Press Release , News

BACK TO SCHOOL, BACK TO WORK, AC TRANSIT IS EXPANDING SERVICE SYSTEMWIDE, STARTING AUGUST 8

August 04,2021

Restoring supplementary 600-bus lines to schools, Early Bird Express, All-Nighter 800-bus lines, and select Transbay bus lines

OAKLAND, Calif. – The Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) is excited to announce the expansion of services in preparation for your return to the office, to schools, recreation, and the array of Bay Area goods and services you rely on every day. Our service restoration and expansion plan launches Sunday, August 8, 2021 and is designed to progressively expand over the next 12-18 months.

“AC Transit literally moved the Bay Area before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic carrying the third-largest ridership in the region, primarily low-income people of color,” said Board President Elsa Ortiz. “Overnight, however, riders plummeted from 190,000-weekday riders to roughly 44,000 per weekday. Still, the neediest riders needed our bus lines.”

Public health restrictions forced our transit district to scale down bus lines to either Sunday service 7-days per week, shortened service days, eliminated weekend service, or the temporary suspension of lines throughout the pandemic. Despite these challenges, we artfully expanded some bus services in the first iteration of the service restoration and expansion plan during August 2020.

This second iteration of the plan reflects the substantial changes in state and federal public health guidance yet continues to rely on AC Transit’s industry-leading health and safety practices. We call these COVID-19 safeguards reNEW, which includes continued antiviral cleaning, advanced HVAC air filtration, the continued availability of free face coverings and hand sanitizers onboard, and expanded contactless payments features, to name a few.

The expansion plan is bolstered by a positive trajectory in ridership starting in late March 2021 with 59,200 daily weekday riders to more than 70,500 daily weekday riders at the close of July 2021.

“We were slowed by the pandemic but never stopped rolling. We knew onboard daily were essential workers who needed safe and reliable connections to and from frontline jobs,” said General Manager Michael Hursh. “Now, with ridership rebounding, AC Transit is committed to restoring supplementary 600-bus lines to support the return of classroom instructions, aiding BART with the critical Early Bird Express and All-Nighter 800-bus lines, and the relaunch of some of our rider favorite Transbay bus lines.”

As AC Transit continues to be a mobility lifeline and critical to the infrastructures of the East Bay and greater Bay Area, the following service changes will take effect Sunday, August 8, 2021:

Line(s)	Restoration & Expansion Descriptions
21	During weekdays, select morning and afternoon trips serve the Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal. Other minor schedule changes.
33, 39, 51A, 97, 217	Trips that operate school days only resume August 9. Other minor schedule changes on Line 95.
54	Additional trips are added to enhance service for Latitude High School students: two trips toward Merritt College and four trips toward Fruitvale BART.
76	Line 76 is extended north from Hilltop Mall to serve Richmond Parkway Transit Center.
78	New pilot line from Fruitvale BART to the Alameda Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal. Buses are timed to meet morning ferry departures and evening ferry arrivals.
95	Trips operating school days only resume August 9. Other minor schedule changes.
600–699	Lines operating school days only resume August 9. Lines 611, 621, 623, 624, 625, 631, 654, 657, 663, 667, 671,675, 687, and 688, which were suspended during the pandemic, are wholly or partially restored. Most lines have revised schedules to accommodate changed bell times.
614	Line discontinued. Riders should use line 660 or 677.
639	Line discontinued. Riders should use Line 654 to areas along Redwood Road and 35th Avenue.
651	Line discontinued. Riders should use Line 51A.
668	Line discontinued. Riders should use Line 675.
679	Line discontinued. Riders should use Line 669.
E	Select restored service: morning trips to San Francisco and five evening trips to the East Bay.
G	Select restored morning service offering four trips to San Francisco. One additional evening trip operates to the East Bay.
J	Three additional morning trips operate to San Francisco and one additional evening trip operates to the East Bay.
L	Two additional evening trips operate to the East Bay.
LA	Two additional evening trips operate to the East Bay.
NX	Three additional evening trips operate to the East Bay. During mornings, the first trip will operate earlier, departing at 7:05 a.m. from MacArthur Boulevard & 56th Avenue.
NX3	Select service restored: two morning trips to San Francisco and six evening trips to the East Bay.
OX	Select service restored: two morning trips to San Francisco and four evening trips to the East Bay.
P	Select restored morning service operating five trips to San Francisco. Five additional evening trips will operate to the East Bay.
V	Select restored morning service operating two morning trips to San Francisco. Three additional evening trips will operate to the East Bay.
W	Four additional evening trips operate to the East Bay.
Other	Minor schedule changes are made on lines 12, 19, 20, 40, 54, 70, 72, 72M, 72R, 74, 86, 96, 200, 802, and NL.

AC Transit’s service restoration and expansion plan repairs or improves existing routes that are unproductive, inefficient, unresponsive to changing conditions, or create gaps in the network. However, AC Transit’s two service areas have the highest proportion of disadvantaged communities in California. As a result, the plan’s core guiding principle is equity and any changes will be rooted in the following priorities:

Is the line operating below pre-pandemic service levels;
Does the line serve the State of California designated Disadvantaged Community;
Does the line have high ridership or pass-ups;
Does the line provide critical coverage in the network?

Parents and students are reminded that AC Transit’s restored supplementary bus lines to schools’ resume Monday, August 9, 2021. For a seamless return, click the link for a listing of campuses by East Bay city, bus line schedules, and real-time arrival predictions.

Please note, face coverings remain a requirement while onboard all AC Transit bus lines, without regard to a rider’s coronavirus vaccine status.