PVWB Wrote:
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> It would have made much more sense to use
> Light Rail or streetcars, so the system
> could be extended to areas of Oakland not
> so well served by BART. But, of course,
> AC transit, that wants ridiculous hydrogen
> powered buses, would hate that. BART
> probably wouldn't be keen on another rail
> operator in the East Bay. So I think the
> decision was political to be sure the
> system couldn't be expanded to be anything
> more useful.

Neither light rail, nor streetcar, offers any advantage to the bus (especially the streetcar), and both actually would have drawbacks that the bus currently doesn't have (i.e. short-haul riders competing with luggage for space).

As for those "ridiculous hydrogen buses", what's wrong with that? Exhaust is water vapor, pretty darn clean. Cheap fuel. It just isn't a "train"... If we're going to spend $150/million a mile to build a 21st century cable car/monorail contraption, what's wrong with an overpriced bus?