The Story of LAVTA and Wheels
Facts and Figures | History | Our Services

In 1986, Livermore had a small transit system called Rideo, headed by a dedicated woman named Barbara Shaw.   At the same time Dublin was a new city - only five years old.  And Pleasanton's Hacienda Business Park housed only one half its current level of employees.

The Early Days

The idea of one transit system for all three cities had been discussed over the years, but as often occurs, there was always some issues that couldn't be resolved.  However, in 1986, three city council members - Linda Jeffery from Dublin, Karin Mohr from Pleasanton and Ayn Wieskamp from Livermore - along with assistance from the staff of member jurisdictions sat down together to make the idea work.

After many meetings and much discussion, a Joint Powers agency was created and named the Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority - also known as LAVTA.  The newly formed board was fortunate to find an experienced transit manager from the State of Washington named Vic Sood.

Vic began from scratch to put together a transit agency.  The county donated their surplus office furniture to the Agency.  "Everything was covered with dust.  Vic's wife and daughter came in and cleaned so we could get started," remembers Rosemary Reid, former LAVTA Executive Assistant.  "The file cabinet came in from the Police Department and was covered with 'wanted' posters.  When the typewriter arrived, it was in Spanish."

Vic and Rosemary proceeded to order equipment, leasing some buses and bringing in help to design bus routes.  Public hearings were held with much discussion on exactly which streets the buses would use.  Vic spent many hours explaining to Valley residents how the new bus system would work.

The first year and the first leased buses were not without problems.  "The air vents on the leased buses were stuck open," according to Karen Murry, who is still a Wheels driver.  "We stuck paper products in the vents to block the air and stay warm, but every now and then as you drove along, you'd see something go flying out of the bus vents."

Today, Tri-Valley residents and visitors make over 2 million trips each year on Wheels to work, school, shopping and recreation sites!  As Brian Funndell, Wheels' one millionth rider for 1995-96 said, "I take Wheels because it gets me where I want to go, and besides, it's fun!"

LAVTA's Milestones

Wheels Timeline from May 1985 to the present.

• May 1985 -- Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority formed by the Cities of Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton and Alameda County as a Joint Powers Authority for the provision of public transit service.
  
  
• July 1, 1986 -- LAVTA initiated transit service on 4 fixed routes in the cities of Dublin and Pleasanton with 9 leased buses.
  
  
• July 1, 1987 -- City of Livermore's Rideo system fully merged with LAVTA.
  
  
• April 1989 -- LAVTA initiated service on Route 10 connecting the cities of Livermore, Pleasanton and Dublin.  This replaced the original Bart Express U line operated by AC Transit.
  
  
• December  1990 -- Thirty-four new buses delivered by the Gillig Corporation.
  
  
• September 1991 -- LAVTA moved to a new Maintenance, Operations and Administration facility.
  
  
• January 1996 -- LAVTA in full compliance with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requiring paratransit service.
  
  
• April 1996 -- Twelve New Flyer Industries Limited low floor style buses delivered.
  
  
• June 27, 1996 -- LAVTA serves 1 Million passengers in a single year!
  
  
• March 1997 -- LAVTA starts Prime Time Express, a subscription service to the Silicon Valley.
  
  
• April 1997 -- New DART and Dial-A-Ride vehicles are delivered.
  
  
• May 10, 1997 -- LAVTA introduced DART and the new Dublin/Pleasanton Bart Station opens. LAVTA also launches the new revamped route maps and timetables.
  
  
• January 4, 1998 -- LAVTA opens the new Livermore Transit Center.   The Intermodal Center serves as the main transfer point for the Livermore bus routes and the Altamont Commuter Express.
  
  
• October 19, 1998 -- LAVTA begins shuttle service to the Altamont Commuter Express(ACE) Train at the Vasco Road and Pleasanton ACE stations.
  
  
• January 4, 1999 -- LAVTA starts the new Walnut Creek Express bus between Pleasanton and the Walnut Creek/Pleasant Hill area.
  
  
• January 25, 1999 -- LAVTA's Website at www.lavta.org goes online on the World Wide Web.
  
  
• April 5, 1999 -- Wheels began DART service in Livermore for ACE Commuters.
  
  
• June 3, 1999 -- LAVTA serves 1.5 Million passengers in a single year!
  
  
• May 30, 2001 -- The 2 millionth passenger rode a Wheels bus in a single year!
  
  
• July 26, 2001 -- Wheels unveiled it's new logo at it's 15th Anniversary Celebration.
  
  
• August 26, 2001 -- Wheels introduces Weekend DART Service in Livermore.
  
  
• August 2002 -- Four Gillig low floor style buses delivered.
  
  
• August 2003 -- Thirty-Four new Gillig low floor style buses delivered.
  
  
• April 6, 2004 -- Wheels launches the new Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) System.

Some of the above information from "Wheels - 10 Years of Service 1986-1996."

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