AC Transit mulls chopping student service at three schools

The Alameda-Contra Costa transit District is considering the elimination of supplementary bus service for students at three schools within the Oakland Unified School District.

The change would affect students at Montera Middle School, Skyline High School and Community Day School and affect 682 students in the morning and 933 in the afternoon, according to a report by AC Transit staff.

The change is being considered for financial reasons.

Supplementary school bus service costs AC Transit $10.3 million annually, according to spokesman Robert Lyles, but those three schools consume roughly $3 million in cost.

Lyles said in a statement:

“In basic economic terms that’s disproportionate.”

The AC Transit Board of Directors will consider their options for hearing comments from the public at a meeting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday at the agency’s offices at 1600 Franklin St. in Oakland.

AC Transit staff has put forward three options for gathering comments from the public. One would be to hold a public meeting May 10 in conjunction with a board meeting that day.

The second would be to hold a meeting on different day than May 10 but before May 24 when the board plans to make a decision on the change.

The third would be to hold no public meeting before May 24 and give residents a chance to comment at the May 24 meeting. A public meeting is not required, according to the staff report.