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AC Transit Realign

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AC Transit Realign

On October 9, the AC Transit Board of Directors voted to approve the Realign Final Network Plan. Find the Final Network Plan in the resources below, or visit the Draft Final Plan page for more tools to explore the near-final draft. This page will be updated by January 1, 2025.

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Realign Draft Final Plan

The AC Transit Realign Draft Final Plan prioritizes bus lines serving transit dependent communities, improves reliability, and optimizes service efficiency while allowing for potential future growth. The Draft Final Plan suggests several types of changes to our service, including re-routing lines, combining or potentially eliminating others, and frequency and service hour adjustments. All proposed changes to bus lines are identified in the Plan with the label "DF.”

Realign Unconstrained

Unconstrained Vision Scenario

With direction from the AC Transit Board of Directors, an unconstrained vision as presented during Phase 3 will be moved forward on a longer timeframe than the immediate service changes. This extended time will allow for staff and community focus on the near-term Realign Plan as well as provide additional time to refine an unconstrained vision plan for Board and community consideration after an updated Service Standard Policy is approved. These recommendations will follow a separate process in early 2025.

Service Standards

In summer of 2024, the Realign project team will update AC Transit’s service standards. This effort will take all public input received over the course of the project and combine it with the latest planning practices to draft a blueprint for how the agency will plan service and measure its performance now and into the future.

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Meetings & Events

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Realign Public Hearing (Virtual)

Date: September 9
Time: 6 pm

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Realign Public Hearing (Virtual)

Date: September 10
Time: 9 am

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Realign Public Hearing (Hybrid)

Date: September 11
Time: 2 pm

Graphic of people standing with speech bubbles overhead

Realign Public Hearing (Hybrid)

Date: September 11
Time: 6 pm

Past Events

Event DateTimeActivityLocation 
8/7/20249 amBART ILC MeetingHYBRID: East Bay Paratransit Office, Community Room, 1750 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612 Zoom link https://actransit.zoom.us/j/98019885781 Tel: 877 369 0926 Webinar ID: 980 1988 5781
8/7/20245 pmAC Transit Board Meeting: Set Realign Public Hearing/Draft Final Service PlanHybrid
8/10/202410 am - 7 pmLaurel Street FairMacArthur Blvd. bet. 35th Ave & Maybelle Ave, Oakland, CA 94619
8/10/202410 am. - 2 pmSupply Bank Backpack GiveawaySan Pablo Park, 2800 Park St., Berkeley, CA 94702
8/10/20241:30 pm - 3 pmRealign - Lived Experience Advisory Group (LEAG) Meeting #5
8/13/20246 pmEden Area MAC AnnouncementSan Lorenzo Library, 395 Paseo Grande, San Lorenzo, CA 94580
8/14/20247 pmEl Sobrante MAC AnnouncementEl Sobrante Library (4191 Appian Way, El Sobrante, CA 94803) and Zoom (fill in Zoom details)
8/15/20244:30 pm - 8:30 pmDowntown Hayward Street PartyB Street & Main Street, Hayward CA
8/18/202410:30 am - 1:30 pmFestival of the Globe - India Day ParadePaseo Padre Pkwy, Fremont, CA
8/19/20245:30 pm - 7:30 pmMayor of Oakland's Commission on Persons with Disabilities (MCPD)Hearing Room 1 (Dunakin Room), 1st floor of Oakland City Hall
8/19/20246 pmPiedmont City Council AnnouncementCity Hall, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, CA 94611
8/19/20246 pmSan Pablo City Council Announcement1000 Gateway Avenue, San Pablo, CA 94806
8/19/20246 pmCastro Valley MAC AnnouncementCastro Valley Library, 3600 Norbridge Avenue, Castro Valley, CA 94546
8/20/20246 pmEl Cerrito City Council AnnouncementEl Cerrito City Hall, 10890 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito, CA 94530
8/20/20247:15 pmEmeryville City Council Announcement1333 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608
8/21/20246:30 pmBART ILC MeetingOpen Door United Methodist Church- 6226 Arlington Boulevard, Richmond, CA. Zoom: https://cccounty-us.zoom.us/j/87148023649
8/24/20249 am - 5 pmOakland Chinatown Streetfest9th Street and Franklin, Oakland, CA 94607
8/27/20246:30 pmRichmond City Council Announcement440 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond, CA 94804
9/3/202412:30 pm - 2:30 pmEast Bay Paratransit Access Committee (EBPAC)Hybrid Meeting: 1750 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612. Zoom: TBD
9/3/20245 pmNorth Richmond MAC AnnouncementNorth Richmond Senior Center: 515 Silver Ave, Richmond, CA 94801 or https://cccounty-us.zoom.us/j/81046901164
9/3/20247 pmHayward City Council AnnouncementHayward City Hall - 2nd Floor, 777 B Street, Haward, CA 94541
9/3/20247 pm Alameda City Council AnnouncementCity Hall, 2263 Santa Clara Avenue, Alameda, CA 94501
9/3/20247 pm Fremont City Council AnnouncementFremont City Hall, Building A, 3300 Capitol Avenue, Fremont, CA 94538
9/4/202410 amCity of Oakland ILCHYBRID: AC Transit, 1600 Franklin St., 2nd Floor Board Room, Oakland, CA 94612 Zoom link https://actransit.zoom.us/j/87011398495 Phone (669) 900 6833 Webinar ID: 870 1139 8495
9/5/20249 amCity of Alameda ILCHYBRID: City Hall, 2263 Santa Clara Avenue, Room 360, Alameda, CA 94501 Zoom link https://actransit.zoom.us/j/91750176813 Phone 877 369 0926 Webinar ID: 917 5017 6813
9/6/202410 amCity of Hayward ILCHYBRID: City Hall, Conference Room 2A - 777 B Street, Hayward, CA 94541 Zoom link https://actransit.zoom.us/j/94999872586 Phone 877 369 0926 Webinar ID: 949 9987 2586
9/7/202410 am - 6 pmCastro Valley Fall FestivalOn Castro Valley Blvd between Redwood Rd & Santa Maria
9/8/20249 am - 5 pmSolano StrollOn Solano Avenue in Albany & Berkeley 
9/8/202410 am - 3 pmOakland Pride Parade and FestivalStarts at Broadway & 14th Street (Oakland City Hall) and ends at Broadway & 20th Street
9/9/20246 pmAC Transit Realign Public Hearing #1- Staff ledZoom linkhttps://actransit.zoom.us/j/88231707039 Phone: (669) 219 2599 Webinar ID: 882 3170 7039
9/9/20247 pmSan Leandro City Council AnnouncementSan Leandro Civic Center, 835 E. 14th Street, San Leandro, CA 94577
9/10/20249 amAC Transit Realign Public Hearing #2 - Staff ledZoom link https://actransit.zoom.us/j/88231707039 Phone: (669) 219 2599 Webinar ID: 882 3170 7039
9/10/20241 pmAC Transit GM Access Committee (GMAC)HYBRID: 1750 Broadway, Community Room, Oakland, CA 94612 https://actransit.zoom.us/j/93413761483 Phone: (877) 369 0926 Webinar ID: 934 1376 1483
9/10/20246 pmBerkeley City Council Announcement1231 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA 94702
9/11/20242 pm AC Transit Realign Public Hearing #3 - Board ledHYBRID: 1600 Franklin Street, 2nd Floor Board Room, Oakland 94612 or https://actransit.zoom.us/j/98487175063 Phone (669) 900 6833 Webinar ID:  984 8717 5063
9/11/20246 pmAC Transit Realign Public Hearing #4 - Board ledHYBRID: 1600 Franklin Street, 2nd Floor Board Room, Oakland 94612 or https://actransit.zoom.us/j/98487175063  Phone (669) 900 6833 Webinar ID:  984 8717 5063

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Additional Resources

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What is Realign?

Realign is a comprehensive assessment of every AC Transit bus line in response to the substantial shifts in ridership and commute patterns since the pandemic. By collecting data and public feedback, Realign aims to introduce a new equity-focused bus network designed to increase ridership and service reliability. 

In Spring 2023, Realign began with extensive community outreach, which shaped the development of its guiding principles: Equity, Reliability, and Frequency. AC Transit subsequently developed three draft service scenarios – Balanced, Frequent, and Unconstrained Vision – publicly presented in the fall of 2023. 

Goals

  • Assess today’s travel patterns and the community’s current AC Transit service needs.  
  • Implement an inclusive planning process that incorporates quantitative and qualitative data along with rider and community feedback – including the voices of hard-to-reach equity communities. 
  • Align service schedules, coverage, and frequencies based on major needs identified by the community, riders, travel pattern data, finances, and workforce availability. 
  • Update our service standards with best practices for the design of our bus service. 

FY 2023-24 Revenue Budget pie chart

Why Realign?

Ridership has not rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, with more people working remotely or adopting hybrid work models. The decline in ridership directly corresponds with a reduction in farebox and local tax revenues, which are essential for funding operations. AC Transit's bus network faces additional challenges due to unstable state and federal funding and the difficulty recruiting frontline employees, particularly Bus Operators. Due to these financial constraints, Realign is a resource-neutral plan that requires tradeoffs within its proposed recommendations. 

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Phases & Timeline*

*Timeline is preliminary and subject to change

Phase 1 - Develop Plans and Learn Rider Needs

Dates: March - June 2023

Realign begins with a thorough analysis of current AC Transit service area conditions. The habits, needs, concerns, and priorities of riders and community members will be identified during this phase through quantitative data review, customer survey responses, and feedback through robust outreach. This phase encourages survey participation, which begins April 17, 2023. The survey will help us understand what’s important, identify priority destinations/connections, and weigh trade-offs/priorities that will inform the development of a draft set of guiding principles.

Phase 2 - Aligning Guiding Principles with Community Assessment

Dates: July - August 2023

This phase will solicit and incorporate feedback from riders, community members and AC Transit’s Board of Directors on the draft guiding principles developed from information gathered in Phase 1. In this phase, a final Guiding Principles document will be adopted by the Board and will establish the support, clarity, and direction for the development of Realign (new bus service network plan).

Phase 3 - Develop Service Scenarios and Gather Feedback

Dates: September - December 2023

Based on the feedback and direction from the first two phases, this phase presents draft service scenarios that offer alternative configurations of AC Transit’s routes and schedules throughout our service area. This is an important opportunity for our riders and community to provide feedback on these service scenarios. 

Phase 4 - Draft Final Service Plan and Plan Adoption

Dates: January - October 2024

Following the comprehensive review of data and community input on the draft scenarios, a draft Final Service Plan will be created, including an extensive update to AC Transit’s Service Standards. The draft Final Service Plan will be shared with the community during a formal public comment process. The Realign process will culminate with review and a formal vote by the AC Transit Board of Directors. An Equity Analysis (under Title VI of the American Civil Rights Act) will ensure that any negative impacts on both minority and low-income populations will be identified and presented for approval on a parallel track.

Phase 5 - Develop Service Standards and Inform Riders about Service Changes

Dates: October 2024 - April 2025

Once the Final Service Plan and updated Service Standards are approved, the new service is expected to begin in March 2025. In this final phase, robust promotion will educate riders and community members on how to use the new service network. The updated service policies and standards will help guide future planning and monitoring of AC Transit’s service network. These standards, including hours, days of operation, frequency, and location of bus routes, will guide how service we will operate on the streets and in neighborhoods throughout the AC Transit service area. The standards are based upon multiple factors, including equity, land use, population density, access to jobs, commercial activity, and major attractors such as schools, hospitals, and grocery stores.