AC Transit connects people to jobs, medical appointments, classrooms, grocery stores, and the everyday essentials that cannot wait. For East Bay families, it is especially personal: each school day, at least 30,000 students rely on us for a safe and reliable ride to and from school. 

For 25 years, AC Transit has led the industry in zero emission innovation. We became the nation’s first transit agency to deploy a fleet of zero emission buses, reducing harmful emissions and particulate matter across the Bay Area. We then launched the industry’s first Zero Emission Bus University, helping transit agencies nationwide prepare for, operate, and maintain cleaner fleets. 

We strategically placed our zero emission buses on routes serving disadvantaged communities, where cleaner air can make the greatest difference. We want to help improve public health outcomes, especially in neighborhoods facing disproportionately high rates of respiratory illness. 

Behind every ride, every innovation, and every cleaner mile stand more than 2,200 AC Transit employees whose commitment helped make us one of the most respected transit agencies in America, earning both the industry's highest honors and an AA+ credit rating from S&P. 

Our transit district is confronting a fiscal reality unlike any in its 65-year history.  

AC Transit is projected to face nearly $200 million in cumulative deficits over the next four years, including annual shortfalls of approximately $50 million beginning in FY 2027-28.  

Ridership continues to recover and demand remains strong.  In fact, the District has seen several consecutive months of ridership growth.  However, just like it has for your familY, rising inflation puts significant pressure on our budget. 

Fuel costs have jumped 28%, parts are up 14%, and the price of manufacturing a single new bus has surged 35% in just two years. 

To help protect against service cuts, we have already cut more than $9 million in non-service spending this year alone. We also approved participation in a what has become known as the State of California’s “bridge” loan program.  

The $55 million bridge loan is not a handout; it must be repaid with interest. Even so, AC Transit chose to exhaust this financial tool because our riders come first. The loan provides critical breathing room, helping preserve all current service levels through June 2027. 

That is why a regional transit funding measure, authorized by Senate Bill 63, is being proposed for the November ballot. 

If approved, the half-cent sales tax is expected to deliver approximately $52 million a year to AC Transit.  That’s critical funding that would help preserve service, protect jobs, and avoid the looming threat of gridlock. 

The proposed ballot measure would also help AC Transit continue as an East Bay economic engine. We support local businesses by connecting riders to retail districts, reduce traffic congestion by taking cars off the road, and attract investments along key transit corridors.  

If the ballot measure is not approved, AC Transit projects service cuts of 16% across our bus network, along with the potential loss of up to 300 jobs through layoffs. 

That reality prompted the AC Transit Board of Directors to approve a Contingency Service Plan in June. The plan does not implement any service cuts today.  Rather, it prepares us for a “worst-case scenario” should the proposed November ballot measure fail to receive voter approval. 

The proposal would keep 93% of AC Transit service.  Unfortunately, some lines would have to be cut.  Transbay service to San Francisco, All-Nighter, and weekend service would all shrink.  Buses would run less often and for fewer hours across the system.  The impact would be substantial. 

Yet even under the most challenging fiscal conditions, AC Transit remains focused on preserving equity-priority routes, supplementary school service, and the foundation of the Realign network that riders depend on every day. 

As AC Transit makes emergency plans for a future no one wants to see, we are asking riders and East Bay communities to help shape what may come next. 

Tell us which trips, schedules, and connections matter most to your daily life. Your feedback will help us refine the Contingency Plan details and focus limited resources where they will have the greatest impact.