There are many similarities between the Livermore/Amador Valley and Mt. Lake Terrace, Washington.

At least, that's the sentiment of Virenda "Vic" Sood, the first general manager for the eight-month-old Livermore/Amador Valley Transit Authority.

"The two areas have similar populations and geography. I feel at home here," he said.

Sood, 54, recently signed a three-year contract with the transit authority to oversee the establishment of valleywide bus service. He will try to meet a March, 1986 deadline for operation of neighborhood bus service in Dublin and Pleasanton.

He began the $48,000 a year job earlier this month and will work in a Dublin office at 6500 Dublin Boulevard, the same building that houses the Dublin city offices.

A former aerospace engineer, Sood holds an engineering degree from the University of London. He is a former member of the Mt. Lake Terrace planning commission and a past president of the Washington State Transit Association.

In the next few weeks, Sood expects the transit board to make a decision on four proposed routes in Pleasanton and Dublin. The proposed routes wind through residential and downtown Pleasanton and make a circular turnaround in Dublin. Under the board's plan, a bus company or another transit agency will provide that service on a temporary basis until mid-1987.

Under the board's direction, Sood said he will attempt to merge Livermore's Rideo system and provide local bus service throughout the entire Livermore Valley by mid-1987.

The bus service is tentatively scheduled to operate between 6:00 am to 7:00 pm, Monday through Friday, with partial service on Saturday.

As a long-term goal, Sood plans to study the possibility of establishing a permanent corporation yard for the transit authority.

Several years ago, Sood oversaw the creation of a bus system serving five cities in Snohomish County, Washington, which began in 1976. He remained with the agency until last year, when he left to become an independent transportation consultant.

That bus system grew to be the fourth largest in Washington within four years of its creation, according to Sood.

While forming the transit system, Sood said he worked with the Washington Legislature to get state financing for the agency.

Sood recently stepped down from his seat on the Mt. Lake Terrace planning commission. He was born in Kenya and moved to the United States in 1968.

To see a reproduction of the original article and edition of Pleasanton Pathways, visit: January 27, 1986 Pathways.