Right now, the Bay Area has 24 recognized mass transit companies, all tangled up in bureaucracy, and known for not working very well together. If you toss private sector companies into the equation, that number creeps up above 40! Among these many entities, only BART and AC Transit have true accountability — as those are the 2 that function with elected boards. In the meantime, YOU, the rider, have Zero Representation. In other words, you have no vote, no voice, no input — no pipeline to the folks in charge. 

So in answer to the question above, these many mass transit companies actually primarily serve themselves. They’re overgrown to the point of being ingrown. The rider, although he, she, or they may be traveling aboard actual vehicles, buses, and trains, has actually been left standing at the curb. As riders, you deserve to come along for the ride. That means having a voice and achieving true involvement in the decision-making of YOUR mass transit providers.

It means, in a nutshell, mass transit providers that are actually for the RIDER.

Bob Brunton’s Goals: Unifying the Bay Area’s 24 distinct mass transit companies. Making mass transit more accountable to You The Citizen and You The Taxpayer. 

Bob Brunton’s Plan: Establish a Tax Payer’s Bill of Mass Transit Rights, basing the rights on Rider Satisfaction and Rider Growth, as opposed to the current mass transit system, which favors the transportation providers. Combine the existing 24 mass transit companies/agencies and give them a duly elected Board of Trustees. Raise the basic standards of performance. Mandate inter-agency/company cooperation, as well as openness to new ideas for transportation. Simplify overly complicated rules and regulations, while maximizing the widespread benefits of those rules and regulations (so as not to only benefit a chosen few). Improving basic consumer protections, particularly when it comes to elderly riders