TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Salvador Llamas, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer
SUBJECT: August 2026 Service Change
BRIEFING ITEM
AGENDA PLANNING REQUEST: ☐
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider receiving a report on the District’s planned service changes associated with the August 2026 Sign-up.
Staff Contact:
Ramakrishna Pochiraju, Executive Director of Planning & Engineering
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Safe and Secure Operations
Initiative - Service Quality
The August sign-up primarily reflects the resumption of Supplementary Service. Staff also updated Supplementary Service to accommodate revised bell times, staging requirements and running times. Additional changes address construction-related detours, improved operator restroom access and updated stop locations where needed. Staff also refined schedules to improve on-time performance and reduce inefficiencies, including early arrivals.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
Total daily weekday vehicle platform hours increased from April 2026 service levels by 24 hours. Saturday had an increase of 9 hours and Sunday had an increase of 12 hours. In total, these changes result in an increase of 3,004 platform hours for the duration of the August Sign-up. The increase in hours results in an expense increase of $516,730. The vast majority of this cost is a result of additional time added to schedules to detour service around the Oakland Alameda Access Project (OAAP) construction. The District will seek reimbursement for these costs.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
AC Transit typically conducts four sign-ups each year as required by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 192 (ATU). These occur in April, June, August and January.
With the resumption of Supplementary Service on lines 600-699, and trips on other routes (57, 72M, 76, 93, 95, 97, and F), plus the incorporation of more running time to accommodate the OAAP weeknight construction detour for lines 19, 30, 51A, 96, O and 851, the run assignment count returns to 932; two higher than the June Sign-up and one lower than the run assignment count in the April Sign-up.
The lines identified below had the following adjustments made:
• Line 1T: Increased platform time and run pay on runs which should serve to reduce incidents and improve safety. This was done without increasing overall cost to the District.
• Lines 14, 22, 36, 62, and 800: Relocated stops in anticipation of a new housing development on the West Oakland BART property. The new stop configuration along and near 7th Street and Mandela Parkway will remain in place until June 2027, when Staff expect additional direction on future stop adjustments related to construction.
• Lines 27 and 800: Removed two stops at Ashby Avenue and Adeline Street to accommodate new housing construction on the Ashby BART property.
• Lines 30 and 31: Interlined Lines 30 and 31 along the shared Fruitvale Avenue and Park Boulevard segment and set identical running times for this shared section. Moved the layover for trips after 9:00 p.m. to the South Shore Shopping Plaza to provide operators with restroom access.
• Line 31: Implemented an alternate routing at Maitland Avenue and Mecartney Road to avoid a difficult left turn reported by bus operators. Based on feedback from the operators and testing by the Drivers’ Committee, buses will no longer travel on Island Drive and Maitland Avenue before reaching the Bay Farm Island layover. Instead, buses will travel on Mecartney Road, navigate the roundabout at Maitland Avenue and Mecartney Road, and continue on Mecartney Road to the layover. As a result, three stops along the one-way loop will be removed from service.
• Line 34: Designed a detour to avoid the Meekland Bridge during construction. Buses will no longer travel on Meekland Avenue between East Lewelling Boulevard and Paseo Grande. Instead, buses will travel via Paseo Grande and Via Granada. Four temporary stops will be installed, Line 34 will be added to four stop flags and removed from two stop flags, and four stops will be bagged and closed. Construction is expected to last until spring 2027 when the bus service will revert to the pre-construction routing.
• Line 51A: The 3:37 PM trip consistently experiences overcrowding after Oakland Tech High School dismissal, leading to passenger pass-ups. Moving the trip two minutes earlier will improve passenger distribution on lines 51A and 651 and is supported by last fall’s ridership data.
• Line 54: Discontinued the final weekday trip to match the planned span of service in Realign and adjusted remaining weekday schedules.
• Line 57: Updated weekday and Saturday schedules; restored trips timed with school bell times.
• Line 60: Relocated the CSUEB terminus from the Library to the Recreation and Wellness (RAW) Center to improve restroom access for operators and to better serve students.
• Lines 72, 72L and 72M: Coordinated schedules across routes and restored trips timed with school bell times on Line 72M.
• Line 93: Designed a detour to avoid the Meekland Bridge during construction. Buses will no longer travel on Meekland Avenue between East Lewelling Boulevard and Paseo Grande. Instead, buses will travel via East Lewelling Boulevard and Via Granada. Two temporary stops will be installed, Line 93 will be added to six stop flags and removed from two stop flags, and four stops will be bagged and closed. Construction is expected to last until the spring of 2027 when the bus service will revert to the pre-construction routing.
• Line 96: In collaboration with the Drivers’ Committee, the operator relief location is moved from 12th Street to 9th Street along Broadway to reduce bus congestion at the previous relief location. Minor adjustments to the schedule result from this change.
• Line 800: Eliminated the last westbound 800 trip on weekdays and Saturday to reduce duplication with BART; adjusted eastbound schedules to improve service reliability.
• Minor adjustments and reallocation of running time on the following lines to improve service reliability. These changes will have no impact on route frequency or operating hours: 7, 9, 14, 19, 22, 27, 36, 40, 45, 51B, 52, 70, 71, 74, 76, 88, 97, 200, 239, G, NL, O, P, and W.
Supplementary Service adjustments:
• Line 607: Standardized afternoon weekday schedules leaving Richmond High School to Point Richmond.
• Line 623: Adjusted afternoon departure times from Irvington High School to Milpitas Boulevard & Dixon Landing Road.
• Lines 624 and 641: Adjusted departure times from Hopkins Middle School and added afternoon service from Mission San Jose High School when other Fremont schools are closed.
• Lines 627 and 629: Adjusted afternoon departure times from Newark Memorial High School.
• Line 646: Adjusted departure times from King Estates Complex by school day to better align with Rudsdale High School’s bell schedule.
• Line 653: Added second afternoon trip leaving Montera Middle School to 40th St. & Broadway.
• Line 669: Adjusted morning service to De Anza High School and Soskin Middle School. Adjusted school departure times from De Anza High School and Soskin Middle School.
• Line 678: Adjusted morning trip serving to Soskin Middle School and De Anza High School. Adjusted school departure times from De Anza High School and Soskin Middle School.
• Line 689: Adjusted morning trip time from Richmond BART to Soskin Middle School and De Anza High School. Adjusted school departure times from De Anza High School and Soskin Middle School. Eliminated trip that departs Hilltop Mall at 2:54 p.m. heading toward Richmond BART due to changing bell times.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
The advantages of the August Sign-up include aligning service with the start of the school year by updating schedules to reflect bell times, staging requirements and other school service needs. Staff also adjusted routing and stop locations to accommodate construction-related detours and improve operator access to restroom facilities. In addition, schedule refinements reduce early arrivals and other operational inefficiencies, supporting more reliable and consistent service for riders.
As with any service change, riders and bus operators may experience a temporary adjustment period as they adapt to revised schedules, stop locations and routing. However, delaying implementation of the August Sign-up would prevent the resumption of Supplementary Service, creating greater disruption for the many riders who depend on these services. Staff therefore concludes that the benefits of implementing the August Sign-up outweigh the temporary impacts associated with the service changes.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
Staff did not identify alternatives associated with the August service changes.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTION/POLICIES:
Board Policy 544 - Service Adjustments
Board Policy 545 - Service Standards and Design
Board Policy 546 - Standards for Operation of Supplementary Service
ATTACHMENTS:
None
Prepared by:
Christine Eduok, Transit Schedules Administrator
In Collaboration with:
Ajay Hsu Martin, Transit Schedules Manager
Approved/Reviewed by:
Robert del Rosario, Director of Service Development & Planning
Arlee Young, Director of Transportation
Aaron Vogel, Chief Operating Officer
Ramakrishna Pochiraju, Executive Director of Planning & Engineering
Chris Andrichak, Chief Financial Officer
Paul Kincaid, Assistant General Manager/Chief Executive Officer
Aimee L. Steele, General Counsel/Chief Legal Officer