Transportation
Despite setbacks caused by COVID-19, AC Transit expects to meet its 2023 goals to convert 10% of its bus fleet to zero emission vehicles. The California Air Resources Board enacted a regulation in 2018 that requires all public transit agencies to transition from diesel fuel to 100% zero‑emission bus fleets by the end of 2040. AC Transit set an internal goal of converting 10% of its 630 buses to zero emission technology by the end of this year, said spokesperson…
Richmond is set to relaunch its electric bike share program after a two-year hiatus. The project will be through a partnership between Richmond and Today, a company that focuses on urban mobility through cycling. Residents can expect to see 130 e-bikes on the streets by Dec. 1, said David Touwsma, co-founder of Today. That number, he added, will increase to 300 by the spring. “The uniqueness of this project lies in the fact that we provide something other than traditional…
It was a sunny, hot afternoon; Rosalyn Heimberg, 84, a retired antique dealer, was at the hearing aid center for a scheduled appointment. “I got to my appointment on time but had to wait about 40 minutes for the driver to pick me up when I was done,” Heimberg said. This wait was longer than expected but not unusual for Heimberg and others who rely on Richmond’s Paratransit service, R-Transit, which provides low-cost transportation to West Contra Costa County residents…
Dozens of people interested in learning more about electric vehicles, ride share programs, and other ways to reduce their carbon footprints gathered at Richmond Civic Center Plaza Thursday for the ninth “Drive Electric” event. Part of National Drive Electric Week, the event raises awareness about electric vehicles as an option. Volunteers set up booths to interact with passersby during lunch time. Some learned about electric car and bike rebate programs from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and Metropolitan…
A $5.5 million effort to cut air pollution from the Bay Area’s ferry system appears to be paying off. The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transporation Authority, a regional transit agency operating the bay’s ferry service, says emissions from four newly converted San Francisco Bay Ferry vessels are down substantially. Nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbon emissions are 73% lower, and particulate matter emissions are down by even more on the four vessels, said Thomas Hall, SF Bay Ferry spokesperson. These…
As the price of gas increased in recent years, the 70-mile round trip from Richmond that Oscar Alcocer makes every Saturday to pick up his child in Walnut Creek became unaffordable in his 1995 Jeep Wrangler. Alcocer cut his costs last year by switching to an electric vehicle when Charge Up Contra Costa, an electric car-share program, launched in Civic Center Plaza. The weekly visits were going smoothly, until recently, said Alcocer, a 41-year-old engineer at an aerospace company. “One…
Viva Millan-Alioto has six children, two of whom have special needs and qualify for transportation to and from school in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. But a bus driver shortage has stressed the system, making the service less reliable. Millan-Alioto has had to get on the phone with school officials to ensure pickups, or do the driving herself. “You have to be very active to get things done,” she said. As with the teacher shortage, the school bus…