The County Connection (officially, the Central Contra Costa Transit Authority, CCCTA) is a Concord-based public transit agency operating fixed-route bus and ADA paratransit (County Connection LINK) service in and around central Contra Costa County in the San Francisco Bay Area. Established in 1980 as a joint powers authority, CCCTA assumed control of public bus service within central Contra Costa first begun by Oakland-based AC Transit as it expanded into suburban Contra Costa County in the mid-1970s (especially after the opening of BART). In 2023, the system had a ridership of 2,661,400, or about 9,500 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.
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 County Connection bus at Orinda station in 2018 | |
| Parent | Central Contra Costa Transit Authority |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1980 |
| Headquarters | 2477 Arnold Industrial Way, Concord, California |
| Locale | East Bay |
| Service area | Central Contra Costa County |
| Service type | bus service ADA paratransit |
| Routes | 29 local 7 express 25 select service 1 local shuttle |
| Stops | 1,000+ |
| Fleet | 125 heavy-duty transit buses 48 paratransit vans |
| Daily ridership | 9,500 (weekdays, Q2 2024)[1] |
| Annual ridership | 2,661,400 (2023)[2] |
| Fuel type | ULSD |
| Chief executive | William Churchill |
| Website | cccta.org |
History
editAC Transit began operating local bus service under contract in central Contra Costa County in the 1970s after the coming of BART. Service began in Concord on September 8, 1975; in Pleasant Hill on December 8, 1975; and in Moraga and Orinda on September 13, 1976.[3] Walnut Creek began operating a downtown shuttle route connecting to BART in December 1974.[4]
On March 27, 1980, the Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (CCCTA) was created by a joint powers agreement between the cities of Clayton, Concord, Lafayette, Martinez, Moraga, Pleasant Hill, and Walnut Creek, plus the County of Contra Costa.[5][6][7] The agency took over operations of the Walnut Creek system on July 1, 1980; by 1982, it had seven routes and twelve minibuses.[7][5] The CCCTA originally planned to take over the other services in its district from AC Transit in August 1981. However, slow delivery of the buses and heavy rains that slowed construction of a maintenance facility delayed this until 1982.[7]
A Walnut Creek writer, Elizabeth Tenney, won a contest in early 1982 to create a slogan for the CCRTA system. Her slogan, "The County Connection", was adopted as the system branding.[8][9] The CCCTA took over local bus service in its district from AC Transit on June 7, 1982, with a fleet of 24 new Gillig buses. (AC Transit continued to operate express bus service that functioned as feeder service for BART.) At that time, the Walnut Creek routes had 2,500 daily riders, while the routes taken over from AC Transit had 8,000 daily riders.[7] Several routes were consolidated with the takeover, while a new Martinez–Concord–Clayton route was added.[10][9]
County Connection took over the operations of three private paratransit providers in 1990 to form its paratransit service, branded as LINK. In 1994, the agency took over the BART express bus feeder service.[5]
Service
editAs of May 2020, the County Connection operates 25 weekday routes (three of which also operate on weekends), seven weekend-only routes, and 19 school tripper routes within central Contra Costa County.[11] All routes, with the exception of some of the 600-numbered series select service trips, connect with regional train service, primarily BART, in addition to ACE in Pleasanton and Amtrak, including Amtrak California's Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin services in Martinez. Among its 30 weekday routes, the County Connection operates seven express routes (Routes 91X—98X). With support from the city of Walnut Creek, the County Connection also operates a free downtown circulator with trolley livery (Route 4) with service between Walnut Creek and Broadway Plaza.
The fleet consists of 121 accessible buses and 63 paratransit vans.[12]
Route overview
editWeekdays
editWeekday service is provided on all routes except 300-numbered series routes, which operate only on weekends. 600-numbered series routes are select service trips convenient to area schools and operate on school days, with service timed to school bell times.[11]
| Route | Direction | Terminals | ACE, Amtrak, or BART Connection at | Notes/Weekend Route | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North/East Terminal | South/West Terminal | ||||
| 1 | North-South | Mitchell Dr Park & Ride | Rossmoor | Walnut Creek | Ride 301 on Weekends |
| 4 The Free Ride |
North-South | BART Walnut Creek | Broadway Plaza | Walnut Creek | Free, daily service between BART Walnut Creek and Broadway Plaza via downtown |
| 5 | North-South | BART Walnut Creek | Creekside Dr | Walnut Creek | |
| 6 | East-West | BART Lafayette | BART Orinda | Lafayette, Orinda | Also operates on weekends Operates 3 trips per day to Orinda Village and Community Center |
| 7 | East-West | BART Pleasant Hill | Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek | Operates from 6am – 7pm | |
| 9 | North-South | Diablo Valley College | BART Walnut Creek | Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek | Also serves JFK University |
| 10 | East-West | Clayton – Clayton Library 6 AM—8PM Clayton Rd & Kirker Pass Rd Before 6 AM and after 8 PM |
BART Concord | Concord | Service via Clayton Rd; Ride 310 on Weekends |
| 11 | East-West | BART Concord | BART Pleasant Hill | Concord, Pleasant Hill Service via Meadow Ln and Oak Grove Rd (north of Treat Blvd); Ride 311 on Weekends | |
| 14 | North-South | BART Concord | BART Walnut Creek | Concord, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek | Service via Monument Blvd; Ride 311 and 314 on Weekends |
| 15 | East-West | BART Concord | BART Pleasant Hill | Concord, Pleasant Hill | Service via Treat Blvd; Ride 315 on Weekends |
| 16 | North-South | Amtrak Martinez 5:40 AM—8:40 PM Crescent Plaza & Crescent Dr After 8:40 PM |
BART Concord | Martinez (Amtrak), Concord | Service via Alhambra Ave, Crescent Plaza – Downtown Pleasant Hill, and Monument Blvd; Ride 314 and 316 on Weekends |
| 17 | North-South | BART North Concord | BART Concord | North Concord, Concord | |
| 18 | North-South | Amtrak Martinez | BART Pleasant Hill | Martinez (Amtrak), Pleasant Hill | Also serves Diablo Valley College; Ride 316 on Weekends |
| 19 | North-South | Amtrak Martinez | BART Concord | Martinez (Amtrak), Concord | Ride 316 on Weekends |
| 20 | East-West | BART Concord | Diablo Valley College | Concord | Also serves Sunvalley Mall; Ride 314 and 320 on Weekends |
| 21 | North-South | BART Walnut Creek | San Ramon Transit Center | Walnut Creek | Service via Danville Blvd; Ride 321 on Weekends |
| 27 | East-West | BART North Concord | Mason Circle | Martinez (Amtrak), North Concord | Also serves Diablo Valley College |
| 28 | East-West | Amtrak Martinez | BART Concord | Martinez (Amtrak), Concord | Also serves Diablo Valley College |
| 35 | North-South | San Ramon Transit Center | BART Dublin/Pleasanton | Dublin/Pleasanton | Service via Windemere Pkwy and East Branch Pkwy only during midday from 10:30 AM to 3:45 PM; Ride 335 on weekends |
| 91X Concord Commuter Express |
Loop | BART Concord – Airport Plaza | Concord | Operates during AM and PM peak periods only | |
| 92X ACE Express |
North-South | Mitchell Dr Park & Ride | ACE Pleasanton | Pleasanton (ACE) | Operates during AM and PM peak periods only. Also serves Danville Park & Ride and San Ramon Transit Center |
| 93X Kirker Pass Express |
East-West | BART Walnut Creek AM terminal |
Hillcrest (Antioch) Park & Ride PM terminal |
Walnut Creek | Operates westbound AM only, eastbound PM only (mornings to Walnut Creek, afternoons to Hillcrest Park & Ride) |
| 95X San Ramon Express |
North-South | BART Walnut Creek | San Ramon Transit Center | Walnut Creek | Operates during AM and PM peak periods only. Also serves Danville Park & Ride |
| 96X Bishop Ranch Express, North |
Loop | BART Walnut Creek – Bishop Ranch | Walnut Creek | Operates mainly during AM and PM peak periods only with three midday trips. Also serves San Ramon Transit Center | |
| 97X Bishop Ranch Express, South |
Loop | BART Dublin/Pleasanton – Bishop Ranch | Dublin/Pleasanton | Operates during AM and PM peak periods only. Also serves San Ramon Transit Center | |
| 98X Martinez/Walnut Creek Express |
North-South | Amtrak Martinez | BART Walnut Creek | Martinez (Amtrak), Walnut Creek | Route also serves Contra Costa Blvd & Viking Dr – Sunvalley Mall |
| 99X Martinez/North Concord Express |
East-West | Amtrak Martinez | BART North Concord | Martinez (Amtrak), North Concord | Route serves Arnold Industrial Wy & Pacheco Transit Hub |
| 250 Gael Rail Shuttle |
North-South | BART Lafayette | Saint Mary's College | Lafayette | Operates late night trips only Thursday—Sunday |
| 260 Cal State East Bay Shuttle |
Loop | BART Concord – Cal State East Bay | Concord | Operates PM trips only Monday—Thursday | |
| Alamo Creek Shuttle | North-South | BART Walnut Creek | Alamo Creek | Walnut Creek | Operates northbound AM only, southbound PM only (mornings to Walnut Creek, afternoons to Alamo Creek) |
| 712 | East-West | BART Pittsburg/Bay Point | BART 19th Street Oakland | Pleasant Hill | Early Bird Express route with limited early-morning trips[13] |
| 715 | East-West | BART North Concord/Martinez | BART Lafayette | Concord, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek | Early Bird Express route with limited early-morning trips[13] |
Weekends
editService is provided on the following 11 routes:
| Route | Direction | Terminals | ACE, Amtrak, or BART Connection at | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North/East Terminal | South/West Terminal | ||||
| 4 The Free Ride |
North-South | BART Walnut Creek | Broadway Plaza | Walnut Creek | Free, daily service between BART Walnut Creek and Broadway Plaza via downtown |
| 6 | East-West | BART Lafayette | BART Orinda | Lafayette, Orinda | Also operates on weekdays |
| 250 Gael Rail Shuttle |
North-South | BART Lafayette | Saint Mary's College | Lafayette | Operates PM trips only Thursday—Sunday |
| 301 | North-South | John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek Campus | Rossmoor | Walnut Creek | |
| 310 | East-West | Clayton Rd & Kirker Pass Road | Concord Bart | Concord | |
| 311 | East-West | BART Concord | BART Walnut Creek | Concord, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek | |
| 314 | East-West | Concord BART | Diablo Valley College | Concord | Service via Contra Costa Blvd, Monument Blvd, and Clayton Rd |
| 315 | East-West | Clayton Rd & Bel Air Dr | BART Concord | Concord | |
| 316 | North-South | Alhambra Ave & Walnut Ave | BART Pleasant Hill | Martinez (Amtrak), Pleasant Hill | Also serves Diablo Valley College |
| 320 | East-West | BART Concord | Diablo Valley College | Concord | Service via Diamond Blvd |
| 321 | North-South | BART Walnut Creek | Sunset Dr & Bishop Dr | Walnut Creek | Also serves San Ramon Transit Center |
| 335 | North-South | San Ramon Transit Center | BART Dublin/Pleasanton | Dublin | |
References
edit- ^ "Transit Ridership Report Second Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ History of Lines by Line: Major Changes Since 1960 (PDF). Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District). July 17, 1978. pp. 5, 12.
- ^ "Shuttle Bus Ceremony Tomorrow". Oakland Tribune. December 11, 1974. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c 2023–2028 Short Range Transit Plan (PDF). Central Contra Costa Transit Authority. December 15, 2022. p. 3.
- ^ "Council Will Decide On Improved Transit". Martinez News-Gazette. March 19, 1980. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "Will extra miles dim the smiles of genial county service?". The San Francisco Examiner. June 1, 1982. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Her Slogan A Winner". Martinez News-Gazette. February 24, 1982. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Radin, Patricia (June 6, 1982). "New bus service begins Monday". Oakland Tribune. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hirsch, Allan (June 3, 1982). "New Service Begins Monday". Martinez News-Gazette. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b CCCTA – Maps & Schedules Archived April 15, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Fact Sheet". County Connection. December 14, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ a b "Early Bird Express" (PDF). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. 2019.