TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Salvador Llamas, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer
SUBJECT: April 2026 Service Change
BRIEFING ITEM
AGENDA PLANNING REQUEST: ☐
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider receiving a report on the District’s planned service changes, outreach, and communications associated with the April 2026 Sign-up.
Staff Contact:
Ramakrishna Pochiraju, Executive Director of Planning & Engineering
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Convenient and Reliable Service
Initiative - Service Quality
The April 2026 service change includes targeted schedule and operational adjustments associated with construction impacts from the Oakland Alameda Access Project (OAAP) intended to preserve service reliability and minimize rider disruption in the cities of Oakland and Alameda.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
To address OAAP detour needs, staff added one extra board operator assignment and one Owl assignment, bringing the total to 933. Daily vehicle platform hours changes compared to the January sign-up are:
Weekday: +6.22 hours
Saturday: +0.00 hours
Sunday: +2.22 hours
Using 253 weekdays, 51 Saturdays, and 61 Sundays, this results in 1,709.08 platform hours.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
AC Transit typically conducts four sign-ups each year as required by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with ATU Local 192 (ATU). These occur in April, June, August, and January.
Per contract, the April sign-up is a rehang, meaning no changes to operator assignments (runs) and associated days off (rosters). However, due to extenuating circumstances related to Oakland Alameda Access Project (OAAP), ATU and the District have agreed to forego the rehang in the interest of quality of service for both passengers and operators. Therefore, the changes in the April 2026 sign-up are largely driven by operational impacts associated with the OAAP.
The OAAP is a regional transportation project aimed at improving freeway access, reducing congestion between I-880, I-980, and the Posey/Webster Tubes, and enhancing safety and multimodal connectivity in the area. Construction staging is set to start in March 2026, with major construction impacts beginning on April 1, 2026, and lasting for several years. On April 1, OAAP construction will cause late-night disruptions for Oakland-Alameda travel, including the closure of the Webster Tube to Alameda from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., Sunday through Thursday nights.
Staff have adjusted schedules on lines 51A and 851 to provide longer layovers at Fruitvale BART ensuring operators receive sufficient breaks following expected 15-to-20-minute detours across the Park Street bridge. This also ensures timely departure from Fruitvale BART, minimizing passenger impacts. During detours, operators will service a drop-off only stop at Park St and Buena Vista Ave for passengers traveling to East Alameda, then continue on to regular routing starting at Webster and Willie Stargell. An additional southbound 10:00 p.m. Line 51A trip will operate between Webster and Willie Stargell and Fruitvale BART to bridge the gap in service caused by the detour.
In addition, to the OAAP detour routes, staff used the opportunity of the April sign-up to implement minor changes to Line 623 serving Horner Middle School on Wednesdays due to space limitations for bus staging at the school.
Operator Work Assignments
The April service change adds cycle time after 10:00 p.m. for lines 51A and 851, creating new and modified operator work including:
• A new Line 51A frag (an unassigned short work assignment) (10:00 p.m. - midnight Sunday through Thursday nights)
• A new Line 851 signed run (Saturday/Sunday off); and
• Other minor adjustments on runs associated with lines 51A, 851 and O.
Rider Communications and Outreach
Staff will ensure rider-facing technology platforms including real-time arrival predictions, trip planning tools, website content, and mobile applications, accurately reflect detour routing and schedule adjustments. Prediction accuracy and system performance will be monitored throughout the construction period to maintain reliability and rider trust.
Service change information will be communicated to riders through District channels including on-board and at-stop signage, web and email content, service advisories, social media posts, and outreach to elected officials, public agencies, and community-based organizations, consistent with prior sign-ups. Information about the Webster Tube closure and associated detour will be provided at impacted stops, and enhanced information at Alameda stops and shelters.
When the nighttime weekday Webster Tube closure begins, riders will receive real-time arrival updates and trip-planning information through digital notifications.
Other Planned Long-Term Detours:
Cedar Boulevard & Smith Avenue - Housing development in Newark requires closure of the stop affecting Lines 200, 232, 620, 626, and 628.
Richmond BART Station - Construction requires relocation of bus stop operations at the transit center.
Line 96 - Alameda Point / RESHAP - Road closures associated with redevelopment will require long-term detours through 2025.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
The primary advantages for implementation of the April 2026 service change include maintaining service reliability, minimizing disruption and delays, supporting operators, and preserving connectivity.
The disadvantages include the temporary inconvenience of longer itineraries for passengers and an increase in operational costs and complexity.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
Maintaining existing schedules without modification would increase the likelihood of late trips, non-compliant meal and rest periods, missed connections, and degraded reliability for both the customer and the operator.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTION/POLICIES:
1. Board Policy 544 - Service Adjustments
2. Board Policy 545 - Service Standards and Design
ATTACHMENTS:
None
Prepared by:
Christine Eduok, Transit Schedules Administrator
In Collaboration with:
Ajay Martin, Transit Schedules Manager
Jonathan Bair, Marketing/Communications Manager
Robert del Rosario, Director of Service Development & Planning
Approved/Reviewed by:
Robert del Rosario, Director of Service Development & Planning
Claudia Burgos, Executive Director of External Affairs & Customer Experience
Aaron Vogel, Chief Operating Officer
Ramakrishna Pochiraju, Executive Director of Planning & Engineering
Chris Andrichak, Chief Financial Officer
Arlee Young, Director of Transportation
Aimee L. Steele, General Counsel/Chief Legal Officer