Six years after its launch, AC Transit’s controversial TEMPO rapid-transit bus has become a critical part of Oakland’s transportation network, carrying an average of 15,500 people each weekday on its route from San Leandro to downtown Oakland, mostly across International Boulevard.
The express line costs about $23 million a year to operate, and according to the agency, about a third of that cost has been covered by state cap-and-trade funds. Thanks to a recent move by a state environmental board, that funding stream is now at risk.
The change has sparked intense pushback from advocates and state legislators, including Rep. Buffy Wicks, who represents parts of Oakland. In the face of that pressure, Gov. Gavin Newsom has agreed to backfill some of the lost funds, but that move won’t fully postpone the crisis…