Any BART employees explain these schedule changes?
BART sent out a news release detailing a few schedule changes starting on September 13th. Can any BART employees explain some of these changes? (Especially the one that changes the timed transfer on the Pittsburg Bay Point/Richmond lines from 12th to 19th street)
Cutting 17 minutes from your wait at MacArthur
If you're travelling from Richmond and Downtown Berkeley stations to the Pittsburg/Bay Point line (or vice-versa), your transfer at MacArthur Station has been reduced from 19 minutes to just two minutes on evenings and weekends.
Timed meets at 19th instead of 12th
Instead of transferring between northbound Pittsburg/Bay Point and Richmond trains at 12th Street/Oakland City Center Station, the "timed meet" transfer point will now be at 19th Street Station, in the heart of Oakland's up-and-coming Uptown Arts and Entertainment District.
Two shorter evening runs on the Pittsburg/Bay Line
BART will soon begin construction on a 10-mile extension between Pittsburg/Bay Point and Antioch. Before beginning we need to take two evening rush-hour trains that currently serve Pittsburg/Bay Point out of service at North Concord. These trains arrive at North Concord at 5:45 pm and 6:00 pm., so if you're continuing onto Pittsburg/Bay Point, it will be a five minute wait for the next train.
The news on the reduced PM
The news on the reduced PM transfer wait at Macarthur from PBP to Richmond trains is the BEST news I've heard all day. Since the last schedule was implemented, I have personally emailed my director and attended the public meetings a few months ago specifically to address the crazy 19 minute transfer penalty, so it feels like a victory, which are few and far between with BART.
Now if we could just get them to use the state windfall money to bring back 15 minute service on evenings and weekends. Actually, anything but temporary reduced fares. At the public meeting I attended, there was not a single person in favor of reduced fares.
But thats JUST what you got
But thats JUST what you got ...Director Fang stated it will "create jobs" so this is a good thing .
Please explain to Me HOW holding an increase in fares 6 months will create jobs?
Oh ...GIMMICK??!?! NM ...Oooh and Ahhh at it ...then reelect the same people next time.
Anyway...good to see the board of Directors is as connected to its patrons as it is employees.
Remember names during elections...
You know I was reading BART's
You know I was reading BART's chronological history on their official site. And one thing peaked my interest, BART used to never have these biannual (2 year) fare increase scheme until the 90's.
Here's a list of the dates when BART hiked fares:
And they planned to do the
And they planned to do the next fare hike in 2012, just about the same time when the union contracts expire so they can blame the increases on the employees again. The district did the same thing in 2009 and they even started the fare hike 6 months earlier and cutback on service claiming that they were broke until the contracts were signed. Now they are saying that they have a surplus in the budget and they gave themselves pay bonuses while the employees got nothing.
How much was it each time?
How much was it each time? And how did that compare to the price of other stuff?
They do the every 2 year
They do the every 2 year thing because in the 90's they hadn't raised it in a long long time and it jumped quite a bit. There were people upset at how much they had to raise it..
By doing it every 2 years, people expect it and it's much smaller. Less grumbling, less political fallout.
They also seem to time it right before contract years, scream there is a deficit, so they can sway public against their own employees. There is very low morale at BART, due to the way management and the unions bicker.
No one has ever noticed that every year after contract there is a surplus.. People only notice when there is a possibility of a strike and it might mess up their commute.
*Shakes fist at the working class*
If it's really so terrible,
If it's really so terrible, why don't some BART employees quit and free up some of those cushy government jobs sitting on their ass all day for the rest of us?
BARTARDED, Im not sure you
BARTARDED,
Im not sure you are getting what is being said but I will try and clear up the "complaint" posts by the employees.
We like our jobs.
We don't like our "management" lying to the public about bart being broke , then lying to us saying bart is broke.
We also don't like the above statement then hearing a few months later there is millions in extra money and that the BoD is spending it on pet projects of minimal or no value to the customer.
Case in point , fair increase "rollbacks"
Case in point , the train connection to oakland airport.
They hold public hearings as a matter of formality ...the money is spent .
Case in point , the roll back thing.
I had no issue with not getting a raise this time. I gave up vacation time , floating holidays and a few other things I can no longer recall ...because bart cried broke.
Now there is a 8 million + surplus and ...Im still giving up those days off and money.
SO , the long and short of it ..
We don't like having a "gun to our head " like give up this and that or the public will suffer.
We dont like being lied to and having the public lied to then turned against us .
That is THE issue.
and for the record....
I do NOT sit on my ass all day.
I have NEVER sat on my ass all day while at bart.
Guess I am one of those employees you never see though.
I'm with J I would like to
I'm with J I would like to see management use that money for better use instead of these bull crap projects. 400+ million for a 3 mile connector is crazy, why not use that for cleaner and better cars for you guys, a more efficient system so less delays, then worry about expanding to places where BART will be useful.
And I too do not just sit on my ass all day.
Now if we could just get them
Now if we could just get them to use the state windfall money to bring back 15 minute service on evenings and weekends. Actually, anything but temporary reduced fares. At the public meeting I attended, there was not a single person in favor of reduced fares.
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I'm with you on the restoring on service. It has really been inconvenient the reduction in evening and weekend service, not to mention the crowded trains. BART seems to be running a larger train at midnight to Pittsburg Bay Point, finally!! Only took them like 9 months. I hope they don't go back to five-car trains at midnight.
I can't explain any of these
I can't explain any of these changes since my opinion was not asked when these changes were discussed and implemented.