RTD must explain new hub better

Which comes first, serving riders or servicing buses?

That's the question the San Joaquin Regional Transit District board has answered much to the irritation of some riders, who've complained bitterly about what seems to be the ongoing reduction in bus service, and some workers, who've complained just as bitterly about their reduced hours.

District officials make the reasonable argument that it makes economic sense to consolidate fleet service needs in a new $44 million bus-maintenance hub. And, they point out, most of the money for the project comes to RTD with strings attached, in this case meaning the money can't be used for operations.

That latter point - a common budget quirk with grants - is likely lost on some, especially a rider waiting at a bus stop with the week's groceries when there are fewer buses running. If you're that person, you only want more buses and more convenience.

However, if you're an RTD official trying to fathom transit service years ahead, it's not hard to see the system is outgrowing current facilities and it isn't getting any cheaper to build new ones.

The problem is how to square that need with the public perception you're empire building, constructing expensive, unneeded facilities because, well, there is grant money available to do it. Part of the public's skepticism is the reality that while most people know buses have to be maintained and they want the buses they ride to be clean, what they want more than anything is not to wait long at the bus stop and not to pay more for the ride.

Last month, large numbers of RTD employees called in sick to get the point across that the district needs its workers as much as the workers need their jobs. That delayed buses on the scaled-back routes even more, and that meant even more public irritation.

There are no easy answers, but it strikes us the district has done a poor job of explaining itself to its riders. Along with the $44 million the district is spending on the first phase of its maintenance hub upgrade, district officials might want to spend a bit more time explaining how this really benefits riders. It wouldn't hurt to also explain how this benefits RTD workers.

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