Public Hearing on Dumbarton Express Service Changes Set for November 16
News Articles
10/29/2011
On November 16, the AC Transit Board of Directors will hold a public hearing at 4:00 p.m. at AC Transit’s General Offices in downtown Oakland to receive comments on proposed changes to Dumbarton Express bus service. The public is invited to submit comments before or at the hearing.
Background
The Dumbarton Express service is overseen by the Dumbarton Bridge Regional Operations Consortium (DBROC), comprised of AC Transit, BART, SamTrans, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, and Union City Transit. AC Transit administers the service and has also operated the service for the past five years. As of mid-December this year, DBROC will contract with MV Transportation as the new operator.
Proposed Changes
As part of the transition to a new operator, DBROC is proposing to restructure the service to improve its effectiveness. The proposal includes:
- Eliminating Line DB3, reverse-commute service between Palo Alto and Union City. Ridership is low, with about 34 daily passengers on a total of nine trips, for an average of fewer than four passengers per trip.
- Shifting trips times and eliminating four trips on lines DB and DB1. Line DB provides all-day, bi-directional service, while Line DB1 provides commute-direction service. Both lines operate between Union City and Palo Alto, via Palo Alto Caltrain and Oregon Expressway, respectively. These adjustments would retain schedule coverage while consolidating passengers and reducing costs.
See below for proposal specifics. Also see background on proposal in the October 12 General Manager’s Memo
Proposed westbound changes
| Line | Trip origin | Proposed change | Current leave time |
Proposed leave time | Current passengers |
| DB3 | Union City BART | Trip elimination | All trips | – | 23 |
| DB | Union City BART | Trip shift | 9:46 a.m. | 9:45 a.m. | 21 |
| DB | Union City BART | Trip shift | 11:21 a.m. | 11:19 a.m. | 27 |
| DB | Union City BART | Trip shift | 12:52 p.m. | 12:39 a.m. | 13 |
| DB | Union City BART | Trip shift | 2:23 p.m. | 2:17 p.m. | 8 |
| DB | Union City BART | Trip shift | 2:54 p.m. | 3:00 p.m. | 10 |
| DB | Union City BART | Trip elimination | 3:20 p.m. | – | 10 |
| DB | Union City BART | Trip shift | 3:47 p.m. | 3:40 p.m. | 8 |
| DB | Union City BART | Trip shift | 4:06 p.m. | 4:00 p.m. | 8 |
| DB | Union City BART | Trip shift | 5:02 p.m. | 5:01 p.m. | 11 |
| DB | Union City BART | Trip shift | 5:43 p.m. | 6:03 p.m. | 5 |
Proposed eastbound changes
| Line | Trip origin | Proposed change | Current leave time |
Proposed leave time | Current passengers |
| DB3 | Deer Creek | Trip elimination | All trips | – | 11 |
| DB | Deer Creek | Trip shift | 6:32 a.m. | 6:23 a.m. | 13 |
| DB | Deer Creek | Trip elimination | 9:52 a.m. | – | 8 |
| DB | Palo Alto Caltrain | Trip shift | 10:35 a.m. | 10:33 a.m. | 6 |
| DB | Palo Alto Caltrain | Trip shift | 1:37 p.m. | 1:30 p.m. | 18 |
| DB | Deer Creek | Trip elimination | 6:00 p.m. | – | 24 |
| DB | Deer Creek | Trip shift | 6:15 p.m. | 6:10 p.m. | 16 |
| DB1 | Deer Creek | Trip elimination | 7:20 p.m. | – | 6 |
How to Comment
Individuals, organizations, and agencies may submit comments on the proposed changes by:
- Speaking or submitting written comments at the public hearing
- Submitting written comments by 5:00 p.m., Monday, November 14:
–by mail to AC Transit Board of Directors, 1600 Franklin Street, Oakland, CA 94612
–by fax to (510) 891-7157
–by e-mail to planning@actransit.org - Leaving comments in a voicemail message by 5:00 p.m., Monday, November 14, at (510) 891-7201 (English), (510) 891-7291 (Spanish), or (510) 891-7292 (Chinese)
Board of Directors Decision
Staff will compile all comments received prior to the hearing and present them to the Board of Directors on November 16. Following the hearing, the board may accept, modify, reject, or defer any of the proposed changes. Any changes adopted will likely go into effect on December 19.
Getting to the Public Hearing
All AC Transit bus lines serving downtown Oakland stop within walking distance. The 19th Street BART station is also one block away. For trip-planning assistance, visit www.511.org or call 511 (and say, “AC Transit”). The location is wheelchair accessible.
Translation Services
Sign-language and non-English language interpreters can be provided, if needed. Please contact the AC Transit District Secretary’s Office at (510) 891-7201 by 5:00 p.m., Thursday, November 10, to make arrangements. For TDD for hearing impaired, call 711, California Relay Service, and specify (510) 891-4700.
