Alameda AC Transit ILC Meeting Summary – April 29, 2025
Alameda AC Transit ILC Meeting Summary – April 29, 2025
The Alameda AC Transit Interagency Liaison Committee (ILC) met on April 29, 2025, in a hybrid format. The meeting covered updates on transportation projects, a free bus pass pilot program, proposed ILC consolidation, the Realign service redesign, and ridership performance. No formal votes were taken, but discussions informed next steps.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Christy Cannon, a volunteer with CASA (Community Action for Sustainable Alameda), commented on early bus arrivals, stating that early arrivals are worse than late arrivals because real-time apps are not helpful when the bus has not yet departed the terminal. She asked about driver training on holding at time points. Staff responded that operators are trained to wait at scheduled time points and acknowledged the issue, committing to follow-up.
Discussion Items
- Annual Transportation Report: City staff presented highlights: 1.4 miles of all-ages bikeways added, 395 sidewalk trip hazards repaired, over 51,000 riders on the Oakland-Alameda Water Shuttle (mid-July to Dec 2024), over 200,000 rides on the free bus pass program, bus ridership up 8% since 2023 (36% since 2021), and ferry ridership up 60% with over 500,000 boardings in 2024. Vice Mayor Pryor asked about bus service to Bay Farm ferry terminal; staff confirmed Line 21 serves it and will continue with Realign. The Cross Alameda Trail is nearly complete; Clement Tilden and Pennzoil projects are moving forward.
- Free Bus Pass Pilot Program for Seniors & People with Disabilities: Staff reported 970 participants, with over 18,000 rides taken in December 2024 by 641 unique users. Active participants average 29 rides per month, and nearly half speak Cantonese. The program is funded by Measure BB but faces cost increases due to AC Transit fare hikes. Options include limiting program size, seeking general fund support, or converting to EasyPass. AC Transit staff (Deborah Garcia) explained that EasyPass is not suitable for this membership-style program. Annual renewal with stricter low-income verification will be implemented, potentially clearing the waitlist but increasing administrative burden. A moderate general fund request is being prepared for the city's biennial budget.
- ILC Proposed Consolidation: AC Transit staff (Howard Durr) presented a proposal to merge several ILCs to reduce staff workload. The specific plan for Alameda is still in development. Director Peoples strongly opposed combining Alameda with Oakland, arguing Oakland's size and complexity would overshadow smaller cities and that Alameda's ILC is one of the most successful. The conversation referenced previous robust discussion and upcoming AC Transit board elections in 2026.
- Realign Update: Howard Durr reported that the final network redesign plan was approved in October 2024, with implementation in August 2025. Service standards are being revised. Internal preparations, including bus stop changes and coordination with the city, are ongoing. A public information campaign will launch in June/July. Director Peoples noted that Realign currently represents a cut to 85% of 2019 service and urged that additional phases (100% and ideal service) be developed to advocate for more funding.
- Alameda TMA Update: Staff reported on behalf of Lucy Lee: The Clipper Tree Pass pilot has nearly 1,200 participants (76 at Alameda Point) and recorded 44,000 trips in Q1 2025. EasyPass ridership also increased. The Alameda Landing Express shuttle will end in June due to low ridership, transitioning users to AC Transit. A new free AC Pass program launches in May for Alameda Landing residents and employees of Safeway and Michaels working 35+ hours/week.
- Oakland Alameda Access Project: Crystal Wayne (AC Transit) reported that construction is expected to start fall 2025 (no sooner than October) and last 3.5 years. AC Transit's main concern is minimizing bus delay during tunnel closures. The City of Oakland is preliminarily open to a bus-only lane on 7th Street and a dedicated bus-only left turn from Broadway to 7th Street. A multi-agency workshop is planned. Public workshops are being held by ACTC.
- AC Transit Ridership & Complaints: Staff presented performance data for Alameda lines (Nov 2024–Feb 2025). Ridership remained consistent, with a jump on the 51A. On-time performance: Transbay lines and Line 96 are below the 72% standard; Line 96 is on detour due to the city's Reshape project. School routes also low due to holding for students. Customer complaints about no-shows and pass-ups decreased significantly: pass-ups from over 130 to 46, no-shows from 96 to 40. Staff attribute improvement to better staffing. A new pilot program offering $2/hour incentive pay for operators on trunk lines (including the 51) aims to further boost reliability.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes were taken.
- Staff will follow up on early bus performance and operator training (Item 10).
- The ILC consolidation proposal will continue to gather feedback and be presented to the AC Transit board; no decision made.
- The free bus pass program will undergo annual renewal with stricter income verification; a general fund request will be prepared for the city budget.
- Realign implementation remains on track for August 2025; a public information campaign will run June/July.
- The Oakland Alameda Access Project timeline and transit mitigation measures will be addressed in upcoming workshops.
- Next ILC meeting: July 17, 2025, and October 16, 2025.
Meeting Transcript
So we could do that. Yeah, we can start now with three people. You guys are good. Oh, we have two. Oh, you have Joel also, so you have a majority in the room right now, so that's fine. I'm okay, but I don't know the protocol. If you guys want to wait for Tony, that's good too. The mobile no number I had for Tony went to voicemail without an identification. Whether it was still good. So I don't know whether I left our message or not. Tammy. Do you need three for the quorum? Two in person works fine. Okay. Okay. So we have to have start with Howard reading the participation script and then roll call and we can get started. Thank you. Right, here we go. Good morning, and welcome to the April 17, 2025 City of Alameda AC Transit ISD hybrid meeting. No action shall be taken during the disruption that will prevent members of the public from offering public comments using the call in or internet based option. This meeting is being reported. For the members of the public who have dialed into this meeting by telephone, you must press star nine to raise your hand when the agenda item you would like to speak on is called, and the committee secretary will unmute you at the appropriate time and call the last four digits of your phone number. If you are attending the meeting via Zoom, you may use the raise your hand feature, and your name will be called when it's your turn to speak. If you decide not to speak, you may dial star nine or click lower your hand in Zoom. We request that all speakers clearly and slowly state the name for the record and make sure their location is quiet and that all other audio devices are turned off. Each speaker will be allowed two minutes to present their comments and will be notified when their time is up. I believe the next step is to call wohl, and then I will turn over to the chair. Vice Mayor Pryor. First of all, representing the City of Alameda, Vice Mayor Pryor. Yes. Representing AC Transit. Uh Director Young. Here. And Director Sayed? Here. Thank you. Chair Pryor, you have uh control the meeting. Um I don't know if you want to have staff introduce themselves. All right, I was just gonna say this meeting is um gonna be time starting at 9 09, and yes, staff introduced themselves. Um you're hosting, so I just start both. Okay. Okay, um, I'll start. Um from AC Transit, I am Howard Durr. I'm the interim service planning manager. Um Ria. Maria Henderson, External Affairs Representative, Legislative Affairs and Community Relations at AC Transit. Uh Crystal Wayne, Transportation Planner, AC Transit. And Lisa Foster, Transportation Planning Manager Manager for the City of Alameda. Okay, great. Uh, do we have any announcements of public comments?
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