October 16, 2024—The Oaklandside’s road safety, transportation, and public health reporter Jose Fermoso spoke to Senior Policy Advocate for Transportation Justice, Laurel Paget-Seekins, on AC Transit’s Realign bus schedule adjustment plan. Transit riders, bus operators, labor allies, and policy advocates have denounced the plan for perpetuating inequities in bus service planning that benefit wealthy and white transit riders at the expense of bus service for Black and Brown transit riders—and failing to provide bus operators needed breaks. Despite an outpouring of community disapproval with Realign, the AC Transit board of directors voted to move the plan forward.
The nonprofit civil rights advocacy firm Public Advocates said AC Transit didn’t meet those standards because ACT staff’s calculations incorrectly interpreted the percentage drop in service to these communities. By the reckoning of Public Advocates’ Laurel Paget-Seekins, the new scheduling takes away service more from the protected class of communities than the wealthier ones.
“This has to be fixed,” Paget-Seekins said. “The equity analysis has to be redone. Policies exist for a reason. The Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act exists for a reason. Just because you have done it wrong, it’s not a good reason to keep doing it wrong.”
