Category Archives: Transit issues

Transit agencies should firmly embrace diversity

On the night of January 29, 2025, a military helicopter collided with a small passenger airliner in Washington D.C., just as the airliner was about to land at Reagan National Airport. The next morning, while first responders worked to recover the scene and families of the passengers tried to heal from the tragedy, the nation’s first Felon in Chief quickly blamed diversity initiatives and the previous administration for the crash, despite having no evidence.

During the presidential campaign, the Felon consistently attacked diversity initiatives, using “DEI” as a euphemism for derogatory terms: “so and so (of woman or a minority race) is a DEI hire…” implying incompetence based on race or gender. Since his inauguration, he has signed several executive orders to end DEI programs in federal agencies and encouraged federal employees to report colleagues working on those initiatives.

Aside from his well-documented history of racism, his current actions may stem from a personal vendetta against the Black Lives Matter movement during the 2020 presidential campaign he lost. Alternatively, dementia may have affected him to the point where his extremist handlers manipulate him to achieve their personal goals.

I see diversity initiatives as direct actions to undo racism and other types of discrimination. While direct discrimination has long been outlawed and disavowed, prejudices and stereotypes still persist. Diversity initiatives help us to recognize our own biases and look beyond stereotypes. It helps to reduce tension in workplaces and communities.

I have always supported diversity initiatives because I believe they are necessary to prevent painful consequences. During high school, I witnessed the Rodney King saga on TV: police brutality caught on camera, a court trial outcome many thought was unjust, and a riot in Los Angeles fueled by pent-up anger over racial discrimination, which pitted ethnic communities against each other. I’ve also witnessed the ugly campaign waged by then-Governor of California Pete Wilson against undocumented residents with Proposition 187, which stirred up fears in immigrant communities. While that proposition passed (and the court struck down many of the elements) and he served two terms, his actions inadvertently turned the Republican Party in California—home to two modern GOP presidents, Nixon and Reagan—into a permanent minority party, largely unable to win statewide seats.

For many years, community activists have urged transit agencies throughout the United States to pursue social equity, as these agencies determine the level of service and infrastructure investments in various areas. During the 1950s and 1960s, with federal funding, new freeways were built to support emerging white communities, dividing and bulldozing communities of color across the US. Later, in the 1990s, transit agencies pursued suburban rail expansions with federal funds but faced pushback from transit activists. These activists wanted investments redirected to bus services in the inner core, which had a higher minority population. This effort was successful in Los Angeles and Metro Rapid service was introduced in response. To be responsive to community demands and better serve their constituents as both service providers and employers, many agencies are interested in diversity initiatives, especially following the Black Lives Matter movement.

The murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and the Black Lives Matter movement sparked a national conversation about race in 2020. Those events led to significant growth in leadership roles focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), forced transit agencies to reconsider their approach to policing on their systems, and required agencies to revisit their relationships with riders of color.

-The Transit Equity Report by American Public Transportation Association, September 2024.

In the transit industry, although racial diversity exists at the lower levels of the workforce, the industry is largely male-dominated. The executive level remains predominantly white. Without efforts to improve diversity in recruitment, advancement, and awareness, this divide, with its inherent racial and gender biases, may foster a sense of distrust and injustice in a transit agency, affecting both employees internally and riders and the community externally.

Recognizing and appreciating diversity also improves employee morale, enhances decision-making, and decreases worker turnover. This is essential since many agencies have faced operator shortages in recent years, hampering service and ridership recovery after the COVID pandemic. As an example, Santa Clara VTA is partnering with a local ATU to empower women frontline transit workers and address unique needs, such as safety issues and restroom access.

Safety is paramount in the transportation business, whether it’s aviation, railroad, or transit. The safety culture that many companies and agencies strive for requires strict adherence to standards and procedures, and demands a sense of truthfulness and fairness from all transportation workers, whether at the executive level or in customer-facing roles. Diversity initiatives can enhance safety culture by fostering a collaborative atmosphere rather than relying solely on a top-down command hierarchy. This approach focuses on finding solutions and avoiding unsafe situations instead of letting accidents happen and assigning blame.

The notion that someone who has benefited from DEI policies is incompetent or wouldn’t be qualified without lowered standards is not what DEI policies intend to convey. One of the reasons for greater racial diversity at lower levels of transit employment, such as transit operators, is the paid training offered by transit agencies. Candidates for these jobs don’t face the training barrier present in other fields where applicants must pay for their own education. It is well-known that there is systemic bias against minorities in accessing quality education, with cost being a factor. Since the trainees will work for the agencies after training, lowering standards that compromise safety would be counterproductive and costly to the agencies.

Those who advocate against DEI say they’re for meritocracy, but I think what they really meant is toxic “bro” culture. This notion of meritocracy often gets twisted to justify exclusionary practices that favor a certain group over others, under the guise of performance. It’s as if they equate being part of the “in crowd” with actual capability.

A prime example of an employer promoting a toxic “bro” culture is Abercrombie & Fitch under the leadership of then CEO Mike Jeffries from the ’90s to 2014. The company marketed its brand as being for “the attractive, all-American kids.” While the brand’s “white hot” image was very profitable during that era, it also discriminated against racial minority employees for not fitting the white, preppy look and attracted numerous discrimination lawsuits. Even though a fashion company is very different from a transit agency, a toxic culture is equally harmful in both.

Someone appointed to the role not based on merit but rather a toxic “bro” culture issues a tweet falsely claiming that celebrating diversity compromises safety. Making workers feel valued and respected is never a distraction.

The idea that DEI prevents employers from hiring the “best and brightest” is also far from the truth. Most jobs, especially in transportation, don’t require artisanal or creative skills; only competency is necessary to perform them safely. It’s unrealistic to view every job as a sports championship, where candidates must fight hard against each other for the spot and the person hired is considered the best. A decade ago, when public transit jobs were preferred and had more applicants than positions, transit agencies were more selective, making positions harder to qualify for. However, as baby boomers retire, and companies like Uber and Lyft offer more flexible driving gigs, along with more work-from-home jobs available elsewhere, fewer people are applying for transit jobs. Diversity initiatives, especially those targeting women, can help attract more qualified candidates to this traditionally male-dominated field. Even in artisanal and creative positions, people from diverse backgrounds bring new perspectives and can break through the groupthink common in “bro” culture.

Transit agencies understand how to honor diversity while promoting safety. Only those with ulterior motives claim otherwise. Source: SamTrans

A petty and ill-conceived ban on diversity initiatives at the federal level will harm workers and negatively affect everyday Americans who interact with federal agencies. For those who are pushing to ban them, part of the plan is to cause pain. Unfortunately, some large employers, influenced by the false notion of DEI and meritocracy, chose to end their diversity programs as well. Transit agencies, governed at the local level, should know better and firmly reject calls to end these initiatives. They should also resist attempts by the federal government to impose its will through executive actions without Congress’s approval. Embracing diversity improves safety, enhances relations with transit riders and community members, and boosts employee satisfaction.

APTA had page about its initiative on DEI in Fall 2024, and now that page has been removed online, following anti-DEI executive orders.

Transit workers are heros

KCAL News in Los Angeles recently reported that a group of Pasadena Transit bus drivers came together to help evacuate residents from a senior living facility that caught fire.

Unlike other transportation providers, local transit is well-positioned to offer essential transportation, including emergency evacuations, for society’s most vulnerable. Public transportation agencies are locally based, staffed by professional drivers, and have wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

Election 2024: Change in favor of public safety

The outcome of last week’s election is disappointing on a national level. Although there seems to be a trend toward voting for conservatism, the results are mixed outside of the presidential race, including in California. On the state level, Prop 36, which would toughen penalties for drug and theft crimes, won with almost 69% of the votes. Economic progressive measures like Prop 5 (lowering voter threshold to approve new local taxes from 2/3 to 55%), Prop 32 (raising the minimum wage), and Prop 33 (expanding local rent control) were defeated. However, socially progressive measures like Prop 3 (ensuring the right to marriage) won overwhelmingly. On the local level, San Francisco voters chose a moderate for mayor. In the East Bay, a progressive mayor of Oakland and a progressive Alameda County District Attorney were both recalled. Progressive Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón was also recalled. Recall proponents blame those officeholders for being “soft on crime.”

I think voters in California are clearly pushing back against progressive politicians due to concerns about law and order following the pandemic. Downtown areas have not fully rebounded, and public transit ridership serving these areas has not yet been restored.

Since the start of the pandemic, homelessness and drug use on transit, particularly on the rail systems, have become much more visible. Initially, soon after the “stay at home” orders were issued, rail systems like BART continued running long trains despite a massive decline in ridership as a public health measure to promote social distancing. Many bus and rail systems slowed fare enforcement or even stopped fare collection to reduce interactions between transit employees and riders, thus reducing virus spread. Additionally, following the death of George Floyd, there has been a movement to discourage use of sworn police officers on transit. Over time, transit has become a “safe space” for anti-social activities, and elected officials have been slow to react, hurting downtown recoveries and transit revenues.

When I traveled to Southern California in 2022, I noticed a clear contrast between LA’s Metro Rail system and the San Diego Trolley. In Los Angeles, I saw more homeless people and drug use on the B and D lines. In comparison, this situation wasn’t apparent on the San Diego Trolley, where many stations have security guards and frequent fare checks on board the trolleys.

When I visited Los Angeles in 2023, things had somewhat improved. The Metro played classical music at MacArthur Park Station to deter homeless people from gathering, but this measure had its critics.

On the other hand, earlier this year, I saw the recently renovated Willowbrook Station deteriorating, with a broken elevator and feces on the platform.

Negative impressions take years to overcome and transit systems require concerted measures to improve security. BART recently introduced new fare gates that have enhanced fare revenues and onboard security.

There has been an argument about whether not enforcing the law is a way for progressive activists to restore economic equity, given that other measures are not feasible. However, I believe that not enforcing the law harms the progressive cause overall. Socially vulnerable people—women, the elderly, the disabled, and young parents—do not benefit from transit when security is lacking. They benefit immensely when transit is safe, reliable, and affordable. Transit workers also deserve a safe working environment to ensure the continued delivery of affordable mobility.

Amtrak Thruway Bus is the primary intercity route to the North Coast

Someone recently noticed in a Facebook transit group that over the summer, Greyhound discontinued service from San Francisco to Eureka. Greyhound had operated buses on this corridor for decades, and before the COVID pandemic, it ran two daily round trips: a daytime trip and an overnight trip.

COVID significantly impacted the intercity bus network throughout the US, further compounded by the sale of Greyhound to Flix Mobility without the bus terminals. Since the merger, the Greyhound network has shrunk in favor of contractor-operated Flixbus, including nearly all routes north of Sacramento.

Besides Greyhound, the state has long provided Amtrak Thruway bus service along the corridor, for many years restricted to riders connecting with Amtrak trains in Martinez, to avoid directly competing with Greyhound for passengers. Since the passage of SB742 in 2019, the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority, which oversees the route to Eureka, wanted to allow bus-only ticketing to improve productivity and cost-effectiveness. Eventually, SJJPA convinced Greyhound to discontinue the North Coast route, which had already been reduced to a single round trip five days a week post-COVID, and not oppose SJJPA in allowing bus-only ticket sales on its Thruway buses.

Continue reading Amtrak Thruway Bus is the primary intercity route to the North Coast

Caltrain’s First Month of Electrified Service: A Review

It has been over a month since Caltrain implemented all-electrified service between San Francisco and San Jose. After the first weekend of free service with various celebratory events along the line, weekday service had a rough start during the first two weeks, with significant interruptions causing delays of up to an hour.

In the first Caltrain Citizens Advisory Committee meeting after full electrification on October 16, John Hogan, Caltrain’s Chief Operating Officer, briefed the committee members on the various challenges the agency faced and what it is working on to improve on-time performance.

Video of the meeting

Continue reading Caltrain’s First Month of Electrified Service: A Review