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Vol. 3- ;No.9

Board of DirectorsPledge Top TransitSystem in NationDirectors of AC Transit entered theirNew Year on a note of vision in developing the nation's finest public transportation system.

A pledge to plan and operate an "intelligent, progressive transit system" wasvoiced by Director William J. Bettencourt as he took office as new presidentof the board.

Bettencourt, 43, an executive with Friden, Inc., and a San Leandro civic leader,was unanimously elected to the boardpresidency by his fellow directors in ayear-end change of officers.Retiring from the office was Robert K.

Barber of Kensington, who served twoyears as head of the board.Col. Robert M. Copeland of Kensington, retired Army engineer, was electedvice president.Seated on the board for the first time

at the January 4 meeting was William E.Berk, Richmond business executive.Berk, chairman of the board of theRichmond Redevelopment Agency andmember of the board of the RichmondHousing Authority, received his oath ofoffice during brief ceremonies and promised full cooperation with the goals ofthe district.

Barber and William H. Coburn, Jr., of(Continued on Page 7)

.IAN 2 C ) : J 9 JANUARY 1961lLiBENew c&t!1sW -toJoin StreamlinedTransbay FleetFirst of 125 new buses purchased toimprove and revitalize local East Baytransit lines were being shipped thismonth, making January another highpoint in AC Transit progress.

Paving the way for the arrival of the"Transit Liners" was an earlier shipmentof another 17 deluxe suburban liners.

The initial delivery of 40 streamlinedsuburban coaches was completed the firstweek in January, supplying basic serviceon 13 transbay lines. The coming shipment brings the suburban fleet to 57 newmotor coaches.

The big local buses, like the suburbanliners, carry out the colorful, streamlined "new look" and are expected to givearea riders a new and rewarding reasonfor switching to public transportation.

Arrival of the first air-conditioned suburban motor coaches set off a civic welcome that included a parade, a historicalexhibit and opportunities for public inspection.Timeliness of the arrival in the middleof the holiday season also turned ACTransit into a Santa Claus, as the plushcoaches rolled into service early Christmas morning-a special holiday gift tothe 940,000 residents of the district.

The first bus appropriately was(Continued on Page 4)

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Policy 111akers

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TheBoard of Directors

of theAlameda-

Contra CostaTransit District

1961

William E. BerkMember

William I . BettencourtPmsident

William H. Coburn, 11'.Membel'

Robert M. CopelandVice PTesident

Paul E. DeadrichMemb er

Robert K. BarberMember

Iohn McDonnellMember

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ONE OF few remammg horsecars from early days paces "Travelcade of Progress" up Broadway, following route taken bysame car 91 years ago. Broadway then was oaklined street.

"-At TRANSIT directors open a Christmaspackage-first of new motor coaches toenter service Christmas Day. Left to rightare John McDonnell, William H. Coburn,Jr., William J. Bettencourt, Robert M.Copeland and Robert K. Barber.

BERKELEY residents get their first view of streamlined "Transit Liners" as paradewinds through city.

Ceremonies Launch First of New 'Liners'(Continued from Page 1)wrapped in re d cellophane like a shinyChristmas package, with Santa on handto make the symbolic delivery.

Opening "the package" in brief ribboncutting ceremonies at Emeryville yardswas Robert K. Barber, retiring districtboard president. Board Directors RobertM. Copeland, William H. Coburn, Jr.,John McDonnell and William J. Betten-court also were present.4

The first "Transit Liner" to enter opera-tion left the Emeryville yard at 12:25a:m., on Line A, while the rest of thebuses, colorful symbols of the district'sChristmas present to its riders, movedinto service on th e other transbay routesduring the early morning.

The public ha d its first chance to seetheir transportation of the future in a"Travelcade of Progress" that moved

THE OLD and the new parade throughdowntown Oakland in "Travelcade ofProgress" to highlight arrival of plush"Transit Liners."

throughout the district on the Thursdaybefore Christmas.In Oakland, the parade was paced by

the last of the area's original horse cars.Pu lled along at a fast clip by two blackMissouri mules, the parade rolled upBroadway to give viewers a look at tran-sit of the past and future.

In the line were a cable car; Model AFord bus, vintage of 1928; one of thepre-war Key System buses that will beretired by the new equipment, and a glit-tering string of brand new motor coaches.

Heading the parade, in a special"sleigh," was Santa Claus.Th e motorized section continued toBerkeley, Albany, San Pablo and Rich-mond, then doubled back to Alameda,

East Oakland, San Leandro, Haywardand San Lorenzo.

Riders got a closer view the followingFriday and Saturday, as the buses werepu t on public display in various locations

SANTA CLAUS and 1928 Model A Fordbus of pioneer motor coach transit parrode through East Bay cities.

throughout the district and in San Francisco.Bus operators were specially briefed in

advance to explain the equip,ment andpoint out special features, unmatched byany other transit operation on the PacificCoast.

Drivers also handed out brochureswelcoming the viewers and explaining indetail the comfort and safety features ofthe new coaches.

The unveiling of the buses was her-alded by newspapers, radio and televi-sion, both as news events and as specialfeatures, ranging from the unloading toreactions of first passengers.

The bright new fleet, in district colorsof white, silver, Tahoe turquoise and per-simmon orange, is being matched byidentically painted older equipment.Some 34 former Key System buses al-ready have been repainted and refur-bished to serve with the new "TransitLiners."

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T ransport:at:ion Exhibit: Covers ColorEulEra Erom Horse Car t:o St:reamlined Buses

A transportation exhibit, covering th ecolorful years that has taken the East Bayfrom steam train and horse car to the"new look" of swift, smooth motorcoaches, was attracting record visitorsthis month at the Oakland Main Library.

The exhibit was arranged by the California Railway Historical Society and ACTransit to commemorate the arrival ofthe first of a fleet of 250 new "TransitLiner" coaches.

Th e collection includes relics prizedby railfans and of equal interest to thosewho remember ferry boat days, the oldKey System trains, the Southern Pacific"Red Trains," th e trolleys, cable cars andhorse cars of an era past.

A pictorial history of area transportation, one of the largest in East Bay history, depicts a graphic story of progress.The photographs, on panels and in wallcabinets, are further highlighted by scalemodels of early Key System streetcarsand trains.

An operating model of a steam plant,made in Germany near the turn of thecentury and an old calendar, fashionedin th e replica of a street ca r and issuedin 1902 by Oakland Traction Company,one of the predecessors of Key System,also have been included.

Other models feature the San Francisco Ferry Building and th e old KeySystem Pier. Both ar e of special interestto one of th e viewers, D. J. Potter, general superintendent of transportation forAC Transit and a veteran transportationofficial. His father, James P. Potter, wassuperintendent of the Key Route whenthe first pier was built.

Commuters of ferry boat days mayview a famed replica of the ferry "Sac-6

D. J. PotterHis father was there

ramento," tossed to the waves by theCommuter Club of Alameda during afarewell to service on January 12, 1939.Instead of sinking as expected, th e replicafloated across the bay and out the GoldenGate, to be later retrieved by the CoastGuard.

The display, including models and pictures of the new "Transit Liners," makesuse of lobby space, main floor exhibitcases and an exhibit case in the California Room on the second floor. The library is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily and9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays.

Originally planned for the holidayseason, the exhibit was extended throughthe month of January to accommodatethe large number of visitors and specialschool groups.

What the Editors Are Saying About TransitOakland Tribune:

A Happy CoincidenceI T WAS a happy coincidence that onChristmas Day-one of joy and renewed hope-the first of AC Transit's newbuses was pu t into service.

This modem, plush co ach is visual evidence that the new era of public transportation promised is at hand.

By mid-January all basic service ontransbay lines will be provided with newcoaches. The next month, more new buseswill arrive for use in local service. In all,250 "transit liners," costing almost $7.7million, will be in service by spring.

At the same time older buses are beingrepainted and refurbished . Those in usealready have drawn favorable commentfrom the public.We congratulate the transit systemupon the appearance and comfort of thenew coaches and look forward to moreof the promised service improvements asthe new equipment is delivered.Also deserving our congratulations arethe East Bay voters who moved to createthe new Alameda-Contra Costa TransitDistrict by approving a $16.5 millionbond issue to launch it.

East Bay to Lead Nation EquipmentInWith the finest equipment in the country, the East Bay will be riding high byApril on the nation's best motor coachtransit system, according to AC Transit

General Manager John R. Worthington.Worthington made his prediction in atalk this month before the Lions Club

of Oakland, which served to introducethe fleet of new suburban transit liners.The executive described the super-deluxemotor coaches and explained how theimprovement is expected to increase traffic and area business profits in general.

By making it easier and speedier to ridein public transit rather than private car,Worthington said the district expects sufficient increase in traffic to justify equipment purchases. A 15 per cent boostin transbay patronage would result in$2,000,000 a year more revenue to thedistrict, he added.

Worthington also stressed customer ac-

cessibility to the central business districtas greatest single force affecting businessprofits.Finest Transit Pledged

By Board of Directors(Continued from Page 1)Berkeley, returned to office in the recentelection, also subscribed to their oath ofoffice.

In taking office, Bettencourt stressedthat he and his fellow members "must bemen with vision. By today's standardswe are developing one of the nation's fin-est local mass transit systems, intelligently operated.

"But today's standards will be outmoded tomorrow-before the expirationof the 1960's," he said. "We must discipline our thinking and be guided accordingly."

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At an adjourned regular meeting December 20, 1960, the Board of Directars:

Agreed to meet January 10, 1961, toreview salaries of non-union district personnel, on motion of Director McDonnell. Voted to meet January 5, 1961, toconsider possible changes in Transit District Law, on motion of Vice PresidentBettencourt. Authorized $5,000 offer to RussellBeninger, head of Beninger Transportation Service, in settlement for loss of Richmond-EI Sobrante line when district commenced new service in that area, on motion of Vice President Bettencourt. Curtailed size of exterior advertisingposters on new fleet of "Transit Liners,"on motion of Vice President Bettencourt.* * *At the regular meeting January 4,1961,the Board of Directors: Elected Director Bettencourt president of board, on motion of Director McDonnell; and elected Director Copelandvice president of the board, on motion ofDirector Coburn.* * *At an adjourned regular meeting Jan-uary 5, 1961, the Board of Directors: Considered several amendments tothe Transit District Law and referredthem to Attorney Nisbet for wording andfurther consideration at a later date.* * *At an adjourned regular meeting Jan-uary 10, 1961, the Board of Directors: Referred to Committee on Finance a

TRANSIT TIMESAlameda-Contra Costa Transit District1106 Broadway

Oakland 7, California

Form 3547 Requested

TRANSIT TIMES

BOARD OF DIRECTORSWM. J. BETT ENCOURT . PresidentWard IVROBERT M. COPELAND . Vice President

Di rector at l argeROBERT K. BARBER Director at La rgeW ILLI AM H. COBURN, JR. Word IWI LLIAM E. BERK Ward IIJOHN McDONNELL Ward I IIPAUL E. DE.'IDRICH Ward V

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERSJOHN R. WORTHINGTON General ManagerROBERT E. NISBET . . AttorneyJOHN F. LARSON . Treasurer--ControllerGEORGE M. TAYLOR . .. Secretary~ I O

study of salaries for non-union districtpersonnel, on motion of Director Barber.Santa Clara Picks Up TabOn New Bus Lines Service

The City of Santa Clara is covering anylosses on two new bus routes as result ofan unusual subsidy agreement made withSan Jose City Lines.The contract enabled the bus companyto establish two new lines between major neighborhoods and downtown shopping areas.City officials will pay for losses for atleast a six-month trial period. I f patronage increases, the subsidy could continueuntil the lines become self-supporting, according to terms of the agreement.

BULK RATEU.S. POSTAGEPAID

Oakland, Calif.Permit No. 2105