A Newsletter for the Neighbors of the University of California, Berkeley |
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Campus employees get on the bus October was the kickoff month for the ambitious Bear Pass program, offering UC Berkeley faculty and staff unlimited rides on AC Transit buses for just $20 a month, with the goal of encouraging use of public transit and reducing the number of cars on Berkeley streets on workdays. The pass, available to residents of areas served by AC Transit, gives employees the incentive of an 80-percent discount over AC Transit’s regular unlimited passes. “This is a great addition to the commute programs offered to UC Berkeley employees,” said Kira Stoll, the university’s transportation planner. About 500 campus employees are currently signed up for various transit programs, such as the $10 monthly subsidy for local bus and BART service. Some 8,000 Berkeley employees are eligible for the Bear Pass program, a response to calls from university staff and city leaders to offer the kind of discounts already available to up to 27,000 students annually. About 1,000 parking-permit holders live within a quarter-mile of an AC Transit stop, and Stoll hopes that 125 of them will switch to buses at least three days a week over the course of the two-year pilot program. The larger goal is to sign up 1,300 staff and faculty who commute to campus from East Bay communities, to reduce traffic congestion and ease up the demands on parking. For details on the program visit public-safety.berkeley.edu/p&t; for help in planning your commute, see www.511.org or call 511. |
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