Press Releases

For Immediate Release

Regional Express Bus Program to be Launched

Transit operators urged to apply for new state funding

CONTACT:

Marjorie Blackwell
510.464.7884

OAKLAND, Calif., Jan. 3, 2001...The vision vision of a network of express bus routes —deploying top-of-the-line buses and crisscrossing the San Francisco Bay Area — is on its way to reality. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is asking public transit operators in the nine-county Bay Area to help implement a Regional Express Bus Program by applying for new state funding made available through Governor Davis's Traffic Congestion Relief Plan (TCRP), enacted last summer.

MTC will be receiving $40 million from the TCRP for the purchase of approximately 100 new express buses that can take advantage of the region's high-occupancy-vehicle or carpool lane network to offer high-quality, high-frequency transit service along key commute corridors. In its Transportation Blueprint for the 21st Century, MTC identified more than a dozen possible routes that could generate substantial new ridership; the actual number and location of corridors to be served won't be known until transit operators submit their plans.

In addition to the TCRP funding, a new increment of State Transit Assistance moneys made available by the TCRP will provide $3.1 million per year in operating funds for the express bus program over five years, beginning in fiscal year 2001-02.

The goal of the Regional Express Bus Program is to provide an attractive alternative to driving alone. New or significantly improved express bus service can reduce travel times, improve connections to the region's rail network, and offer competitive pricing to solo driving.

"These new express buses will give commuters a fast, comfortable way to get to work, and also take some of the pressure off our overcrowded highways," said MTC Chair James T. Beall Jr.

Applications for both capital and operating funds are due to MTC no later than Monday, April 30, 2001. Transit operators may apply for the moneys individually or as a consortium. Before applications are made, the appropriate transit policy boards are expected to adopt an express bus plan that identifies potential routes and additional funding sources for new or expanded express bus services over a five-year period. Transit operators may want to establish partnerships with the private sector to help cover operating costs.

MTC commissioners are expected to approve a list of projects in June 2001. At that time, successful project sponsors will be asked to submit a second, more formal application for the funds, including any claims for operating expenses.

For more information about the program, go to MTC's Web site <www.mtc.ca.gov>.

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

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