Press Releases

For Immediate Release

TRAVELER INFORMATION VIA 817-1717 NOW AVAILABLE TO PENINSULA RESIDENTS IN THE 650 AREA CODE

CONTACT:

Catalina Alvarado
510.817.5783

Emily Van Wagner
510.817.5782

OAKLAND, Calif., May 15, 1998...The Metropolitan Transportation Commission announced today that Bay Area residents who live in the 650 area code can now access traveler information via 817-1717 [817-1718 for TTY/TDD deaf access] without having to first dial an area code. The Commission also is continuing its efforts to eliminate the need for callers to dial an area code to access TravInfo^TM services in all future area code splits in the Bay Area.

Residents in the 650 area code now enjoy the same ease in reaching TravInfo^TM as residents in the 408, 415, 510 and 707 area codes -- simply dial 817-1717, no area code required. TravInfo^TM, the Bay Area's advanced traveler information system, is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays. This is a public service that provides a single source for up-to-the-minute traffic reports for all Bay Area highways; direct telephone connections to public transit and paratransit operators; carpooling information; construction updates on major Caltrans projects; as well as street closures due to flooding in rainy weather and other travel-related information. The service is free; local telephone toll charges may apply.

Since February, travelers calling from the 650 area code first had to dial 415 or 408 in order to reach TravInfo^TM. A similar situation may occur come September 1998 for residents in the newly-designated 925 area code (formerly part of the 510 area code), and in December 1998 for residents now in the 408 area code who will find themselves in the soon-to-debut 831 area code.

"We are pursuing two parallel avenues in order to maintain a single phone number for traveler information that can be available from any Bay Area area code -- regardless of future area code splits," explained Steve Heminger, MTC manager of Legislation and Public Affairs. MTC is seeking, from the state Public Utilities Commission, a permanent waiver from the code allocation process contained in the federal Telecommmunication Deregulation Act of 1996. In addition to this regulatory approach, MTC is seeking legislative relief through Assembly Bill 554 by Lou Papan. The bill would permanently assign the two numbers -- 817-1717 and 817-1718 -- for traveler information in the nine-county Bay Area; it is awaiting a hearing before the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee.

TravInfo^TM is sponsored throughout the nine-county Bay Area by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the transportation planning, coordinating and financing agency for the Bay Area.

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MTC is the transportation planning, coordinating and financing agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.