We Need a Green New Deal for Public Transit

It’s easy to take our public transportation systems for granted. But the working class, especially its most vulnerable members, rely on public transit to get around.

This is especially true in California’s East Bay, where I live. AC Transit is the public bus system serving Alameda and Contra Costa counties, which includes the cities of Oakland, Berkeley, and my own city of Richmond. AC Transit primarily serves lower-income working people and people of color. A recent survey found that 65 percent of its riders come from households that make under $50,000. One-third of its riders identify as black or African American, about 20 percent identify as Latino or Hispanic, and 18 percent identify as Asian.

The public bus service has also been a major source of good union jobs for working-class people of color. Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 192, representing AC Transit drivers and mechanics, has an 80 percent black membership.

But public transit is in danger — from billionaires who want to privatize everything they can get their hands on, and austerity-crazed politicians using the pandemic as an excuse to cut budgets and service. Rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft are working to replace public transit. Meanwhile, across the country, cities are proposing drastic cuts to public transit service. AC Transit is considering cutting service by up to 30 percent.