Sarah SyedSarah Syed

Sarah Syed currently serves on the AC Transit Board for Ward 3, but with recent changes to district boundaries, she’s now running to represent Ward 4.

She knows the system at both altitudes. In her questionnaire and interview, she was as clear on the budget and impact of service disruptions as she was on how operator schedules and fare payment methods affect whether a bus runs on time. When nighttime service on Broadway was terminated, she worked to bring it back. Her ideas for on-time performance are cheap and practical, like stop sign placement and traffic signal fixes.

She was also candid about what AC Transit is getting wrong on ridership and reliability, and about who pays the price when service degrades or routes shift away from underserved neighborhoods.

We can't guarantee we'll align with Syed on every vote. Still, we are confident that each one will come from a position of being well informed and motivated by a desire to make transit work.

Source (https://www.empoweroakland.com/voter-guide#ac-transit-w4)

A current Board Director and professional planner, researcher and policy expert, Sarah Syed has been focused on both rider labor needs. It was Syed who brought nighttime service displacement on Broadway in Oakland into the spotlight, and was instrumental in getting that service restored. While she faced blowback from management and its allies on the Board, she has persisted in her focus to improve how the District sets its priorities and delivers service to the community. She is endorsed by both the Sierra Club and AC Dems, as well as elected stars like Jesse Arreguin, Charlene Wang, Kevin Jenkins, Lena Tam, Nate Miley, Jean Walsh and Barnali Ghosh, and across the spectrum from The Wellstone Democratic Club and Empower Oakland.