AC Transit

AC Transit is the main bus transit operator in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, California. It is the third largest bus operator in the state, with a big fleet of over 600 buses that travel on 130 different routes.

The agency started in 1960, taking over from the Key System, which could no longer run. AC Transit helps people travel all around the East Bay, from Richmond to Milpitas. It also has special routes called "Transbay" that go between the East Bay and San Francisco using the Bay Bridge. There is also a fast bus service called Tempo that runs like a train between Oakland and San Leandro.

AC Transit’s main office is in Oakland, and it has four big bus stations around the East Bay, plus a control center in Emeryville. The agency’s full name is the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District, and it is run by a group of seven elected leaders. In 2025, almost 40 million people used AC Transit, which means about 158,300 people rode the buses each weekday during the last three months of the year.

Services

AC Transit runs four main types of bus services: local, Transbay, Tempo, and Rapid. It also offers special bus services for people with disabilities and for middle and high schools.

Local buses travel all over the East Bay area, from Richmond to Milpitas, and connect to other transit services, including BART stations. Transbay buses go across the San Francisco Bay to San Francisco, with many stopping at the Salesforce Transit Center. Tempo is a fast bus service on International Boulevard with special lanes and stops in the middle of the street. Rapid buses are also fast buses on certain streets. AC Transit also provides special buses for schools, which anyone can ride with a regular fare.

AC Transit is part of the public transit network in the San Francisco Bay Area. It works with BART, MUNI, Golden Gate Transit, and VTA, and also connects to the Oakland Airport, Amtrak, and the San Francisco Bay Ferry. Some AC Transit routes run all night as part of the All Nighter network, with a central hub in downtown Oakland. It also runs early morning buses for commuters before BART starts.

Main article: List of AC Transit routes

As of September 2024, AC Transit operates 130 routes, including 60 local and Rapid lines, 15 Transbay lines, 6 All Nighter routes, and 45 special school routes.

Fares

The cost to ride AC Transit local buses is $2.75 if you pay with cash, but it is $2.25 if you use the agency's mobile app or the Clipper card. Trips between cities cost more, at $6. You can also buy daily, weekly, and monthly passes for both local and between-city trips. There are lower prices for children, seniors, and people with disabilities.

AC Transit has a special savings plan called fare capping along with daily, weekly, and monthly passes. If you use a Clipper card, you only pay $5 each day for local trips instead of the regular price. People using the AC Transit mobile app can also save by getting weekly and monthly passes by paying for single trips.

History

Voters created the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District, known as AC Transit, in 1956. They approved a bond to buy out a failing bus company, and in October 1960, AC Transit began its services. The new district added many buses, expanded service to new areas, and started special express bus routes.

Over the years, AC Transit changed many of its routes to work with the BART system. It began special express services connecting BART stations to outer areas in 1974. New services started in places like Fremont, Newark, Concord, and others in the following years. In 2003, AC Transit added a special route across the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge, and in 2004, it began service across the Dumbarton Bridge, linking Stanford University with trains in Fremont. In 2013, AC Transit changed its fare policy to make travel easier and more convenient for everyone.

Rapid Bus and Bus Rapid Transit

See also: Tempo (bus rapid transit)

A fast bus line started on San Pablo Avenue on June 30, 2003. Called Line 72R (or San Pablo Rapid), it runs from 6 am to 7 pm on weekdays every 12 minutes, and from 7 am to 7 pm on weekends and holidays every 15 minutes. Bus stops are about two-thirds of a mile apart, going from Jack London Square in Oakland to Contra Costa College in San Pablo. The buses can pass other traffic at some crossings.

Line 1R (or International Rapid) used to run on weekdays between Berkeley Way and Oxford Street in Berkeley and Bay Fair BART station in San Leandro, mostly along Telegraph Avenue, International Boulevard, and East 14th Street. On weekends and holidays, it only went between Downtown Oakland and San Leandro.

Line 1R stopped running in 2016. On August 9, 2020, it was mostly replaced by Tempo, AC Transit’s new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route. Tempo runs between the Uptown Transit Center and the San Leandro BART station using International Boulevard and East 14th Street. It has 46 new stations with special bus lanes most of the way. The part of the old route on Telegraph Avenue between the Uptown Transit Center and U.C. Berkeley is now served by local route 6.

Bus fleet

AC Transit started with a mix of buses from different makers, which they painted in a special color scheme. Soon after, they began adding new buses called "Transit Liners." Over the years, AC Transit has used many types of buses, including long buses called "articulated buses," which can bend in the middle to turn more easily.

AC Transit has also tried new ways to power buses. In the past, they even had a bus that ran on steam power for a short time. Today, AC Transit works with other agencies to test buses that don’t use regular fuel, using hydrogen or batteries instead. All of their buses can fit wheelchairs and have places to put bicycles. Many newer buses also have air conditioning.

Governance

AC Transit is run by a group of seven leaders called a board of directors. These leaders come from seven different areas, called wards, and each area picks one leader for a four-year time. The board hires a main leader, called a general manager, to help run the bus services.

The board also picks other important leaders to help with different jobs. In the past, some of these leaders have been James O'Sullivan, Sharon Banks, Rick Fernandez, and Michael Hursh.

AC Transit gets money from people who ride the buses and from help given by the government. Voters in the area have also agreed to pay extra taxes to help keep the bus services running.