Los Angeles has a bus riders’ union. Though they might want to consider narrowing down their mission statement, I like what they’re about:

The Bus Riders Union seeks to promote environmentally sustainable public transportation for the entire population of Los Angeles, on the premise that affordable, efficient, and environmentally sound mass transit is a human right.

They clearly recognize both the environmental and social-justice benefits of public transit, which is rare; most transit advocates seem to focus on one or the other. (Of course, there are also urban-planning and public-health benefits, which you could argue fit into one of the above categories. I like to call them out. But I digress.)

LA’s Bus Riders Union must be doing something right, because they managed to attract the attention of an Oscar-winning filmmaker. Apparently, in 1999, Haskell Wexler directed a documentary about the organization, which I have yet to get my hands on. I’ll report back as soon as I do.