Lakshmi Iyer
India Post News Service
FREMONT, CA: The San Francisco Bay Area – the technology capital of the world that has so much to offer such as jobs, world class education, a diverse population, international food from all over the world, culture, nature – is also notorious for its traffic jams and high fuel costs. With the growing population and the resulting increase in infrastructure, it is clear that the general American dependency on the car as the main means of transportation can hardly be sustained here long-term.
The region has a few good public transportation options such as the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) buses and trains in the South Bay, Caltrain that runs all the way from the south to San Francisco, BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) that connects the East Bay with San Francisco and is now being extended all the way to Milpitas in the south, AC Transit buses and the SFMTA or MUNI as it is commonly known, with its network of buses, trains, and iconic street and cable cars in the city of San Francisco, in addition to BART and Caltrain.
An Indian American and member of FIA/FOG (FOG – Festival of Globe is under the umbrella of FIA – Federation of Indo Americans of Northern California), Kewal Singh is running this year for a seat on the Board of Directors for AC Transit (Alameda-Conttra Costa County) Ward 5.
Mr. Singh has over 20 years of experience in the transportation sector. Last month, he hosted a fundraiser dinner for his campaign at Urban Spice restaurant banquet hall. A few members of FIA/FOG attended to support him.
He addressed the group, explaining his mission. “The reason I am running in this election is that for 15 years, there has been no proper representation in this area. Ward No. 5 needs new leadership. With the experience and education of more than 20 years in transportation, I know the challenge of setting the policies that will give the riders and the residents a reliable, cost effective and most affordable bus service”, he said.
He added that he was asking for public transit because “the Bay Area is congested day by day because of the single occupancy drivers and we need to provide reliable, cost effective and affordable bus service to senior citizens, students and residents.”
India Post had an opportunity to talk to Mr. Singh and understand the specific steps he had in mind to achieve his goal.
Kewal Singh stated that the AC Transit system had to be made attractive so that people get out of their cars and start taking public transit. For this, he said he would work very hard in providing flexible bus services. The flexible bus system is like Uber and Lyft. Riders can look up and call for it just like they do for a taxi.
If a standard bus route runs through A, B, C, D, then the flexible bus system would bypass these points, something akin to an express bus or train. He also talked about AC Go bus services (a service expansion of the AC Transit system that was introduced in 2016, which resulted in higher frequency and new bus lines).
“Also, I will be focusing on the zero emission buses”, Mr. Kewal Singh said. He added that there was a plan to get 20, 40 to 100 percent of all buses to zero emission. “That will affect the pollution and hence, the health of the residents. That will affect big time in a positive direction if there is less carbon footprint.”
When questioned about the problems in funding his initiatives, Mr. Singh mentioned receiving money through Measure C and SB, which he said was gas tax money. Other sources of revenue would be through RM 2 and RM 3, which has been passed. “One percent capital projects – the money is coming from federal, state and local sources”, he explained.
He expressed concern that President Trump is sending out mixed signals in terms of supporting transportation.
However, he concluded on an optimistic note, “There are so many challenges in keeping the budget balanced for the AC Transit, but I will work hard for my area, for the residents to solve the problem.”
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