AC Transit is a public transit agency that operates 131 bus lines throughout the East Bay region of California. The agency also administers the Dumbarton Express lines, but operation of those lines was transferred to MV Transportation on December 19, 2011. AC Transit provides extensive local bus service to 17 cities in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties and the city of Milpitas in Santa Clara County. Transbay bus service is also provided to San Francisco and Palo Alto in Santa Clara County.
AC Transit bus routes are arranged in seven categories (six numbered, one lettered). Since its inception in 1960, AC Transit has used both numbers and letters to distinguish routes. Many Transbay rail lines were inherited from the Key System and converted to bus routes, and AC Transit continued to use letters to identify the routes. Many Transbay routes continue to follow the original Key System alignments to some degree. The number and letter ranges listed below do not mean that all numbers or letters within a range are in use.
Numbered routes operate within the East Bay:
One- and two-digit route numbers are sometimes used as a "base" number for three-digit route numbers. For example, Route 339 is "based" on Route 39.
Lettered routes (A-Z) provide Transbay service (i.e., service across a bridge) between the East Bay and San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties.
Suffixes (also lettered) are used to distinguish variations in route alignments. Currently, A, B, C, L, M, R, S, and X are used. Some suffixes have specific meanings:
Supplemental numerical suffixes are used to differentiate route variations for lines that already use a lettered suffix. This is the case with the NX lines listed above.
Note: Routes listed below are current as of 19 January 2019. (must be updated for 2020 changes)
These routes serve various cities, towns, and attractions in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. One route also serves Milpitas in Santa Clara County. Several routes provide deviations on select trips, where a bus serves a particular business or school that is not on the regular route.
Historically, Route 51 has been considered the busiest bus route in the East Bay, connecting the cities of Berkeley, Oakland, and Alameda.[1] However, this route was split into Routes 51A and 51B in March 2010.
In early 2015, following several rounds of community meetings, AC Transit announced a proposal for a radical rerouting and redesignation of many lines throughout their service area due to extra funds made available by the passage of Measure BB in November 2014. Called AC Go, the program looks at redesigning bus lines throughout the system to reflect the changing traveling habits of its residents by providing more frequent service on its busiest lines while rerouting others to better serve adjoining communities.[2] [3]
Route | Direction | Terminals | Days of Operation | Cities and Communities Served | Connecting rail station(s) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
North/East Terminal | South/West Terminal | |||||
6 | North-south | Downtown Berkeley BART (Shattuck & Center) | Downtown Oakland (10th & Washington) | Daily | Berkeley, Oakland | Downtown Berkeley, 19th Street/Oakland, 12th Street/Oakland |
7 | North-south | El Cerrito del Norte BART | Emeryville Amtrak (Horton & 59th) | Daily | El Cerrito, Kensington, Berkeley | El Cerrito del Norte, Downtown Berkeley |
10 | North-south | San Leandro BART | Hayward BART | Daily | San Leandro, Hayward | San Leandro, Bay Fair, Hayward |
12 | North-south | Berkeley (Harrison & 4th) | Oakland Amtrak (Jack London Square) | Daily | Berkeley, Oakland | Ashby, 19th Street/Oakland, 12th Street/Oakland |
14 | East-west | Fruitvale BART | West Oakland BART | Daily | Oakland | West Oakland, 12th Street/Oakland, Fruitvale |
18 | North-south | Albany (10th & Monroe) | Lake Merritt BART (8th & Oak) | Daily | Albany, Berkeley, Oakland | Downtown Berkeley, Ashby, 19th Street/Oakland, 12th Street/Oakland, Lake Merritt |
19 | North-south | Downtown Oakland (11th & Jefferson) | Fruitvale BART | Daily | Oakland, Alameda (Buena Vista) | 12th Street/Oakland, Fruitvale |
20 | East-west | Dimond District (Fruitvale & MacArthur) | Daily until 10 PM: Downtown Oakland (11th & M.L. King, Jr.) | Daily | Oakland, Alameda | Fruitvale, 12th Street/Oakland |
Daily after 10 PM: Alameda (South Shore Center) | ||||||
21 | East-west | Dimond District (Fruitvale & MacArthur) | Oakland International Airport | Daily | Oakland, Alameda, Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal (select trips) | Fruitvale |
28 | North-south | San Leandro BART | Hayward BART | Daily | San Leandro, Hayward, Castro Valley | San Leandro, Hayward, Castro Valley |
29 | North-south | Oakland (Mandana & Park) | Emeryville (Christie & 64th) | Daily | Oakland, Emeryville | 12th Street/Oakland, West Oakland |
33 | North-south | All trips: Piedmont (Highland Ave & Highland Way) | Montclair (Mountain & Moraga) | Daily | Oakland, Glenview, Piedmont, Montclair | 19th Street/Oakland, 12th Street/Oakland |
Weekday Peaks: Piedmont (Inverleith & Estates) | ||||||
34 | North-South | Foothill Square | Hayward BART | Daily | Oakland, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Cherryland, Hayward | San Leandro, Hayward BART, Hayward Amtrak |
35 | North-South | Foothill Square | Bay Fair BART | Daily | Oakland, San Leandro | Oakland, Bay Fair |
36 | North-south | UC Berkeley (Bancroft & Piedmont) | West Oakland BART | Daily | Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland | Downtown Berkeley (walking distance), West Oakland |
39 | East-west | Skyline High School (Skyline & Balmoral) | Fruitvale BART | Weekdays | Oakland | Fruitvale |
40 | North-south | Downtown Oakland (11th & Jefferson) | All trips: Eastmont Transit Center | Daily | Oakland, San Leandro | 12th Street/Oakland, Bay Fair |
Select trips: Bay Fair BART | ||||||
41 | North-South | Hayward BART | Union Landing Transit Center | Daily | Hayward, Union City | Hayward BART, South Hayward |
45 | East-west | Foothill Square (MacArthur & 107th) | Eastmont Transit Center | Daily | Oakland | Coliseum |
46L | East-west | Grass Valley (Golf Links & Shetland) | Oakland Coliseum station | Weekdays (daytime only) | Oakland | Coliseum |
51A | North-south | Rockridge BART | Fruitvale BART | Daily | Oakland, Alameda | Rockridge, 19th Street/Oakland, 12th Street/Oakland, Fruitvale |
51B | North-south | Most trips: Berkeley Amtrak | Rockridge BART | Daily | Berkeley, Oakland | Berkeley Amtrak, Downtown Berkeley, Rockridge |
Select trips: Berkeley Marina | ||||||
52 | North-south | UC Village (10th & Monroe) | UC Berkeley (Bancroft & Telegraph) | Daily | Albany, Berkeley | North Berkeley, Downtown Berkeley |
54 | East-west | Merritt College | Fruitvale BART | Daily | Oakland | Fruitvale |
56 | North-South | Hayward BART | Union Landing Transit Center | Daily | Hayward, Union City | Hayward BART, Hayward Amtrak |
57 | East-west | Foothill Square (MacArthur & 107th) | Emeryville Public Market | Daily | Emeryville, Oakland | MacArthur |
60 | East-west | Hayward (Cal State East Bay) | Hayward BART | Daily | Hayward | South Hayward BART |
62 | East-west | Fruitvale BART | West Oakland BART | Daily | Oakland | West Oakland, Lake Merritt, Fruitvale |
65 | East-west | Select trips: UC Berkeley (Lawrence Hall of Science) | Downtown Berkeley BART | Weekdays | Berkeley | Downtown Berkeley |
Select trips: Berkeley (Grizzly Peak & Senior) | ||||||
67 | North-south | Kensington (Kenyon & Trinity) | Downtown Berkeley BART | Weekdays | Kensington, Berkeley | Downtown Berkeley |
70 | North-south | Richmond Parkway Transit Center | Richmond BART | Daily | Richmond, Pinole, El Sobrante, San Pablo | Richmond |
71 | North-south | Richmond Parkway Transit Center | El Cerrito Plaza BART | Daily | Richmond, El Cerrito | Richmond, El Cerrito Plaza |
North-south | All trips: Contra Costa College | Jack London Square | Daily | Richmond, San Pablo, El Cerrito, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland | El Cerrito del Norte, El Cerrito Plaza, 19th Street/Oakland, 12th Street/Oakland | |
Select trips: Hilltop Mall | ||||||
North-south | Point Richmond (Tewksbury & Castro) | Jack London Square | Daily | Richmond, El Cerrito, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland | Richmond, El Cerrito del Norte, El Cerrito Plaza, 19th Street/Oakland, 12th Street/Oakland | |
73 | East-west | Eastmont Transit Center | Oakland International Airport | Daily | Oakland | Coliseum |
74 | North-south | Weekday and select weekend trips: El Sobrante (Castro Ranch & Sherwood Forest) | Richmond Marina (Ford Point) | Daily | El Sobrante, San Pablo, Richmond | Richmond |
Select weekend trips: Hilltop Mall | ||||||
76 | East-west | El Cerrito Del Norte BART | Richmond Parkway Transit Center | Daily | Richmond, San Pablo, North Richmond, El Cerrito | Richmond, El Cerrito del Norte |
79 | North-south | El Cerrito Plaza BART | Rockridge BART | Daily | El Cerrito, Albany, Berkeley, Oakland | El Cerrito Plaza, Downtown Berkeley, Rockridge |
86 | North-south | Hayward BART | South Hayward BART | Daily | Hayward | Hayward BART, South Hayward |
88 | North-south | Downtown Berkeley BART (Shattuck & Center) | Lake Merritt BART | Daily | Berkeley, Oakland | Downtown Berkeley, 12th Street/Oakland, Lake Merritt |
90 | East-west | Oakland Coliseum station | Foothill Square (107th & Foothill) | Daily | Oakland | Coliseum |
93 | East-west | Bay Fair BART | Castro Valley BART | Daily | San Leandro, Ashland, Cherryland, San Lorenzo, Hayward, Castro Valley | Bay Fair, Hayward Amtrak, Hayward BART, Castro Valley BART |
95 | North-south | Hayward (Kelly & Eddy) | Hayward BART | Daily | Hayward | Hayward BART |
96 | East-west | Oakland (Fruitvale & Montana) | Alameda Point (W Midway & Monarch) | Daily | Oakland, Alameda | 12th Street/Oakland |
97 | North-south | Bay Fair BART | Union City BART | Daily | San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Hayward, Union City | Bay Fair, Union City |
98 | East-west | Oakland Coliseum station | Eastmont Transit Center | Daily | Oakland | Coliseum |
99 | North-south | Hayward BART | Fremont BART | Daily | Hayward, Union City, Fremont | Hayward BART, South Hayward, Union City, Fremont BART, |
200 | North-South | Union City BART | Fremont BART | Daily | Union City, Newark, Fremont | Union City, Fremont BART |
210 | North-south | Union City (Union Landing) | Fremont (Ohlone College) | Daily | Union City, Fremont | |
212 | North-south | Fremont BART | Fremont (Pacific Commons) | Daily | Fremont | Fremont BART |
215 | North-south | Fremont BART | Fremont (Kato & Benicia) | Weekdays | Fremont | Fremont, Warm Springs |
216 | North-south | Union City BART | Newark (Silliman Recreation Center) | Daily | Union City, Fremont, Newark | Union City, Fremont BART |
217 | North-south | Fremont BART | Milpitas BART | Daily | Fremont, Milpitas | Fremont BART, Milpitas BART |
232 | North-south | Fremont BART | Newark (NewPark Mall) | Daily | Union City, Fremont, Newark | Fremont BART, Union City |
239 | North-south | Fremont BART | Milpitas (Milpitas & Dixon Landing) | Weekdays | Fremont, Milpitas | Fremont BART, Warm Springs |
251 | East-west | Fremont BART | Weekdays: Newark (Ohlone College) | Daily | Fremont, Newark | Fremont BART, |
Weekends & Holidays: Newark (Silliman Recreation Center) |
Notes:
For an explanation of bus rapid transit, click here.
Tempo is the branded bus rapid transit service operated by AC Transit. There is one additional Rapid route.
Route | Route Name | Direction | Terminals | Days of Operation | Cities and Communities Served | Connecting BART Station(s) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
North/East Terminal | South/West Terminal | |||||||
1T | Tempo | North-south | Uptown Transit Center | San Leandro BART | Daily | Oakland, San Leandro | 19th Street/Oakland, 12th Street/Oakland, Fruitvale, San Leandro | |
San Pablo Rapid | North-south | Contra Costa College | Downtown Oakland (Jack London Square) | Daily | San Pablo, Richmond, El Cerrito, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland | El Cerrito del Norte, 19th Street/Oakland, 12th Street/Oakland |
These routes provide the following amenities and features:[4] [5]
The Broadway Shuttle, also known as The Free B, is a free shuttle service operating along Broadway in downtown Oakland as part of the Meet Downtown Oakland program.[6] Service is operated by AC Transit under contract with the City of Oakland. Funding is provided by the City of Oakland, Alameda County Transportation Commission, and Bay Area Air Quality Management District with additional sponsorships from Jack London Square, Jack London Improvement District, Downtown Oakland Association, and Lake Merritt-Uptown District Association.
The Broadway Shuttle began in August 2010[7] and was expanded twice, first in July 2011[8] and again in December 2014.[9] Late-night Friday and all Saturday service was discontinued in August 2017.[10] The B operates two routes:[11] [12]
Route | Map Color | Terminals | Days and Hours of Operation | Service Frequency | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
North Terminal | South Terminal | |||||
Day | Orange | Grand & Webster | Webster & Embarcadero | Weekdays, 7 AM - 7 PM | Every 10–15 minutes | |
Night | Blue | Broadway & 27th Street | Webster & Embarcadero | Weekdays, 7 PM - 10 PM | Every 12 minutes |
Several special service routes, numbered between 300 and 399, cater to various purposes:
In 2016, AC Transit started operating two FLEX services that provide on-demand van service to riders in Castro Valley and Newark. These services require passengers to book their trips online, using a smartphone app, or by telephone (up to three months in advance), and vans arrive within 30 minutes after the reservation is made.[13] Customers boarding at a BART station do not need to reserve a trip and can just tell the operator their final destination. Fares are identical to the local fares, and Clipper cards are accepted. These services operate Mondays to Fridays from 6am to 8pm (except holidays).[14]
Route | BART Terminal | Departure Times | Communities Served | Service Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Castro Valley | Castro Valley | Hourly at :30 past | Castro Valley | Operated alongside former Route 48, with expanded service to surrounding neighborhoods in northern Castro Valley | |
North Newark | Union City | Every 30 minutes, at :10 and :40 past | Newark | Operates around the general area of currently suspended Route 275, with additional service to Ardenwood Park & Ride and Newark Senior Center |
On February 11, 2019, the beginning of BART service on weekdays was changed from 4:00 am to 5:00 am for a three-year period to allow for overnight seismic retrofit work in the Transbay Tube. Thirteen Early Bird Express routes, of which six are operated by AC Transit, were created to provide service between 3:50 am and 5:30 am. The AC Transit-run routes provide Transbay service to the Temporary Transbay Terminal.
Route | Terminals | ||
---|---|---|---|
Outer terminal | Inner terminal | ||
701 | Pittsburg/Bay Point station | Temporary Transbay Terminal | |
702 | Pleasant Hill station | Temporary Transbay Terminal | |
703 | Dublin/Pleasanton station | Temporary Transbay Terminal | |
706 | Bay Fair station | Temporary Transbay Terminal | |
707 | Fremont station | Temporary Transbay Terminal |
These routes cross San Francisco Bay and connect the East Bay with San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties. All routes except Route 800 are lettered. (Route 800 is part of the All Nighter network and is listed in its respective section.) Most Transbay routes operate weekdays only during commute periods; two routes operate throughout the day on weekdays only and three routes operate daily. Most commute-only routes operate westbound from the East Bay in the morning and eastbound to the East Bay in the afternoon, but some service is provided in the reverse commute direction.
All bus routes serving San Francisco cross the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge and terminate at the Salesforce Transit Center (at the third floor).
Route | Terminal | Days of Operation | Cities and Communities Served | Connecting BART Station(s) | Local Travel Permitted | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
E | Berkeley Hills (Parkwood Apartments) | Weekdays (commute only) | Oakland, Berkeley | N/A | Yes | |
F | UC Berkeley (Bancroft & Telegraph) | Daily | Emeryville, Oakland, Berkeley | Downtown Berkeley, Ashby | Yes | |
FS | Berkeley (Solano & Colusa) | Weekdays (commute only) | Berkeley | Downtown Berkeley | No | |
G | El Cerrito (El Cerrito Plaza BART) | Weekdays (commute only) | Berkeley, Albany, El Cerrito | El Cerrito Plaza | No | |
J | Berkeley (Sacramento & University) | Weekdays (commute only) | Emeryville, Berkeley | N/A | No | |
L | San Pablo (Princeton Plaza) | Weekdays (commute only) | Albany, El Cerrito, Richmond, San Pablo | El Cerrito del Norte | No | |
LA | All trips: Richmond (Hilltop Park & Ride) | Weekdays (commute only) | Richmond | N/A | No | |
Select trips: Hilltop Green (Park Central & Fairway) | ||||||
NL | East Oakland (Eastmont Transit Center) | Daily | Oakland | 19th Street/Oakland | Yes | |
NX | East Oakland (Seminary & MacArthur) | Weekdays (AM commute only) | Oakland | N/A | No | |
NX3 | San Leandro (Marlow & Foothill) | Weekdays (commute only) | Oakland, San Leandro | N/A | No | |
O | Oakland (Fruitvale BART) | Daily | Oakland, Alameda | Fruitvale | Yes | |
OX | AM terminal: Bay Farm Island (Robert Davey Jr & Packet Landing) | Weekdays (commute only) | Oakland, Alameda | N/A | No | |
PM terminal: Bay Farm Island (Island Drive Park & Ride) | ||||||
P | Piedmont (Highland Avenue & Highland Way) | Weekdays (commute only) | Oakland, Piedmont | N/A | No | |
V | Oakland (Broadway & College) | Weekdays (commute only) | Oakland | N/A | No | |
W | Alameda (Broadway & Blanding) | Weekdays (commute only) | Oakland, Alameda | N/A | No |
One route operates between the East Bay and San Mateo County via the San Mateo Bridge.
AC Transit operates one route between the East Bay and Santa Clara County via the Dumbarton Bridge. Additional bus service across the Dumbarton Bridge is provided by Dumbarton Express, which is a Transbay bus service provided under a consortium of five transit operators (AC Transit, BART, SamTrans, Union City Transit, and VTA). Dumbarton Express was operated by AC Transit through December 16, 2011 before being transferred to a contractor.
A series of routes serve a variety of public and private middle, junior high, and high schools in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. These routes generally operate only when school is in session. While these lines are open to all riders at regular fares, they do not operate during most school breaks and holidays. Some regular local bus routes also provide supplemental school service to nearby schools. These routes are usually timed to match the morning and afternoon bell schedules of all schools served.
There are 46 school routes numbered between 600 and 699: 604, 605, 606, 607, 611, 617, 620, 621, 623, 624, 625, 626, 628, 629, 631, 638, 642, 646, 648, 649, 650, 652, 653, 654, 655, 657, 658, 660, 662, 663, 667, 668, 669, 671, 672, 675, 676, 677, 679, 680, 681, 682, 684, 687, 688, and 696.
Several transit agencies in the Bay Area, including AC Transit, participate in the All Nighter program. All Nighter buses provide overnight bus service when BART and Caltrain are not operating. AC Transit Route 800 is the backbone of this network, serving eleven or thirteen BART and four Muni Metro stations en route.
All AC Transit All Nighter routes provide timed transfers at Broadway and 14th Street in downtown Oakland. Most routes operate daily including holidays, generally from midnight to 5:00 AM. Weekend morning service on Routes 800 and 801 extends until 6 AM on Saturdays and 8 AM on Sundays, corresponding to the start of BART service for the day.[15]
Route | Direction | Terminals | Cities and Communities Served | Connecting BART/Muni Station(s) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
North/East Terminal | South/West Terminal | |||||
800 | East-west | Richmond BART | Weeknights: San Francisco (Van Ness Muni Metro) | San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Albany, El Cerrito, Richmond | 24th St./Mission‡, 16th St./Mission‡, Van Ness Muni†, Civic Center†, Powell†, Montgomery†, West Oakland†, 12th Street/Oakland, 19th Street/Oakland, MacArthur, Ashby, Downtown Berkeley, El Cerrito del Norte, Richmond † Stops are only serviced in the eastbound direction. ‡ 24th and 16th St. stops are only serviced Friday and Saturday evenings, and only in the eastbound direction. | |
Weekends: San Francisco (24th St./Mission) | ||||||
801 | North-south | Oakland (14th & Broadway) | Fremont BART | Oakland, San Leandro, Hayward, Union City, Fremont | 12th Street/Oakland, Lake Merritt (on 11th & 12th streets), Fruitvale (on International Blvd.), San Leandro, Bay Fair, Hayward, South Hayward, Union City, Fremont | |
802 | North-south | Oakland (14th & Broadway) | Berkeley Amtrak (University & Third) | Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley | 12th Street/Oakland, 19th Street/Oakland | |
805 | East-west | Oakland (14th & Broadway) | Oakland International Airport | Oakland | 12th Street/Oakland, 19th Street/Oakland, Coliseum | |
840 | North-south | Oakland (14th & Broadway) | East Oakland (Eastmont Transit Center) | Oakland | 12th Street/Oakland, Lake Merritt (on 11th & 12th streets) | |
851 | North-south | Downtown Berkeley BART (Shattuck & Center) | Fruitvale BART | Berkeley, Oakland, Alameda | Downtown Berkeley, Rockridge, 19th Street/Oakland, 12th Street/Oakland, Fruitvale |