| WestCAT | |
| Parent: | Western Contra Costa Transit Authority |
| Founded: | 1977 |
| Service Area: | Contra Costa County, California |
| Service Type: | transit bus, express bus, paratransit |
| Routes: | 14 |
| Stops: | 300 |
| Fleet: | 57 |
| Ridership: | 4,944 |
| Fuel Type: | Diesel, Gasoline, & Hybrid Electric |
| Operator: | MV Transportation |
| General Manager: | Charles Anderson |
| Website: | westcat.org |
WestCAT is a public transportation service in western Contra Costa County (north of Oakland, CA). It is a service of the Western Contra Costa Transit Authority.
The Western Contra Costa County Transit (WestCAT) was established in August 1977 as a Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement between Contra Costa County and the cities of Hercules and Pinole. It was created with the purpose of owning, operating and administering a public transportation system serving the area between the Richmond/El Sobrante border to the west and the Al Zampa Memorial Bridge to the east. WestCAT is governed by a 7-member Board of Directors and supported by professional staff of seven. The two cities of Pinole and Hercules are each represented by two board members, while the unincorporated communities of Crockett, Rodeo, and Montalvin Manor each have one representative, appointed by the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors.
WestCAT's fleet started out with shuttle vans, and then using buses made by El Dorado National and Thomas Built Buses. Now, WestCAT runs an almost all Gillig fleet, ranging from 19 Gillig Phantoms, to 18 Gillig Low Floors. WestCAT also has five Motor Coach Industries (MCI) over-the-road coaches and three Alexander Dennis Enviro500 double-decker buses for use on the LYNX. In addition, WestCAT has 10 Ford E-450 Paratransit vans, and 2 Toyota Camry hybrid electric sedans used for Dial-A-Ride.
As of September 2013, WestCAT provides a network of local and express bus routes throughout western Contra Costa County.[1] In addition, WestCAT operates regional service between Martinez (Route 30Z) and the Hercules Transit Center and between the Hercules Transit Center and Contra Costa College (Route C3). The (Local) routes are 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19. Also (Express) JX, JL/JR (referred to as the "J" by most riders, the "L" designates via Lakeside Drive, and the "R" designates via Richmond Parkway), JPX (serves Pinole Valley residents wanting to go to the Hercules Transit Center or BART). Also, WestCAT operates transbay service between the Hercules Transit Center and the Salesforce Transit Center in San Francisco called the LYNX with stops in the Rodeo Park and Ride located on Willow Avenue, North Shore Business Park near Bio-Rad, the Victoria by the Bay neighborhood in Hercules and the Hercules Transit Center. From the Hercules Transit Center the line then goes nonstop to San Francisco via the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on I-80. WestCAT currently offers free Wi-Fi service on the LYNX line.[2]
Major transfer points for the majority of WestCAT and other agencies' routes include:
| Route Number | Direction | Terminals | Days of Operation | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North/East Terminal | South/West Terminal | |||||
| 10 | Loop | Hercules Transit Center - Turquoise | Weekdays | |||
| 11 | Loop | Weekdays and Saturdays | ||||
| 12 | Loop | Hercules Transit Center - Mandalay/Bonaire | Weekdays | |||
| 15 | Loop | Hercules Transit Center - Viewpointe Blvd | Weekdays | |||
| 16 | Loop | Richmond Parkway Transit Center - Wright Ave/Doidge Ave | Weekdays | |||
| 17 | Loop | Richmond Parkway Transit Center - Cypress/Broadmore | Weekdays (except midday) | |||
| 18 | Loop | Weekdays (except midday) | ||||
| 19 | Loop | Saturdays Only | [19] | |||
| C3 Regional Route | East-West | Hercules Transit Center | Weekdays | |||
| 30Z Regional Route | East-West | Hercules Transit Center | Weekdays | [30Z] | ||
| J (JR/JL) Express Route | North-South | Hercules Transit Center Weekdays Willow/Viewpointe Weekdays after 8pm & Weekends | El Cerrito del Norte BART | Daily | [J] | |
| JX Express Route | North-South | Hercules Transit Center | El Cerrito del Norte BART | Weekdays (except midday) | ||
| JPX Express Route | North-South | Hercules Transit Center | El Cerrito del Norte BART | Weekdays | [JPX] | |
| Lynx Transbay Route | North-South | Willow Avenue Commute trips Hercules Transit Center Non-commute trips | Salesforce Transit Center(San Francisco) | Weekdays (limited holiday service) | [Lynx] | |
| 705 | North-South | MacArthur BART | Weekdays | [Early Bird] | ||
| 708 | North-South | El Cerrito del Norte BART | 19th Street Oakland BART | Weekdays | [Early Bird] | |
WestCAT provides service to the communities of:
The local transportation demand management organization 511 Contra Costa also provides information for intermodal transfers throughout Contra Costa County, and works closely with WestCAT to help transit users make regional connections beyond their immediate service area.