Mission Statement
To ensure AC Transit, The County Connection, Westcat, and all public transportation in the East Bay is prioritized and made the most accessible, reliable, and affordable for all people above all for-profit, private, polluter transportation.
Goals and Priorities
Ensure Equitable Transit for All: We believe that public transit should be reliable, accessible, cheap and free, particularly on bus transit. We believe that transit should not be just a useful option for getting around, but the most frequent and fast option.
Accountability for Public Transit: EBTRU will hold local officials and government agencies accountable for how they treat public transit and public transit riders. Our goal is to be a unified voice that both city, county government and management at AC Transit, Westcat, the County Connection and BART hear.
Bring All Transit Riders to the Table: Prioritizing bus riders is our first priority as a bus riders union. Being a bus rider is key to our membership. Black and Brown residents, Seniors, the disabled, and workers of the East Bay are the most reliant on bus service. We will make bus service decisions easy to understand alongside a network of established community organizations.
Reduce Reliance on Private Cars: EBTRU advocates for policies and projects that will improve the quality of public transit service throughout our region while also lowering carbon emissions that primarily come from cars. This includes efforts to improve on-time performance, enhance existing service, and prioritize public streets for public transit over for-profit, polluter automobiles.
Encourage Transformative Improvements: EBTRU advocates for improvements to transit service that produce time savings, reliability, increased access, and safety for transit riders and transit operators. We support transit agencies in efforts to be bold in making service useful to passengers and re-purposing infrastructure to be advantageous to bus and zero/low-emission transportation modes.
Solidarity with Public Workers: EBTRU exists to uplift and unify rider voices with allies like the ATU Local 192 for whom our public transit system could not function without. We’re combating the horrific under-funding of public transit by pro-car politicians and opposing anti-labor tactics that leads to higher driver turnover and unstable bus service.
Endorsements and Affiliations
Other than Schools and Communities First campaign (Prop 15) along with potential other ballot measures that can save public transit, no candidate endorsements for any office will be made in 2020.
EBTRU is an independent organization focused on building a pro-public transit coalition, providing riders particularly those who lack internet access about service and a place to be heard, and protecting our public worker allies.
Rules For Membership
EBTRU is primarily a bus riders union due to the relatively higher degree of focus rail transit receives in part because of its wealthier ridership. BART action will be done through EBTRU but our focus primarily is for bus riders. You must be a public transit bus user (understandably due to COVID-19 this is not as strict) to be admitted.
Funders and Donors
We have consented to receive several hundred dollars for printing paper as part of our pro-Prop 15 and bus cuts notification flyer campaign by the Schools and Communities First campaign. As this campaign meets our standards for service and duty to public transit.
Otherwise, EBTRU is currently a volunteer-only organization.