Public Hearing on Service Expansion Set for January 14
News Articles
12/17/2014
On Wednesday, January 14, the AC Transit Board of Directors will hold a public hearing at 5:00 p.m. at 1600 Franklin Street, Oakland, to take public comment on proposed expanded, new, and rerouted service potentially affecting 10 bus lines.
Please note: The extension of Line 680 to serve the East Bay Innovation Academy (EBIA) has been removed from the proposal. It will not be part of the public hearing.
With AC Transit’s financial situation improving and ridership growing, the District is in the position to make modest service increases, adding approximately 20,000 annual service hours for a $2 million annual cost. About half of these improvements went into effect on December 7, 2014*. Most of the other improvements require a public hearing before they can be implemented this coming spring.
The proposal is made up mostly of weekend improvements, both because there has been a significant increase in ridership on Saturday and Sunday, and because the District can more easily put extra buses on the street on weekends. There are also small changes proposed to weekday service.
The public is invited to comment before or at the hearing on these proposed changes:
San Pablo Avenue Corridor
Consider two options for expanding weekend service to accommodate heavy ridership and growing demand:
- Operate Line 72R every 15 minutes between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. (line currently runs only on weekdays only).
- Increase frequency on lines 72 and 72M to every 20 minutes between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., maintaining the current 30-minute frequency outside those hours.
Line 46
Introduce weekend service to provide public transit to the Oakland Zoo and also reach places of worship along the route. Service between Coliseum BART and the zoo would operate hourly along the weekday route between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., and would increase to every 30 minutes during the summer vacation period.
Line 200
Expand Saturday night service by four hours to run until midnight to better serve the Mowry Avenue and Decoto Road corridors in Fremont and Newark, as well as NewPark Mall, and retail and restaurant destinations around Lido Faire.
Line 212
Expand weekend evening service by four hours to run until midnight to better serve retail, restaurant, and entertainment destinations at Pacific Commons in Fremont.
Line 217
Increase weekend frequency to every 30 minutes (currently every 40 minutes) to relieve overcrowding due to strong student ridership from the newly opened Northwestern Polytechnic University in Fremont.
Line 339
Introduce weekend service to provide public transit to Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland as well as places of worship and recreational facilities along the route. Service between Fruitvale BART and the center would run at 40-minute frequency between 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Saturdays and 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sundays, coinciding with the center’s open hours.
Line NL
Operate westbound along Mandela Parkway between West Grand Avenue and 7th Street, allowing a re-route of service to avoid heavy traffic on the West Grand Avenue approach to the Bay Bridge. Service runs between 5:30 a.m. and 12:30 a.m. at 15-minute frequency during the weekday peak and 30-minute frequency at other times.
The original proposal to extend Line 680 to serve the East Bay Innovation Academy (EBIA) has been removed from the plan.
How to Comment
Individuals, organizations, and agencies may provide input on the proposals by:
- Speaking or submitting written comments at the public hearing
- Submitting written comments by Monday, January 12, 5:00 p.m.:
- by e-mail to planning@actransit.org
- by mail to AC Transit Board of Directors, 1600 Franklin Street, Oakland, CA 94612
- by fax to (510) 891-7157
- Leaving comments in a voicemail message by Monday, January 12, 5:00 p.m., by calling (510) 891-7201 (English), (510) 891-7297 (Spanish), or (510) 891-7298 (Chinese).
How to Get to the Hearing
All AC Transit bus lines serving downtown Oakland stop within walking distance and the 19th Street BART station is one block away. Use the trip planner at actransit.org or call 511 (and say, “AC Transit”). For TDD for hearing impaired, call 711, California Relay Service, and specify (510) 891-4700. The location is wheelchair accessible.
Translation Services
Spanish, Cantonese, and Mandarin interpretation will be available at the public hearing. Sign language and other 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, January 8, to make arrangements. For TDD for hearing impaired, call 711, California Relay Service, and specify (510) 891-4700.
Board of Directors Decision
Staff will compile all comments received by January 12 and forward them to the Board in advance of the public hearing. Following public comment at the hearing, the Board is expected to make its decision. The Board may choose to approve, modify, or reject some or all of the proposed changes. Any changes approved would likely go into effect in March 2015.
* Highlights of the December improvements included increased frequency on Line 97, extended service into the Grass Valley neighborhood of East Oakland on new Line 46L, new All Nighter Line 822 from San Francisco to East Contra Costa County, and added trips on various lines. See details.