AC Transit Reduces Service By 7.2 Percent

OAKLAND (KCBS) - The journey home is going to get longer for AC Transit riders, who saw a 7.8 percent cut in service last March and will now see another 7.2 percent cut effective on Sunday.

System spokesman Clarence Johnson said that for the East Bay transit service, the reduction will primarily be in the frequency and the number of hours that the buses run. However, two destinations will be cut entirely including Oakland's Broadway Terrace and the Orinda BART station.

KCBS' Janice Wright Reports:

"The line will be re-routed to some degree and shortened," said Johnson.

The cuts aren't anyone's first choice as a way to save money and Johnson is the first to admit it.

"Nobody wants to do this. We're doing this solely because we are out of money. Right now we are looking at a deficit for this operation year of about $18.9 million," Johnson revealed.

The number one criteria for choosing what gets trimmed or cut is the number of riders on a line. According to Johnson, AC Transit tries to make the cuts as painless as possible and try to cause the least amount of inconvenience.

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