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OAKLAND, DECEMBER, 1966

Special bus carries 'Happy Holidays'Message to residents from DistrictThe District rolled out a special

greeting to all residents this month,with a decorated bus expressing "Happy Holidays" in languages fromaround the world .

I t was the fourth year in a row thata bus has been transformed into atraveling Season's greeting to extendAC Transit's best wishes. The response was the biggest yet, with arecord number of youngsters turningout for the introductory run of the"Santa Claus Express" and a chanceto ride along with St. Nick.

They lined up at announced timepoints in different cities, loading thebus on the Saturday inaugural to seeand talk to Santa and ride along withhim on the special express.

The bus was painted a bright Christmas green and featured 21 red andwhite cut-outs of Santa, proclaiming"Happy Holidays" in almost as manydifFerent languages - appropriate toinheritance of area residents.

On its initial course, the SantaClaus Express operated from Richmond, via EI Cerrito, Albany, WestBerkeley to Oakland. I t then pro-

SANTA'S EXPRESS -Cut-outs of Santa, andSt. Nick himselfextendDistrict 's holidaygreetings.

ceeded from Oakland through EastOakland and San Leandro to Hayward. Returning to Alameda, it operated through Alameda, downtownOakland and Berkeley.

On board for the first day was St.Nick himself, Nicholas P. Alevizos,superintendent of the Richmond Division, whose seniority as Santa Clausdates to 1939 when he first welcomedcommuters .Something new was added this year,with Santa setting up a workshop atthe Transbay Transit Terminal in SanFrancisco to bring free candy canesand a jolly greeting to the District'sfamily of commuters . The ticket boothand the area leading up to the loading platforms was decorated to addholiday cheer.Candy canes also were given to allpassengers when St. Nick was aboardthe Santa Express .

Two women operators, Neysa Harford and Adele Bosco, continued athree-year tradition by dressing up asMrs. Santa Claus and riding buses todistribute free canes and bus informa-

(Continued on Page 3)

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New Pension plan becomes eHective;Changes approved by Union, District

A ne w pension program, whichlowers to 55 the minimum age at whichemployees can retire an d receive benefits, was approved this month by th eBoard of Directors.Under th e ne w plan, an employeealso can receive as much as a 27 percent increase in benefits - dependingupon years worked, salary earned an dage at retirement - as compared withth e former retirement program.Th e agreement permits normal retirement at age 60 to workers with 20or more years of consecutive service.Previously, th e age was 62.Earlier RetirementIt permits earlier retirement, starting at age 55, to workers of the sameseniority, bu t with reduced benefits.For the first time, a worker with 15years of service is guaranteed a pension ifhe leaves th e district after reaching 50. Th e payments, at a reducedamount, would not become availableuntil he is 65.Th e pension agreement, endorsedearlier by Division 192 of the Carmen'sUnion, emerged from months of complex studies an d meetings, underwaysince improved coverage was madepart of an arbitration award in 1965.Th e agreement, which is to remainin effect five years, has these othermain points.

Pension benefits will be based ona percentage of average top earningsfor any 10 individual years. Previously,benefits were computed on a basis of10 consecutive years.

Th e amount of outside earningsis limited to $1500 pe r year for employees retiring prior to 62. Other income, such as dividends, interest, rentfrom property, is excluded.

Veteran workers, 60 years of ageor over as of last July 1 an d with morethan 25 years of experience, can take2

advantage of benefits under the oldplan rather than the ne w plan - a condition generally advantageous to longtime workers. Improvements an d modificationsapply to an y employee pensioned onor after July 1, 1966. There are nochanges in benefits for employees pensioned before that date.

Number of years to qualify for disability ar e reduced from 20 to 15 yearsof continuous service for employees60 or over. Th e former disability benefit formula was retained, bu t benefitswill be based on highest earnings forany 10 years.Th e agreement permits th e unionto have an observer present at all meetings of the pension board when actingon union pension matters .It also provides an actuary to periodically review the plan experience an ddisbursements, from the viewpointthat if monies in the pension fund permit, application of the basic formulamay be changed from average of highes t 10 years of work to a lower numberof years.Funds Put AsideUnder terms of the arbitration decision, the District has, since March 1,1966, been putting aside funds basedon five percent of wages paid for hoursworked.This fund, to which the Distr ictalone contributes, is to be used to payall pension benefits.Information on the amount of pension benefits, calculated for variouscombinations of years worked an d ageat retirement, soon will be distributedto all employees.Union pensions have been costingthe District approximately $210,000 ayear. New contributions will boost th eannual cost to an estimated $390,000,based on current wage levels.

RIDE ALONG WITH SANTA -Happy youngsters find St. Nick asthey board Express. OperatorsNeysa Harford and Adele Bosco,right, help in candy cane giving.Youngsters greet Santa Claus Express(Continued from Page 1ltion designed to make traveling an dshopping easier. Like St. Nick, theyreceived a hearty welcome.Passengers, sometimes reluctant toboard the decorated bus until welcomed aboard, had comments like thatof one woman on San Pablo:"I didn't know if this was a bus, orwhat - but I'm sure glad you are."

Others, aware that the bus wouldbe running, waited for its announcedschedule or called Transit Information to learn where they could board.Passengers were able to ride theSanta Claus Express with payment ofusual fare. Youngsters under five, accompanied by an adult could ride free- and many did.Th e bu s transformation, voted thebest ever, wa s handled by maintenance department employees at the

Emeryville Division, with JackRutherford and Ernie Passerella helping on the decoration an d Carl Knutson making the cut-outs of Santa an dholly leaves.Th e Santas banded the bus on bothsides, with each wearing glasses tobetter read the holiday message. Th einside an d outside of the bu s wasgarlanded with holly an d sprinkledwith gold stars to twinkle in th e background. Il luminated Santa headsgleamed on the front an d rear.Th e "Happy Holidays" message wasexpressed in Italian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, Hawaiian, Swedish,Norwegian, Danish, Russian, French,German, Mexican, Portuguese, Hindustani, Greek, Esperanto an d English. Language departments at University of California aided in theinterpretation.

WHO'S THIS? - Maintenance worker Jack Rutheiford has on-the-job visit from Santa.

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Supervisor Lloyd WeemsStricken by Death

Supervisor Lloyd L. Weems, 56,died suddenly this month at his home,15520 Usher St ., San Lorenzo.His seniority dated back to July 23,1946, when he went to work as a bu s

driver. He was appointed a studentinstructor in th e safety department onNov. 5, 1957 an d a safety inspectorJan. 1, 1961, moving from that post tosupervisor on Feb. 1, 1965.At the time of his death, SupervisorWeems was assigned to the TransbayTransit Terminal in San Francisco,working the night shift. Fellow supervisors served as pallbearers at hi sfuneral, held Dec . 8 .4

BEAR WITH US - When formally-cladfirst-nighters boarded chartered buses atthe Women's Athletic Club in Oakland forthe benefit premier of "Holiday on Ice,"they found a surprise - AC Transit operator H . F. Voge, dressed as a polar bear.Left, he gives a hand to Mr. an d Mrs .E. R. B. Haldan. His delighted passengersabove included, from left, Mrs. WilliamOkker, Mr. and Mrs. Erwin F. Griffith. TheDistrict carried over 1,300 passengers tothe show at Oakland Coliseum Arena in29 buses chartered by social groups.New employees signedTo AC Transit jobs

New district workers include:Emeryville Disision

Bus Operators: J. B. Gatewood andT. L. Howard, both of Alameda; R. C.Cartwright III and P. O. Estrella ofOakland, an d S. L. Mosley of Berkeley.

Seminary DivisionAuto Maintenance: Charles W. Arnold of Vallejo, service employee.Bus Operators: H. J. St. Charles,R. W. Harris, Geroy Nero, Jr., all ofOakland; L. L. Hoffman of San Leandro; T. E. Gandenberger, Fremont;D. H. Schell, Hayward; J . D . Sundeen,San Lorenzo, and G. L. Ford, ofDublin.

I have recently moved to Alameda. . called your information operatorto inquire about possibility of one ofmy children using bus transportationto an d from high school. I was pleasedto discover that very convenient andfrequent bus service is available an dI was very pleasantly surprised at thecomplete knowledge your operatorhad of bus stops, schedules, locationsof schools, etc .. . . Please accept mythanks for providing such service an dplease extend my congratulations tothe young woman concerned for he rcompetence, patience and tact.

Capt. R. P. Coogan, USNAlameda

* * *. the bu s driver (E. C. Garcia) on

this run was just about th e most efficient and polite man I have ever seen. . . he has the kind of personalitywhich makes it a pleasure to ride hisbus and watches out for his passengers,particularly strangers such as I was . . .

* * *Julia NicholsSan Diego

This is simply to commend th edriver of the H local bus (R. J. Holzner) . . . This man is the epitome of allthat seems desirable in a person serving the public - courteous, warm,friendly, efficient, helpful an d last,bu t certainly not least, a safe an dskilled driver.

Edward FranklinSan Francisco

. . . I got on the bus, an "F," at northgate of the Cal campus . . . during thegame I had spent all my change andtherefore ha d only a one-dollar bill.When I held it ou t to him, he took histime getting it and then gave me alecture on how to have the correctchange when getting on th e bus. Thiswas embarrassing, bu t tolerable. Whatmade me terribly unhappy was whatthis driver di d after I got on .. . thebus being very crowded, I ha d tostand up . . . near the door. On the wayup Euclid Ave., th e driver had just letsomeone on . . . all of a sudden, hegrabbed me by the shoulder an droughly pushed (shoved, actually) meback into the next person standing by.His reason, he wanted to see in themirror, bu t he didn't even ask me firstif I would move . . .(Unexcusable. - Ed.)

Steve TakakuwaBerkeley

* * *Th e Woman's Mission Society ofthe Lakeshore Ave . Baptist Churchwent by one of your chartered buses totour the United Christian Centers inSacramento. I t was a full day trip forus an d we found the bus service verycomfortable an d pleasant. Ou r driverwas a David Scott. Besides being anexcellent driver, we found him veryconsiderate an d friendly. Ou r ladieswere very pleased with the service hegave us and suggested that I writean d le t you know llOW we feel . . .

Phyllis CollettOakland

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Whistle finally blows for driver,One of last of train-ferry veteransOn e of the last of the bus drivers

whose service goes back over fourdecades to train an d ferry boat dayshas "pulled the pin" on his work withAC Transit.

Martin Flaherty, 65, with over 391/2years of service, will retire, effectiveJan. l.Along with Billy and Johnny Hahn,he can count over 30 years of serviceon th e rails. They are about the onlydrivers left who started in the middle20 's, stayed on to pu t th e ferry boats tobed, and then served out their timeon the trains until buses pu t the skidsunder rails in 1958.Flaherty, wh o found it hard to"wrap-up a lifetime" in transportation,ha d a sentimental an d appropriate reunion with the Hahn brothers on anold Key System "A " train, restored byPacific Coast Chapter, Railway an dLocomotive Historical Society.

Stored at th e one-time Southern Pacific shops near the Bay Bridge tollplaza, th e train served as a backdropfor photographs and shared memories.

When Flaherty came here from Ireland in 1925, he brought more than abrogue - he brought a dream of standing at th e throttle of a steam locomotive as it tore along endless rails.Waiting for SteamHe was waiting to ge t on a steamroad when he took a job "o n a temporary basis" with Key System in 1927.' 'I'm still waiting," Flaherty admits."The depression came along an d I decided half a loaf was better than nobread."

After working on the street cars 13months, Flaherty transferred to th etrains as a brakeman and finally "gotto at least hear the whistles blow."

Although he qualified as a motorman, he kept his seniority as a conductor an d it was as th e last conductor6

in charge of the last trains that he rodethe final A train into memory on April20,1958.

Flaherty, who maintains he didn'tknow how to drive a ca r unti l helearned to drive a bus, started ou t hismotor coach career on a neighborhoodhill ru n bu t soon found "i t ha d toohigh altitudes."Subsequently he drove on Line 42-Alameda-Piedmont; Line 59-76 Montclair and Line 12-Grand Ave.

' 'I've always enjoyed the public. I'veenjoyed every minute and I hate toleave," Flaherty said.

He and his wife just came back fromIreland and he plans now to do a littlehome painting at 350 Alcatraz Ave.,Oakland .IN MEMORY - The cord and Ohmer fareregister might be gone, bu t Martin Flahertyhasn't forgotten how to ring up fares andtickets. He spent 30 years on trains, 10years driving.

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AC / transit PASSENGER REVENUE ... COMPARISON WITH PREVIOUS YEAR1,240 ,0001,220,0001,200 ,0001,180 ,0001,160 ,0001,140 ,0001,120,0001,100 ,0001,080 ,0001,060,0001,040 ,0001,020,0001,000 ,000

980 ,000960 ,000940,000

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uUJClPassenger revenue showed an increase in October, totaling $1,198,952, up$70,989 or 6.29 per cent over revenue reached the same month a year ago.The number of passengers carried totaled 4,574,832, a decrease of 1.18 percent over the year-ago figure of 4,629,404. Of the total, the rider count on East

Bay lines was down 3.33 per cent, while transbay service continued to show again, with 5.59 per cent increase over passenger reports of October, 1965.Transbay commute book sales were up, reaching $194,526, a boost of 6.5per cent compared to last year.The distr ict operated 1,970,394 miles of service, up 23,156 miles or 1.19 percent over a year ago. Operational costs reached $1,252,734, an increase o f$81,743 or 6.98 per cent over the previous October.Total income of $1,534,915 was sufficient to cover operational costs, depreciation and bond debt requirements.The transit industry nationally indicated a riding decrease for the month of0.7 per cent.

New Service l inks major Berkeley districts. New service for the Ashby an dDwight Way districts of Berkeley was

inaugurated this month, by consolidating Line 65 and Line 74 into on eline and adding new connecting routing . The line provides first direct bu stransportation from th e Ashby Ave.district to the California School for the

Blind an d from the Dwight Way district to the center of downtown Berkeley. The line will turn off Haste St. atShattuck to loop into downtown. Th eDistrict also improved service on LinesG an d T, and cut back evening frequency on Line 7, du e to alternateservice provided by Line F.

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At an adjourned regular meetingNov. 23, the Board of Directors : Authorized sale of a small parcelof Richmond Division land to BayArea Rapid Transit District for use asBARTD right of way, on motion ofVice President McDonnell.* * *At a regular meeting Dec . 14, theBoard of Directors :

Authorized construction of passenger shelter on 14th St. at Broadway,Oakland, on motion of Vice PresidentMcDonnell. Approved modifications to employee pension plan, on motion ofDirector Copeland. (See story, Pg . 2). Authorized General Manager toexplore feasibility of joint demonstration study with Federal government onuse of two-way bus radio communications system, on motion of DirectorCopeland. Approved $15 increase in annualdues to Castro Valley Chamber ofCommerce, on motion of DirectorRinehart.

published monthly by theALAMEDA-CONTRA COSTA TRANSIT DISTRICTLatham Square Building 508 Sixteenth StreetOakland, California 94612 Te lephone 654-78'18

BOARD OF DIRECTORSWILLIAM H. COBURN, JR. . . ....... residentWard IJOHN M.DONNELL. . . . . . . . . Vice President

Ward IIIROBERT M. COPELAND. Director at LargeRAY H. RINEHART. . . Director at LargeWILLIAM E. BERK . . . . . . . Ward IIWM. J. BETTENCOURT. . . . . . Ward IVE. GUY WARREN . . . . . . . . . . Ward V

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERSKENNETH F. HENSEL . Genera l ManagerROBERT E. NISBET . . . . . . AttorneyJOHN F. LARSON. . . . . . . . Treasurer-ControllerGEORGE M. TAYLOR. . . . . . . . . . . Secreta ryALAN l . BINGHAM . . . . Public Information Manager

L-___ _ _ __ _ _ _ ~ ~ 5 __--------__

Declared official results of recentelection for District Board of Directors, on motion of Director Rinehart .

Authorized General Manager toobtain quotation from Mund, McLaurin & Co., insurance analysts, forsurvey of District insurance coverage,on motion of Director Rinehart.

New pres ident elected b y Carmen's UnionL. F . Bone, bus driver at Emeryville operating department, assuming the

Division, 'was elected president of post held by J. L. Vinson.Division 192 of the Carmen's Union W. L. (Bill) Bailey won out as mainthis month after a run-off election. He tenance business agent, taking overdefeated F . L. Huffstutler to take the the office held by Emil Scala for thepresidency held for two years by Louis past 18 years.V. Bailey . W. F . McClure, not involved in theIn another run-off, E. A. Cordeiro run-oft: was elected financial secretarywas elected business agent of the treasurer.Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District

Latham Square BuildingOakland, California 94612

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