At 9am on 12/4 we got word that the City of Oakland was planning on removing 100 bus shelters without any plan to replace them and that city staff would be presenting this decision to the Oakland/AC Transit coordination committee meeting at 10am that same day. Bus shelters are key for making transit more comfortable, welcoming, and accessible and bus shelters have been shown to increase boardings at stops by over 80%!
With only an hour to mobilize, Transbay Coalition and East Bay Transit Riders Union sprung into action, sending out a rapid response alert to our members in Oakland and got 19 people to turn out to the meeting and speak out against this proposed plan. Members of the public from across the city spoke out on how:
- All bus stops should have shelters because riders deserve the comfort, dignity, and protection from the elements that bus shelters provide
- The city should NEVER remove shelters without immediately replacing them
- Removing shelters at the start of the rainy season is particularly terrible
- Bus stop shelters are one of the most requested transit improvement feature riders want
- The distribution of bus shelters in Oakland is inequitable and that must be addressed
After the public comment and leadership from AC Transit Director Sarah Syed and Oakland Councilmember Rebeccca Kaplan, the Oakland Department of Transportation Director, Josh Rowen, offered to pause the removal and to collaborate with AC Transit on a better plan moving ahead. In the end, it was decided that:
1) City will limit the shelter removals to a small limited number of shelters who are in such a derelict state that the pose an immediate hazard
2) Oakland will pursue an alternate replacement shelter design with lower maintenance needs and will move to replace shelters – not simply remove them.
3) Oakland and AC Transit will pursue a cost-sharing funding proposal between them so that more shelters can be built and maintained.
Huge thank you to the 19 Transbay Coalition & EBTRU members and our allies at Transform, Public Advocates, Bike East Bay, and the Dimond Improvement Association who were able to spring into action at a moment’s notice to help save the bus shelters and thank you to AC Transit Director Syed and Oakland Councilmember Kaplan for their leadership on this.
However, this isn’t over yet! We need to keep a sharp eye out on the city to make sure they follow through with the new plan, so sign up here to stay plugged in with the effort! Also, each time Oakland sets its budget is an opportunity for us to push for more funding for better bus shelters.
At the end of the day, this is yet another example of how when we organize & mobilize we can win, and that the best way to be ready is to stay ready. Sign up here to get on the Transbay Coalition action alert list to get plugged into the fight to make transportation better for all in the whole Bay Area!