Protesters Block, Barf On Bus In Fight Against Yahoo's Oakland Shuttles

OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Protesters against the use of private tech shuttle buses blocked a Yahoo bus near the MacArthur BART station Wednesday morning, and a Twitter photo posting claims that one protester vomited on the bus' windshield.

The protest of about 15 to 20 people gathered outside the BART station about 7:30 a.m., police said.

Some of the protesters climbed atop of the purple Yahoo bus, while others pulled up in an older model hearse decorated with a sign saying "GBus to MTV," which is how Google buses indicate the route to Mountain View.

The protest comes a day after another protest in San Francisco's Mission District. City supervisors later that evening voted to allow a pilot program for private tech firm shuttles to use San Francisco Muni bus stops.

Community groups view the tech shuttles as emblematic of what they say are the negative effects of the tech influx on neighborhoods, rental prices and displacement of residents.

Supporters of the buses say they are environmentally-friendly and take cars off the road.

In:
• Google
• BART