Many of you probably saw this photo on social media. Obviously it’s a bad joke or an honest mistake, but how high does a gallon of gas have to go before you will consider using the bus?
Month: April 2015
Riders Increase Efforts To Reduce CO2 In March
As County Connection ridership continues to grow, riders are making a bigger impact on the quality of air we breathe. In March, the people riding County Connection buses reduced CO2 emissions by 31,349 pounds every weekday.
Each person can make a difference. With the system average trip length (one way) of 5 miles, each person who leaves their car at home and uses the bus will reduce CO2 emissions by 4.6 pounds. One person – one day a week – can make a difference.
Give us a try! It’s easy…download the free mobile app from our home page to get real time arrival predictions for buses near you.
Monroe Woodard to Compete in International “Roadeo”
Monroe Woodard will once again represent County Connection in the 2015 International Bus Rodeo sponsored by the American Public Transit Association (APTA). The annual competition features the best of the best from transit properties across the United States and Canada – all vying for the coveted bragging rights. This year’s event takes place in Fort Worth Texas in early May.
Competitors must maneuver a 40-foot bus through an obstacle course consisting of 10 “problems” ranging from precise passenger stops, tight right and left turns, serpentine turns, and a judgment stop – just to name a few. Drivers are also judged on their appearance, safety skills and the smoothness of operation. And finally, they have just 7 minutes to complete the course.
He recently earned the top score in County Connection’s local “roadeo” event. Monroe has been driving for County Connection for 20 years, competing for the past 10 years making improvements each year in his quest to earn the top spot.
Good luck Monroe – we know you’ll give it your best.
Yes, That’s Clipper Equipment You See
You may begin to see Clipper equipment on County Connection buses. Readers were recently installed on several County Connection buses as part of the testing and installation schedule. Each series of buses in the fleet – each manufactured at different times – may require variations in the placement and the wiring of equipment. Once the initial testing phase is complete the equipment will be ordered and installed on the remainder of the fleet.
All East Bay operators, which include County Connection, Tri Delta Transit (Eastern Contra Costa), Wheels (Dublin, Pleasanton, Livermore), and West CAT (Western Contra Costa), will introduce Clipper at the same time. Introduction is still scheduled to take place in late 2015.
Couldn’t Attend The Stand Up 4 Transportation Event?
It’s not too late to get involved.
The current federal transportation bill is set to expire this year on May 31. It’s important that Congress and the federal government are encouraged to continue to support long term investment in public transit. Federal funds help County Connection replace aging buses and helps keep the entire Bay Area moving.
What Can You Do?
- Watch and share this video about transit in the Bay Area.Learn more about the issues at Stand Up for Transportation.
- Share with Congress the importance of maintenance and expansion of public transit, roads, and bridges. Stress the need for long-term investment in our aging infrastructure and transportation resources. Write, call, or email your Congressperson, asking him/her to support a strong transportation funding bill.
April 9, 2015 – Stand Up 4 Transportation
April 9th is Stand Up 4 Transportation Day. County Connection is participating in a regional awareness event at the Temporary Transbay Terminal in San Francisco, and encouraging riders and advocates to attend as well.
The current federal transportation bill is set to expire this year on May 31. It’s important that Congress and the federal government are encouraged to continue to support investment in public transit.
What Can You Do?
- Join County Connection at the event if you can get away for a few hours. We’ll take a bus to the event that departs from Pleasant Hill BART at 11:00 AM, and leaves San Francisco promptly at 2:30 PM.
- Watch and share this video about transit in the Bay Area.
- Learn more about the issues at Stand Up for Transportation.
- Share with Congress the importance of maintenance and expansion of public transit, roads, and bridges. Stress the need for long-term investment in our aging infrastructure and transportation resources. Write, call, or email your Congressperson, asking him/her to support a strong transportation funding bill.
Meet Kandi – Administrative Superstar
Meet Kandi
Kandi is a recent addition to the County Connection administrative team, and is proving her worth. She has an extensive background serving as the administrative “right hand woman” for several Fortune 500 companies. “I feel like a chameleon that can fit in anywhere.”
As the assistant to County Connection’s Civil Rights Administrator, Kandi is active in recruitment and employment outreach, but also assists the Human Resources department with new hire processing. Everyone she works with appreciates her effervescent personality and permanent smile. Kandi is a results-driven woman who sets both professional and personal goals – something tells us she’ll meet them all.
Stand Up For Transportation
Join County Connection and “Stand Up For Transportation”
What: Agency leaders will provide brief but detailed explanations of Bay Area transportation investments imperiled if Congress fails to pass a long-term surface transportation bill.
When: Thursday, April 9, 2015 at 1 p.m.
Where: Temporary Transbay Terminal, 200 Main Street between Howard and Folsom Streets San Francisco
County Connection will take a bus to the event and has space available for the first 15 riders. The bus will leave Pleasant Hill BART at 11:00 AM and leave San Francisco promptly at 2:30 PM.
America’s Transportation Infrastructure Lags Behind Global Transit Standards
Earlier this month, County Connection proudly participated in a national event called “Stand Up For Transportation” (SU4T). This national event , held on April 9, was organized and sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) with the goal to highlight and emphasize just how important transportation infrastructure is to the United States.
County Connection, along with over 20 other Bay Area organizations, participated in a joint event at the temporary Transbay Terminal in San Francisco to lend our voices to the day-long, national outcry to congress demanding long-term investment in our nation’s transportation infrastructure to keep America moving forward.
Why was SU4T necessary? Because investment in all transportation is at record lows, when accounting for inflation, going back to before the 1950s. Yet, our economy and our daily lives have never depended more on our various transportation systems than they do now. Meanwhile, other countries, like China, are building new transportation systems at a breakneck pace.
Beyond building awareness, SU4T events specifically called out federal leaders with the demand that they address the unacceptable lack of investment in transportation by passing an overdue reauthorization of a federal transportation bill with adequate funding before the current federal transportation funding bill, Moving Ahead for Progress 
in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), expires on May 31.
Imagine if the nation had not invested in the interstate freeway system in the 1950s and 1960s. Imagine if we had not invested in BART in the 1960s and 1970s. Those things were not built to last forever. All of these transportation systems are in dire need of full replacement. The sad truth is we don’t have to imagine anything. The daily drive down our local streets and roads is already an exercise in dodging potholes, avoiding traffic backups, and the need for meditation tapes! After all, being late for work puts you at risk economically, as does paying for costly repairs to your car when you have to drive down streets of disrepair.
This is to say nothing of our struggles to keep up with demand for additional transportation options and opportunities. We are essentially relying on the same levels of transportation services as we did in 1990. Yet, population and job growth have been extensive. We need to find ways of increasing transportation services and facilities.
How did we get to this state of disrepair and stagnation with respect to transportation? Well, like anything of this magnitude, there is no one single reason. However, our financial investment has dwindled significantly. This is a main part of the problem, as we can’t build or maintain any transportation facilities or services for free. They all cost a lot of money.
Federal investment in transportation peaked in 1993 and has been steadily eroding ever since. This is because the funding source of the federal investment is the federal gas tax (or excise tax). This tax has been at 18.4 cents per gallon since 1993 and in today’s dollars, buys much less than it did then. Therefore, the net result is less investment in transportation.
If you believe that our nation’s highways, streets and roads, public transit, and airports, etc. need to be improved and better maintained, then you too can join County Connection and scores of others that “Stand Up For Transportation”! Write, call, or email your Congressperson, and let them know that adequate federal investment in transportation is vital to your quality life and your economic well-being.
Bishop Ranch 6 Closure Means Detour for 96X/97X
Routes 96X and 97X will detour around BR 6 during construction work expected between April 4-11.
Detours are as follows:
For all 96X Southbound and 97X Northbound
From Bishop 3
Right Camino Ramon
Left Norris Canyon
Left 1st Bishop Ranch 6 service road
Veer Left To temporary stop
Right Camino Ramon to regular route