Monday, May 13, 1994
People of color short-changed by bus linesBy Alex Caputo-Pearl
and
David Rice
What does a low-income person of color riding a bus on the
overcrowded Vermont Avenue line have in common with a middle-class
UCLA student who occasionally rides the Santa Monica bus to
school?
The answer is that they share an opportunity to become involved
in a new social movement in Los Angeles based on civil rights and
environmental justice, centering around mass transit in Los
Angeles.
The Bus Riders Union, a project of the Labor/Community Strategy
Center, has organized a movement to confront the discriminatory
policies of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The movement
is deeply influenced by the U.S. Civil Rights struggle. A major
tactic is the filing of a Title VI Civil Rights Act lawsuit against
the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) on behalf of the
350,000 bus riders in Los Angeles.
The movement is also influenced by environmental justice
concerns. Two major demands of the Bus Riders Union are the
immediate purchase of 250 compressed natural gas buses and a
continued commitment to provide clean fuel buses. Historically,
anti-poverty movements have been separate from environmental
activism; now is the opportunity to support both causes in one
movement.
At the foundation of the lawsuit is the MTA’s local version of
the political theme that has swept our nation  that of
bashing the poor and people of color:
* 94 percent of the MTA’s customers are bus riders  of
these, 81 percent are people of color; 60 percent have family
incomes less than $15,000 per year.
* MTA spends less than 35 percent of its funds on buses.
* MTA spends over 65 percent of its funds on rail projects that
serve predominantly white, middle-class suburban neighborhoods.
* The average subsidy for MTA bus riders is $1.17, and on many
of the overcrowded "all minority lines," the subsidy is only 34
cents.
* The average subsidy for MTA rail riders is over $10 per
passenger, and on many suburban lines is over $20.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act prohibits governmental agencies
that receive federal funds from distributing any funds in a
racially discriminatory manner. The allocation patterns shown above
demonstrate that the MTA is blatantly violating the Civil Rights
Act.
The Labor/Community Strategy Center and Bus Riders Union seek an
immediate shift of funds to the bus system to gain lower fares and
an expansion of the fleet. Long term goals include a 50 cent bus
fare, a $20 unlimited-use monthly pass and 2,000 low emission
buses.
Although the lawsuit provides an opportunity to win tangible
concessions, more importantly, it serves as a framework around
which to organize and educate the public. The larger part of the
political strategy is to build a movement base to agitate for
social change around civil rights and environmental and economic
justice.
By now everyone has noticed that we have little power to affect
decisions which impact us in current society. From issues such as
the cuts in affirmative action to reg fee increases, activists
inevitably encounter a huge hindrance: the lack of power they have
to appeal and challenge these decisions. While Regent Connerly can
essentially dismantle programs at will, the students who are
directly affected have almost no say. This is fundamentally wrong.
This type of top-down government has got to go. It is time to take
the power back, in the spirit of true democracy.
This is ultimately the goal of the Bus Riders Union  to
bring the power back to the people. As people who actually ride the
buses (as if any of the MTA board members do), members of the Bus
Riders Union demand they have the power to make the MTA accountable
to them.
Currently, the Bus Riders Union has over 900 active members and
is growing rapidly. University student support is crucial in
furthering the struggle, as students and low-income people share a
rich history of cooperation in building powerful social
movements.
Tomorrow, May 14, the Bus Riders Union will have a march and
rally at City Hall. Please attend to show your support for a
progressive movement which will finally put the power back where it
belongs  WITH THE PEOPLE!
For more information, contact the Labor/Community Strategy
Center, Bus Riders Union at (213) 387-2800 or the UCLA GSAk
Environmental Coalition at (310) 206-4438.
Caputo-Pearl is a graduate student in urban planning; Rice is a
third-year geography/environmental studies student.