AC Transit Receives CSDA Award for Public Outreach
AC Transit Receives CSDA Award for Public Outreach
District Honored with California Special Districts Association Award for Public Outreach during Tempo BRT Construction
CSDA Announcement: CSDA 2021 Award Winners
CSDA Press Release: 2021 Annual Awards Given at Statewide Conference
AC Transit’s multi-year community engagement effort to deliver Tempo, the East Bay’s first-ever bus rapid transit (BRT) system, has earned the California Special Districts Association’s (CSDA) award for “Exceptional Public Outreach & Advocacy.” This prestigious award is bestowed upon organizations that demonstrate outstanding commitment to, and engagement with, the people they serve. This year’s award recognizes AC Transit for the extensive public outreach, impressive local hiring, and effective rider communications we undertook during the construction and launch of the Tempo BRT, and which continued despite the many challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
During construction of the Tempo BRT, our award-winning Public Outreach Team engaged nearly 1,500 residents, businesses and civic groups to offer project updates and answer questions. Team members offered presentations at nearly 440 events reaching hundreds of thousands of people, and distributed tens of thousands of multilingual notifications in English, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese to keep our diverse communities updated on the project’s progress. Moreover, AC Transit partnered with labor unions and local workforce training programs to put people to work – nearly 200 Oakland and San Leandro residents earned $7.8 million in wages while helping to build the BRT!
“AC Transit’s steadfast commitment to the people we serve can be seen in the community outreach performed on the Tempo project,” said Elsa Ortiz, AC Transit Board President, as she received the award from CSDA. “Countless hands worked tirelessly to make sure that the East Bay’s diverse communities were supported during construction. This is a hard-earned but well-deserved award, and I am grateful that our industry peers recognize the value and importance of authentic community engagement.”
Tempo travels through nearly a dozen distinct neighborhoods, consisting of more than 1,500 businesses and a diverse population of approximately 170,000 people many of whom are under-resourced and transit dependent. Reduced-emission Tempo coaches traveling in bus only lanes bypass traffic bottlenecks to provide faster, more reliable service where it is needed most. Additionally, millions of dollars have been invested to help make area streets safer for other drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists.
Today, Tempo is making good on its promises of increased frequency and reliability, enhanced accessibility, and improved safety. To learn more about our community outreach and how we chose Tempo’s unique colors and artwork, click here to watch the award video.