Creative Commons/Monica's Dad

An AC Transit bus in Berkeley

AC Transit's board of directors has appointed transportation industry veteran David Armijo to be its new general manager.

Armijo, 53, most recently served as chief executive officer for the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority in Tampa, Fla., which has a multi-modal system of bus and rail service.

On March 1, he will begin his tenure at AC Transit, which has an annual budget of $320 million, serves more than 365,000 bus riders in Alameda and Contra Costa counties and employs 1,750 people.

Armijo will succeed Mary King, who is retiring after serving as the bus agency's general manager since October 2009.

AC Transit hired Armijo to head its search firm for a new general manager, but board members asked him to submit his own name after a number of other candidates were interviewed and some refused to accept reduced pension

packages.

Elsa Ortiz, the president of AC Transit's board of directors, said in a statement, "We welcome his commitment to changing our transit system to improve services for our riders, provide transparent and ethical leadership to our organization and its employees, and help chart a course for the next century of service to AC Transit."

AC Transit directors are scheduled to vote on a contract for Armijo at their meeting on Feb. 17.

Armijo was fired as CEO of the Tampa, Fla., agency last year, but details on the firing were not immediately available this morning.

After his termination, Armijo moved to Southern California and started a transportation consulting firm.

AC Transit officials said Armijo has more than 30 years of experience in government and is an expert in aviation, toll roads, and the public transit industry.

They said he has served as chief executive for transit agencies in California, New Mexico, Texas and Florida.