Missing in Move to New OfficesA plea for "public sleuthing" failedthis month to turn up the F. M. "Borax"Smith plaque, which disappeared while

the district was moving its general headquarters from one part of downtown Oakland to another.The plaque, irreplaceable as a historical treasure, apparently was taken from

the lobby at the former offices at 1106Broadway after workers carefully removed it from a marble niche in thelobby and left in unguarded.It was to be hung in a prominent placeat the new offices in the Latham SquareBuilding, 16th and Telegraph, as per

petual memorial to the' founder of the"Key Route" and the man responsiblefor the beginnings of to day's netwo rk ofpublic bus transportation.Although it was missed immediately,

the district did searching on its own be-fore turning to the public for help. Newspaper and radio publicity brought anumber of inquiries but no hints as to itswhereabouts.

The memorial, which weighed about60 pound, has little monetary worth, butis of immeasurable value as a monumentto the visionary builder who gave theEast Bay its first practical commute system and its trolley car network.

The plaque was presented to the KeySystem at the first annual Founder's Dayluncheon given by the Oakland JuniorChamber of Commerce at the old HotelOaklan d on Oct. 24, 1933. It honored the30th anniversary of the first train whichleft Berkeley Station at 1 p.m. on Oct.26, 1903, connecting with the ferryYerba Buena for San Francisco.

Along with paying tribute to Smith,the plaque carried the names of EdwardM. Boggs as engineer of construction;James J. Potter, superintendent; GeorgeC. Ballantyne, motorman on the firsttrain; Mathew C. Mitchell, conductor,2

MISSING TREASURE - Plaque honoringF. M. "Borax" Smith, which disappearedduring move of district offices.William A. Rasmussen, ferry captain, andAugust Mausshardt, engineer.Emblazoned was a profile of Smithand a panorama of his activities, rangingfrom Death Valley "20 mule team" boraxdays to the first Key service.Improved Exit, Better

Lighting to be Studied(Continued from Page 1)General Manager K. F. Hensel wasauthorized to negotiate for purchase of30 new 51-passenger coaches as soon asthe study is concluded. Hensel also wasdirected to secure new specifications andinvite proposals for new bids if negotiations are not successful.

Ir

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Brown Upholds AC Transit Charter Rights(Continued from Page 1)transit system that is economicallysound." ,

"I can therefore see no reason to divorce the profitable position of publictransportation from the unprofitable andgive the benefit to private concerns whenit is the total service concept that in thelong term is of major concern," the Governor concluded in his veto message.

The bill, which would have forced district residents to dig into their pocketsto make up the resulting loss of revenue,passed the Assembly by a 61-8 vote, butbarely cleared the Senate with the minimum of 21 favorable votes.The measure aroused almost unanimous opposition from city and countyofficials in the district, from representatives of merchant, business, civic andlabor organizations, from school boards,newspapers and the public generally-

a united stand noted by Governor Brownin his refusal to sign the bill.These groups reported that AC Transit, in purchasing new equipment and improving service, was operating at a netdeficit which exceeded $425,000 for the1961-62 year and would be matched by. a si milar deficit this year."This deficit now borne by the property owners of the district would be substantially increased if charter operationswere prohibited," the Governor noted.

The district had estimated it wouldlose approximately $250,000 a year ingross revenue if it could not providecharter service.

The Governor also noted the charteroperations were included in the pricethe district paid when it took over theKey System an d the measure "woulddestroy this investment made by the taxpayers of the district."Air Conditioning Ready for Hot Weather

Everythi ng was "go" this 'month on ACTransit's air conditioned transbay andEast Bay express buses, with units readyfor use as soon as temperatures soar.Units on the 112 air conditionedcoaches were turned on and pu t in operating condition for a "May Day" deadline, which as far as the district is concerned, marks the expected beginning ofsummer weather.Operators, who also enjoy the opportunity of riding "cool and comfortable,"have the choice in switching the units onor off as the thermometer indicates, atask sometimes complicated by the "upsand downs" that occur in temperatureson transbay trips.

The air-conditioned buses, costing$3,700,000-a West Coast innovation intransit operation-gives passengers apleasant 68 degree ride when weatheroutside can be blistering the streets.The cooled buses are assigned to trans

bay lines, intercity express Lines 30, 32,

33, 34 and 36 and to schedules on Lines80, 81, 82 and 83.Customer Disturbance

Over Booming RadiosPrompts District BanBecause some passengers h a v ' ~ persisfed is turning up transitor rliios to"blast-off" level oblivious to the comfortof other riders, AC Transit reluctantlyt09k steps this month to ban the playingof pocket radios on motor coaches.

The action resulted from a growingnumber of complaints from patrons whoreported they are disturbed from time totime on the buses by loud music, boomirlg news reports and equally boomingportions of ball games. '

Car cards will be posted asking passengers to refrain from using radios onthe bus. Simlliar to the "no smoking"situation-another source of complaintoperators will be instructed to speak tooffending passengers, though they haveno police powers to physically enforcethe ban.

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The Governor's Veto Message on Charter BillGovernor Edmund G. Brown, in returning to the Assembly, unsigned, the billwhich would deprive AC Transit of authority to transport passengers by charter

or sight-seeing bus, presented these reasons in his veto message:

"The District, with bond monies, paida valuable consideration for its existingcharter business, in that the value of thecharter operations of the predecessorKey Transit Lines were included in thelatter's "going concern" purchase price.This measure would destroy this investment made by the taxpayers of theDistrict.

"The Board of Supervisors of Alamedaand Contra Costa Counties and the CityCouncils of Alameda, Berkeley, Oakland,EI Cerrito, San Pablo and San Leandro,as well as certain School Districts, organizations and interested citizens havejoined in opposition to the bill. Theypoint out that the Transit District, in thecourse of purchasing new equipmentand increasing the frequency and areaof transit service, operated at a ne t deficitexceeding $425,000 for fiscal 1962, and

Workers Vote AgainstJoining Labor Union

Clerical workers of the district decidedthis month to remain unorganized by rejecting membership bids from two laborunions.An election, conducted by the StateConciliation Service, resulted in 40 votescast for "no union," 19 votes for the Carmen's Union 192, and 19 votes for OfficeEmployees Union 29, both AFL-CIOaffiliates.Division 192 now represents the busdrivers, maintenance workers and otherdistrict employees.

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will operate at a similar deficit for thisfiscal year.This deficit now borne by the prop

erty owners of the District would besubstantially increased if charter operations were prohibited."Vlhile a forceful argument is made

that the present law puts government incompetition with private business, I haveconcluded that the greater public interest favors encouragement of efficient andeconomically sound systems. Also, thisDish'ict especially must be in a strongfinancial position if it is to provide newand adequate feeder service for the proposed Bay Area Rapid Transit System.To sign this measure would be to placein jeopardy the opportunity to establisha comprehensive Bay Area transit system that is economically sound. Privatelyowned transportation generally has beenunable to provide a comprehensive system of mass transportation and to re move one of the lucrative sources ofrevenue from the public district at taxpayers expense for the benefit of privateconcerns who have been unable to meetthe public's over-all transportation needs,is an unwarranted imposition on the localtaxpayer and commuter. I can, therefore,see no reason to divorce the profitableposition of public transportation fromthe unprofitable and give the benefit toprivate concerns when it is the total service concept that in the long term is ofmajor concern.

"Accordingly, I am returning the billto you without my signature."ED}';IUND C. BROWN

) t

AC / transit PASSENGER REVENUE .. .COMPARISON WTH PREVIOUS YEAR1.160 .0001.140.0001.120 .0001.100.0001,080 .0001,060 .000

R\I ,I "-,040 .0001,020 ,000 \ J" , "' (=1,000 ,000

980,000960 ,000940 ,000920 ,000900 ,000880 ,000860 ,000

\ Ii\ N i \\

' \ ':: \\z--.

'\.,.".

WJz::>--.

-

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For the first time since AC Transit placed new equipment into operation, passenger revenue dipped intothe red, showing a decrease of 0.7 percent in March,1963, compared to the same month a year ago.Soggy, overcast weather largely was blamed for thedrop in transit riding. Oakland department store salesalso were down, showing a decrease of 7 percent forthe four weeks ending March 30.Nation-wide, the transit industry experienced a riding decrease of 7.12 percent for the month, in comparison to March of 1962.AC Transit carried 4,481,999 passengers, slightly lessthan the number carried in the same period a yearago. Passenger revenue for the month totaled $1,041,-731 as against the $1,049,465 figure for March, 1962.Commute book sales were $171,381, a slight gain oversales of $171,317 for the year before.Passenger revenue, plus other income of $76,641,was adequate to meet all operational costs, whichwere up 3.2 percent over March, 1962. Income was notsufficient to provide for full amortization and depreciation and bond debt requirements, leaving a deficit forthe month of $117,894. Miles operated totaled 1,905,-064, a decrease of 0.5 percent below March, 1962.

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-1963- 1962

1961

foUo >oz uWJo

MARCHPASSENGERSPercentage Changefrom Previous Year

H- l0%+8%+6%+4%+2%

o-2 %-4 %-6 %-8 %

:C, t . . . - ~ " - " , ,

j ...........I I ,If

- ACTRANSIT.... . S. TRANSIT INDUSTRY

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' 7 ~ r t ~ a f # flee ?1(a,e'Claims' Investigator Keeps On Looking

By Virginia DennisonThere's rugged, almost inaccessibleterritory high up in Oakland's back yard,

and every once in a while somethingrugged happens there-a lost youngstera stolen car, a crashed airplane, a mu dslide.

And then, just like in the movies, the"Mounties" go into action. Only in thiscase, there's nothing of red-coats andsilver-mounted saddles involved. Instead,it's a hard-working, volunteer outfit, theOakland Reserve Mounted Division.

One of the men usually on the sceneis Fred E. Clarrage, 52, of 2334 GrantSt., Berkeley. Clarrage also is seniorinvestigator for AC Transit's claims department.

Both activities have something in common.Clarrage developed a liking for inves-

MOUNTIES IN ACTION-Fred E. Clarrage,senior investigator for AC Transit claimsdepartment, handles walkie-talkie duringpractice rescue by Mounted Division ofOakland Police Reserve.

tigative work while serving in the countyclerk's office at Quincy, Plumas County.When he moved back to the Bay area

and went to work for the Key System in1938, he started as a street car operator,switched to bus driver, became assistantdispatcher, dispatcher and chief clerk atthe Emeryville Division, during the earlypart of World War II.

But when he was offered a chance tojoin the claims department in 1943, thatwas IT. He's been in investigative worksince.Similarly, when a friend asked him tojoin the mounted patrol in 1953, Fredborrowed a horse, climbed aboard andhas been helping patrol the Oakland cityparks in the hill area since.

As regular reserve officers, the "Mounties" receive basic training and keep upwith the latest in first aid, rescue operations and handling any type of emergency. That means downtown, as well asin the hills.Occasionally, they ride in parades, andhave trophies to prove it.

They furnish their own horses, saddlesand trailers and most of their equipment.The police department provides badges,handcuffs, revolvers, dark blue uniformshirts-and the guidance of Police Sgt.David Moohr-who sees to the trainingthat makes business men business-like,indeed, when necessary.

Probably their hardest job was thelong search for a missing Berkeley schoolgirl, Stephanie Bryan. They averaged 60hours per man in the saddle during thelong search which proved to be one oftheir few unsuccessful "cases." Most ofthe time they find 'their man"-o r child.

And they've learned, in case of trouble, hardly anyone wants to argue witha horse.

Long-Talking Information Clerk HangsUp Phone, Joins Group of Pensioners

Five veteran workers were planningtheir good-bye to transit this month, including one, who in her own words,"seldom got a chance to shut my mouth"in over 23 years of service.

Mrs. Gladys H. Butler of 6140 California St., San Francisco, who took a "temporary" job as a PBX-information clerkin March of 1940, will retire on July 1,

Additional EmployeesEnter Transit RanksAC Transit welcomed the following

new workers in April:

PBXStratford,ley.

Emeryville DivisionInformation: Marilyn Janice19823 Fernway, Castro Val-

Bus Operators: W. F. Schmid, 15990Mateo Rd., San Leandro; J. W. Pratt,1725 - 6th Ave., Oakland; C. W. Marshall,2523 Tulare Ave., El Cerrito; 1. D. DeCloss, 1815 Leavenworth St., San Francisco; W. J. Burrough, 1301 Hearst St.,Apt. 1, Berkeley.Richmond Division

Bus Operators: G. L. Beraz, 5520 Solano Ave., Richmond; R. C. Dorris. 1019Stanton Ave., San Pablo; W. F. Liewellyn, 1410 San Joaquin St., Richmond.

Seminary DivisionAutomotive: Joyce Francis Ragusa,1844 Wayne Ave., San Leandro, juniorclerk typist.Bus Operators: O. M. Lee, 386 Burl

wood Ave., Oakland; T. E. Gandenberger, 1529 - 94th Ave., Oakla nd; V. Y.Greathouse, 7573 Donohue Dr., Pleasanton; J. L. Moore, 2399 E. 14th St., Sp.147, San Leandro; V. W. Marshall, 326Via Lucero, San Lorenzo; C. H. Townsend, 2001 - 45th Ave., Oaklan d.

after years of talking steadily over thephone to transit callers.

With no previous experience, Mrs.Butler went to work for Key System in asudden whim and liked talking to peopleso much he r "temporary" job stretchedpast 23 years.She still likes to talk and expects tofeel "a little lost" getting used to daylong silence. "First I'll try to learn to bea lady of leisure," according to Mrs. Butler. Then she and he r retired husbandand a sister plan to do some travelingincluding pursuing a common interesthorse racing.

Other pensioners include:Leslie Phillips, 3915 Delmont Ave.,Oakland, mechanic Class A at the Emeryville Division, retiring July 1 after 27years.John E. Jenkin, 2318 Harrington Ave.,Oakland, who worked in various capicities at ca r houses and at the Emeryvilleshops after he entered service in 1926.

He was parts clerk at Emeryville storesbefore June 1 retirement.Hans Schmidt, 8232 Ney Ave., Oakland, mechanic A at Emeryville Division,

went to work in 1930 and put in time atthe Emeryville shops and old Division 1before joining maintenance. His retirement also was effective June 1.

Marion H. Chappell, 176 West MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, started as a motorman in 1923, worked as a brakemanand trainman before switching to motorcoach operator in 1958. He works out ofthe Emeryville Division and will retireJuly 1.

More InformationA note or phone call to the transit dis

trict-OLympic 3-3535-will place yourname on the mailing list for TransitTimes if you are not already regularly receiving a copy of the monthly newsletter.

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ACTIONS OF THE BOARD mAt an adjourned regular meeting April25, 1963, the Board of Directors: Rejected all bids for proposed purchase of coaches, on motion of Vice Pres

ident Coburn. Authorized General Manager to negotiate in open market for purchase of30 to 60 transit coaches and if negotiations are undesirable, to secure newspecifications and invite proposals for

new bids, on motion of Director McDonnell.

Authorized extension of service ontransbay Lines K and R, extension ofservice on Lines 59 and 76, extensionand revision of service on transbay LineC, and approved revised 'Ride & Shop'plan for remainder of calt;mdar year, onmotion of Director Warren.

TRANSIT TIMESPublished monthly by the

BOARD OF DIRECTORSROBERT M. COPELAND Director at LargeWILLIAM H. COBURN, JR .Ward IRAY H. RINEHARTWI LLiAM E. BERK .JOHN McDONNELL .WM . J. BETTENCOURT E. GUY WARREN

PresidentVice President

Director at LargeWard IIWard II IWard IVWard V

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERSKENNETH F. HENSEL . General ManagerROBERT E. NISBET . . . AttorneyJOHN F. LARSON . TreasurerControllerGEORGE M. TAYLOR . . . . . SecretaryALAN L. BINGHAM . Public Information Manager

PUC Ruling Taken t:o Supreme Court:AC Transit has carried to the StateSupreme Court its opposition to a ruling

by the California State Public UtilitiesCommission, allowing Peerless Stages toprovide local bus service between Hayward and Oakland.

In asking the state court to overrulethe PUC decision, Robert E. Nisbet, ACattorney, contended no need was shownfor additional service between the twocities.

TRANSIT TIMESAlameda-Contra Costa Transit District

Latham Square BuildingOakland 12, California

Return Requested

He also maintained that jurisdiction ofthe PUC is limited by law to private corporations and cannot be extended tooperations of a public agency, such asthe district, which was created by thevoters.

The brief further questions whetherthe PUC can grant Peerless the right toprovide competing service purely ongrounds of its own financial jeopardy.

BULK RAT EU.S . POSTAGEPAID

Permit Na . 2105Oakland, Calif.

THOMAS R BOLD5687 .M'iLES riVE .OAKLAND lB. C ~ L I F . 11-1