The bus that, even when it was supposed to come every 10 minutes, you always seemed to spend at least 20 minutes waiting for.

But the simultaneously most popular and most reviled bus in the AC Transit system may soon be gone from us. Just one in a massive list of possible “service changes” announced by AC Transit is a proposal to eliminate the 51 and split its route into two separate lines–the 3 and the 4.

Line 3 is planned to run from Rockridge BART to Broadway & Blanding Avenue, while line 4 will start at Rockridge BART and continue to Berkeley Amtrak. The frequency of arrivals will be decreased slightly, but we’re guessing if the new buses run anywhere near on time it’ll still be a vast improvement over the current reality of the 51.

But we have so many memories of the 51, of ridiculously crowded morning commutes, of bus drivers who seemed to have no qualms driving right past you if they were having a bad day and of course, the fact that the buses always seemed to travel in packs of two or three.

Reminisce about the 51 with us in the comments.

Image Source: Salgu Wissmath, Daily Cal
Waiting for the 51 is Like Waiting for Godot [Facebook]
Service Changes [AC Transit]

For those of you who drive, live and dwell on or around campus, or simply choose to walk rather than subject yourself to the whims, smells and sad resignation aboard the AC transit system, this year expect a seller’s market for bus pass stickers. Amidst a gaping deficit and, it would follow, looming budget cuts, it looks like bus prices are on the up and up. Our hands protectively cup our oh-so-valuably adorned ID cards.

Here’s the damage: Adult trips will go from $1.75 to $2; for kids and old people, 85 cents to $1. Likewise, the price of a ten ride package jumps from $8.50 to $10, and a 31 day pass now costs an additional ten bucks. This decision comes at the heels of about $100 million in funding cuts this millennium and a $57 million deficit this year.

The Clog sympathizes with the soon-to-be-iron-calved homeless people who we suspect will be most strongly affected by the increase. For $2 a ride, we’d walk too.

Image Source: romsrini under Creative Commons.
AC Transit Set to Raise Fees in Response to Cuts, Deficit [Daily Kal]

Sound ridiculous? That’s because it is. What began as a simple case of a boy caught on an L-Taraval Metro without having paid his measly 50 cents escalated into an extravagant ordeal involving a citation mailed to the wrong address, a suspended driver’s license, an unexpected arrest and an impounded car.

It would be funny if it wasn’t so depressing. All ye users of AC transit, take heed, for what happened to Billy could easily happen to you—and with even greater frequency if this proposal goes through. If you’re going to screw the system, at least go for a little more stealth.

Image Source: wotthe7334 under Creative Commons
S.F. Teen’s Muni ride ends up costing $766 [SFGate]
Earlier: Feel Young Again

Well, all that is theoretically about to change, as AC Transit will be holding a series of open houses in response to the slew of complaints they’ve received about generally shoddy service. Any and all are urged to attend, share their horror stories and respond to a report the staff has compiled addressing usage and delays.

If you plan to catch a bus there, we recommend leaving home with plenty of time to spare.

Image Source: nafmo under Creative Commons
AC Transit Seeks to Change 51 Bus Line [Eye on Blogs]

Newsflash: Students sell their Class Passes to former students! OK, so you probably already knew that, but did you know that UCPD trolls craigslist looking to bust the sales? For reals.

Of course, those Class Passes are so alluring. Current students pay for the passes through mandatory fees. If former students want the same hookup, they’d have to shell out $560 for spring-summer AC Transit bus use, according to the Daily Cal. Damn.

Students also copy their passes and share them with friends, and their replicas are so good that the bus drivers can’t tell the difference. So what’s the moral of the story here? When in doubt, go to Copy Central–not craigslist. But you didn’t hear that from us.

Image Source: Chris Chung, Daily Cal
Officials Voice Concerns About Class Pass Resales, Fraud [Daily Cal]

They will, however, take you to watch President Elect Obama on the big screen. Get excited.

What: Obama Inauguration Big-Screen Community Viewing
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland
When: Tues., Jan. 20
Cost: $5

Image Source: April Isabel Angeles

Apparently, the bus uses sensors mounted underneath it to detect magnets embedded under the pavement, essentially creating an auto-pilot bus system. I know what you’re thinking: without a driver behind the wheel, wouldn’t this system pose problems such as you know, running over pedestrians and not stopping people who don’t pay bus fare?

Well here’s the catch: apparently the bus can dock with precision accuracy and steer itself, but a driver is still needed to brake and accelerate. So besides making bus drivers’ jobs a little easier, the magnetic bus system doesn’t really change your bus-riding experience, except maybe making the bus drivers a little less grouchy.

Image Source: davdaven under Creative Commons
Researchers showcase automated bus that uses magnets to steer through city streets [UC Berkeley News]

And so these revelations inspired a few normal students–just like you and us–to write haikus about nature. Well, the nature of buses, that is.

The original poster wrote:

bq. I always see you
As I pass by the bus stop
…Unless I need you

One person commented:

bq. the 51s go
one right after the other
both too full to board

Another suggested:

bq. twenty minutes pass
hours still with none in sight
rejoice! here comes three

Then Bears Necessity got in on the act, albeit a little bit off topic:

bq. Write about the bus
To get away from desk job
My internship sucks

Those were all very lovely, but how about one more, courtesy of the Clog?

I’m holding the bar,
Armpit odor in the air.
Babe, that smell’s all me.

Image Source: Skyler Reid, Daily Cal
Haiku in Ode to AC Transit [UCB LiveJournal Community]
Earlier: We Spy: Childish Pleasures in Berkeley