Who Benefits from the East Bay's Big Bus Rapid Transit Project?

AC Transit will ramp up construction on a $204 million bus rapid transit line along International Boulevard in the East Bay Area, according to an article by Erin Baldassari. The 9.5-mile route will connect the San Leandro BART station to 20th Street and Broadway in Oakland, with buses arriving every seven minutes. The new line also includes "elevated platforms and more comfortable stations, its own travel lane and forward-facing cameras to ticket motorists who block its path," according to Baldassari.

As with most major transit investments, planners also have hopes that the project can be a catalyst for new investments and development along the corridor. And as with most catalytic projects, "some residents, community advocates and business owners fear the same economic development will only accelerate the displacement of Oakland and San Leandro’s most vulnerable residents and small businesses as rents rise throughout the region," according to Baldassari.

The feature-length article then tours several case studies from other cities, like Cleveland and San Francisco, to examine the question of who will benefit from the project.