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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Alameda AC Transit Joint Meeting Updates on October 16, 2025

City Council — Monday, October 20, 2025

BodyAlameda, California

SessionCity Council

DateMonday, October 20, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 49:56

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

Why don't we do a role?

0:03

I think it's all my mom.

0:06

Yeah, go for it.

0:07

And Jamie, is uh Director Walsh online by any chance?

0:12

You're muted to me.

0:14

I'm checking to see if she's going on the iPhone.

0:16

I haven't got confirmation yet.

0:19

We can start and then if she signs on, we can uh we can go back to checking her in.

0:25

That's okay.

0:26

Excuse me, I'm easily confused.

0:28

All right, shall we begin?

0:30

Um good morning and welcome to the October 16th, 2025 City of Alameda AC Transit hybrid meeting.

0:38

No action shall be taken during a disruption that will prevent members of the public from offering public comments, just a call-in or internet-based action.

0:46

This meeting is being recorded, or the members of the public who have dialed into this meeting by telephone.

0:52

You must press star nine to raise your hand when the agenda item you would like to speak on is called.

0:57

The committee secretary will unmute you at the appropriate time and call the last four digits of your phone number.

1:03

If you're attending the meeting via Zoom, you may use the raise your hand feature and your name will be called when it is your return to speak.

1:10

If you decide not to speak, you may dial star nine or click lower your hand and zoom.

1:20

And that all other audio devices are starting off.

1:23

Each speaker will be allowed two minutes to present their comments or be notified when their time is up.

1:30

Um I will now turn it to the chair to uh open the meeting.

1:34

I do want to point out that Director Walsh is available online, and Director Walsh is the alternate for this meeting.

1:43

However, we do have a forum, so Director Walsh, do you want to participate as a committee member or would you prefer to just listen in?

1:51

If you participate as a committee member, we'll we'll just give you the just cause um questionnaire.

1:56

Good morning everyone.

1:57

I'm sorry I couldn't be there in person today to fill in as alternate.

2:00

I'd like to just observe and participate remotely if that's okay.

2:04

Great.

2:05

Okay, thank you.

2:06

And feel free to raise your hand if you have a question or thank you so much.

2:10

Alright, so uh on to roll call, representing the city of Alameda.

2:16

Uh we have uh Mayor Ashcraft present as the alternates and council member Days of representing AC Transit.

2:23

We have Director Young here and Director Sayed is absent.

2:27

Um Director Walsh is participating as a member of the public.

2:31

Okay, why don't we we did the roll call?

2:33

Is there any public comments and or announcements?

2:38

Hearing none, why don't we move on?

2:40

I don't know.

2:41

We I don't know what we do with agenda item number three, you know, in the previous LC meetings.

2:45

Is that something we want to discuss?

2:47

Um only if there are questions from the committee or the public, but otherwise, if none, why don't we move on to the main discussion items?

2:57

Number four, free bus pass program for seniors and people with disabilities.

3:02

Update City of Alameda.

3:04

Thank you.

3:05

Thank you.

3:06

Uh to get this started, I want to introduce Liz Escobar, who some of you have met before.

3:11

She is our wonderful paratransit coordinator.

3:14

And I also wanted to acknowledge that Morris McKay is here.

3:17

He is the lead of the Mastics Senior Center where the paratransit program is run out of.

3:24

So we have this.

3:26

Good morning, everyone.

3:27

Lisa mentioned, my name is Liz Escobar, Prior Transit Coordinator.

3:31

I'm excited to be here today to provide an update on the free bus class program.

3:36

This initiative is part of our commitment to enhancing mobility for older adults and people with disabilities in the city of Alameda.

3:44

As we aim to move away from using the term paratransit, I would like to introduce to you our newly rebranded program, Alameda Connect.

3:53

Alameda Connect will serve as a new name for all transportation programs and services offered through the City of Alameda.

4:01

Meaning the free bus pass program, the Alameda Independent Mobility Program, and all outreach events will fall under kind of this umbrella name from here on out.

4:11

We can type into our program update.

4:13

Next slide.

4:16

So our program this year has reached its highest membership level yet, with a total of 960 participants.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Active Transportation███████████████████████████████████████████43%

Transportation Safety████████████████████20%

Engineering And Infrastructure████████████████16%

Procedural████████8%

Public Engagement████████8%

Public Safety███3%

Economic Development██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Alameda AC Transit Joint Meeting Updates on October 16, 2025

The October 16, 2025 joint meeting of the City of Alameda and AC Transit focused on updates to transportation programs, network changes, and project progress. Discussions centered on the Alameda Connect free bus pass program, realign implementation, Measure B repurposing, Bay Pass usage, and upcoming construction impacts, with no public comments offered.

Free Bus Pass Program for Seniors and People with Disabilities

Liz Escobar, Paratransit Coordinator, presented an update on the rebranded Alameda Connect program, reporting a current membership of 697 after a renewal process deactivated 263 passes, with a waitlist of 65 individuals. She expressed commitment to enhancing mobility and plans to clear the waitlist starting in November.
Mayor Ashcraft questioned the waitlist management and renewal process, expressing concern about participants being deemed non-active due to temporary factors like illness.
AC Transit representatives suggested enrolling waitlisted individuals in the Senior Clipper Card program and discussed potential funding from SB 63 for expanded free pass programs.

Realign Implementation Update

Robert Del Rosario, AC Transit Director of Service Development and Planning, reported that the realign network rollout on August 10, 2025, was smooth operationally but with ongoing bus stop adjustments. He noted overcrowding on Line O, scheduling issues on Line 19, and travel time changes on Line 96, attributing these to resource-neutral constraints.
Committee members, including Mayor Ashcraft, confirmed observations of increased crowding on Line O and discussed coordination with city staff to address detours and signage issues in Alameda Point.
AC Transit plans to make service adjustments in January 2026 to address these challenges.

Measure B Bus Project

Lisa Foster, Transportation Planning Manager for the City of Alameda, provided a verbal update on repurposing Measure B funds for transit-focused multimodal projects on Lincoln Avenue, Marshall Way, Pacific Avenue, Stargell Avenue, and Westline Drive.
The Alameda CTC Commission initiated a 45-day comment period ending in mid-November 2025, with final approval expected early next year.

Bay Pass Program Update

Brian McGuire, Transportation Planner for the City of Alameda and Alameda TMA board appointee, reported on the Bay Pass program, with 1,537 active users in 2025 and 148,000 trips, 33% on AC Transit. He expressed enthusiasm for the program's benefits but noted cost sustainability concerns due to increased usage.
Mike O'Hara, Alameda TMA board president, added that the program is funded through tenant fees and development impact fees, with ongoing efforts to maintain coverage despite rising costs.
Committee members discussed the opt-in enrollment process and the need for increased marketing to improve utilization rates.

Oakland Alameda Access Plan (OAP)

Lisa Foster and AC Transit representatives updated on the upcoming OAP construction, which will involve single-lane closures in the Webster and Posey tubes starting in early 2026, with significant impacts on transit and traffic.
Mayor Ashcraft, as vice chair of the Alameda County Transportation Commission, emphasized advocacy for Alameda's needs, improved communication from Caltrans, and focus on transit and public safety during construction.
Coordination efforts are underway with AC Transit and city staff to mitigate impacts through bus-only lanes and signal optimizations.

Park Street TSP Project

Maria Henderson, AC Transit External Affairs Representative, reported that the Transit Signal Priority project on Park Street has completed the first design stage and is proceeding to final design, aiming for completion before the OAP construction begins. A presentation to the Alameda Transportation Commission is scheduled for November or December 2025.

Personal Line Transformation Plan

An AC Transit representative provided a performance summary for lines operating in Alameda from May to August 2025, noting consistent ridership and on-time performance targets met for most lines, except for issues on Line 19 and transbay lines due to routing confusion and overcrowding.
Customer complaints highlighted problems with Lines 19, 20/21, 30/31, and the transbay Line O.

Key Outcomes

Alameda Connect free bus pass program waitlist to be cleared starting in November 2025, pending ridership trends.
AC Transit to implement service adjustments in January 2026 to address realign issues, particularly on Lines O, 19, and 96.
Measure B project comment period ends mid-November 2025, with final commission approval expected early 2026.
Bay Pass program sustainability to be reviewed with MTC staff, with potential modifications due to cost increases.
OAP construction coordination to prioritize transit and public safety, with enhanced communication from Caltrans.
Park Street TSP project design advancing for completion before OAP construction.
Next meeting scheduled for February 12, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Why don't we do a role? I think it's all my mom. Yeah, go for it. And Jamie, is uh Director Walsh online by any chance? You're muted to me. I'm checking to see if she's going on the iPhone. I haven't got confirmation yet. We can start and then if she signs on, we can uh we can go back to checking her in. That's okay. Excuse me, I'm easily confused. All right, shall we begin? Um good morning and welcome to the October 16th, 2025 City of Alameda AC Transit hybrid meeting. No action shall be taken during a disruption that will prevent members of the public from offering public comments, just a call-in or internet-based action. This meeting is being recorded, or 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. The committee secretary will unmute you at the appropriate time and call the last four digits of your phone number. If you're attending the meeting via Zoom, you may use the raise your hand feature and your name will be called when it is your return to speak. If you decide not to speak, you may dial star nine or click lower your hand and zoom. And that all other audio devices are starting off. Each speaker will be allowed two minutes to present their comments or be notified when their time is up. Um I will now turn it to the chair to uh open the meeting. I do want to point out that Director Walsh is available online, and Director Walsh is the alternate for this meeting. However, we do have a forum, so Director Walsh, do you want to participate as a committee member or would you prefer to just listen in? If you participate as a committee member, we'll we'll just give you the just cause um questionnaire. Good morning everyone. I'm sorry I couldn't be there in person today to fill in as alternate. I'd like to just observe and participate remotely if that's okay. Great. Okay, thank you. And feel free to raise your hand if you have a question or thank you so much. Alright, so uh on to roll call, representing the city of Alameda. Uh we have uh Mayor Ashcraft present as the alternates and council member Days of representing AC Transit. We have Director Young here and Director Sayed is absent. Um Director Walsh is participating as a member of the public. Okay, why don't we we did the roll call? Is there any public comments and or announcements? Hearing none, why don't we move on? I don't know. We I don't know what we do with agenda item number three, you know, in the previous LC meetings. Is that something we want to discuss? Um only if there are questions from the committee or the public, but otherwise, if none, why don't we move on to the main discussion items? Number four, free bus pass program for seniors and people with disabilities. Update City of Alameda. Thank you. Thank you. Uh to get this started, I want to introduce Liz Escobar, who some of you have met before. She is our wonderful paratransit coordinator. And I also wanted to acknowledge that Morris McKay is here. He is the lead of the Mastics Senior Center where the paratransit program is run out of. So we have this.

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