County Connection

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County Connection (Central Contra Costa Transit Authority, or 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).

A County Connection Gillig Low Floor at Orinda BART

[edit] History

In March 1980, the Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (http://www.cccta.org/wb/) was created by a joint powers agreement between the cities of Clayton, Concord, Lafayette, Martinez, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, the Town of Moraga, and the County of Contra Costa. Upon their incorporation as cities, Danville and San Ramon also joined CCCTA.

On 1 July 1980, CCCTA began operating service with its first route serving Walnut Creek ^[1]. Apparently the changeover from AC Transit to County Connection was somewhat gradual with County Connection assuming the remainder of the service by 1982 ^[2].

[edit] Overview of Fixed-Route Service

As of March 2007, the County Connection operates 25 local bus lines (two of which operate only on Sundays) within central Contra Costa County ^[3]. All routes, with the exception of Route 8, connect with regional train service, primarily BART, in addition to ACE in Pleasanton and Amtrak California's Capitol Corridor service in Martinez. In addition to the local routes, CCCTA operates eight express lines (900-numbered series routes), an All Nighter line (Route 820) between Concord BART and 14th St./Broadway in downtown Oakland, a free downtown shuttle with trolley livery (Route 104) in conjunction with the City of Walnut Creek, and a "flex route" community shuttle serving Concord's Monument Blvd. corridor (Route 8) ^[4].

Major points of interest in the area served by County Connection include:

• Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill
• Cal State East Bay in Concord
• Sunvalley Mall in Concord
• Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek
• Saint Mary's College of California in Moraga
• Bishop Ranch Business Park in San Ramon

[edit] Days and Hours of Service

[edit] Weekdays

Weekday service is provided on all routes except 308 and 314, which operate only on Sundays. Many routes feature supplemental trips to/from schools on school days.

[edit] Saturdays

Service is provided on the following 13 routes:

• 101
• 104
• 106
• 109
• 110
• 111
• 114
• 115
• 116
• 117
• 118
• 121
• 820

[edit] Sundays

Service is provided on the following seven routes:

• 104
• 111
• 121
• 308
• 314
• 820
• 250

[edit] Holidays

The County Connection (excepting Route 820) does not operate on the following days:

• New Years Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

Regular service is provided on:

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• President's Day
• Easter
• Columbus Day
• Veterans Day
• the day after Thanksgiving
• Christmas Eve
• New Year's Eve

[edit] Fares

[edit] Fixed-Route

Fares are effective 1 February 2006

[edit] Cash

[edit] Transfer

• † Children under six years of age may ride free, but must be accompanied by an adult.
• ‡ Appropriate identification must be presented to obtain the discounted Senior/Disabled fare. Persons possessing a Regional Transit Connection (RTC) Discount Card may ride free 10:00 AM-2:00 PM daily ^[5].

• ₮ In order to facilitate passenger connections between CCCTA buses, transfer slips are issued upon request at the time the proper fare is paid. Transfers are good for up to two uses (only one use if boarding with a BART-to-Bus transfer) and are valid for one hour on weekdays and two hours on weekends (until the time shown cut on the transfer).

[edit] Passes and Punch Cards

County Connection offers for sale several bus passes or punch cards which provide a discount over cash fare:

• Monthly Pass for US$53.00
• 12-Ride Punch Card for US$17.00
• Commuter Punch Card for US$36.00, with 20 fixed-route fares and 20 BART-to-Bus transfer fares
• Senior/Disabled 20-Ride Punch Card for US$13.00
• Route 8 Monument Community Shuttle 10-Ride Punch Card for US$5.00, valid only on Route 8

[edit] County Connection LINK

One-way fare is US$3.50 effective 1 July 2006 ^[6].

[edit] Service Area

Within its service area of over 200 square miles, County Connection provides service to the communities of:

• Alamo
• Antioch
• Concord
• Clayton
• Clyde
• Diablo
• Danville
• Dublin
• Lafayette
• Martinez
• Moraga
• Oakland
• Orinda
• Pacheco
• Pittsburg
• Pleasanton
• Pleasant Hill
• Rossmoor
• San Ramon
• Walnut Creek

[edit] Fleet

The current fixed-route revenue fleet consists of 131 wheelchair lift-/ramp-equipped buses manufactured by Gillig, each fitted with a two-bicycle rack attached to the front bumper.

Bus 316 (with special "Free Ride" trolley livery) in service on Route 104 at Broadway Plaza

[edit] Fixed-Route Vehicles

[edit] Connecting Transportation

• AC Transit Line 74 at the Orinda BART station
• BART at the Orinda, Lafayette, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Concord and North Concord/Martinez stations in Contra Costa County, and at the Dublin/Pleasanton station in Dublin (Alameda County)
• Benicia Breeze Route 23 at the Martinez Amtrak station and Route 75 along Contra Costa Blvd. in the vicinity of Sunvalley Mall, and at the Pleasant Hill BART station
• Fairfield/Suisun Transit Route 40 at the Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek BART stations
• Tri-Delta Transit Delta Express in Martinez at shared stops along Alhambra Ave. and at the Martinez Amtrak station and Route 200 in Martinez at the Martinez Amtrak station, at shared stops along Alhambra Ave., and at the VA Clinic
• WestCAT Route 30Z in Martinez at the Martinez Amtrak station, at shared stops along Alhambra Ave., and at the VA Clinic
• WHEELS routes at the Dublin/Pleasanton, Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill BART stations, at shared stops in San Ramon along Alcosta Blvd., in Dublin along Village Pkwy., Dublin Blvd. Dougherty Rd., and at the Pleasanton ACE station

[edit] Amigos de Viajar

In 2006, the County Connection partnered with Moore & Associates, Inc., a public transit marketing firm, to develop and produce a targeted Spanish outreach program. This resulted in the transit agency's Amigos de Viajar program ^[7]. The program was created to provide one-on-one instructional outreach to Spanish-speaking persons within Concord's Monument Corridor community. As a result, 12 volunteers were trained in how to provide fellow community members with trip planning assistance. The volunteers, which can now be identified with their bright yellow vests, can be seen at regional bus stops, transit centers, and on the County Connection vehicles. Developed in support of the program, Moore & Associates scripted and produced a nine-minute film outlining the public transportation options in Contra Costa, benefits of utilizing public transportation, detailed illustrations on how to ride transit, and options with connecting transit systems - including BART, AC Transit, and others. The film was printed to DVD and distributed to organizations throughout the Monument community and greater Concord.

[edit] Criticisms

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[edit] Ridership

Although County Connection operates service on 36 lines, ridership remains small, with an average of 15,486 weekday boardings in fiscal year 2005 ^[8]. Due to the suburban environment, many lines rarely fill up to half capacity let alone full capacity. It is usual for a 102, 115, or a 980 bus to have only one or two passengers^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Routing

Routes are not well planned out. Many areas are not served, and areas that are served have lines that make many loops and travel on minor roads instead of using faster thoroughfares. For example, the running time for Route 116 from Walnut Creek BART to its terminal at the Amtrak station in downtown Martinez is nearly 60 minutes ^[9]. However, travel between those two points can be made by car in 20 minutes or by Route 980 in 35 minutes ^[10]

[edit] Hours of Service

Being a commuter service for suburbanites, the bulk of County Connection's service is weekdays during AM and PM peak hours, with many routes ceasing operation around 7:00 PM. Thirteen of County Connection's 36 routes operate on Saturday, and only six lines run on Sunday (104, 111, 121, 308, 314, and 820). Service tends to be infrequent; most routes operate on 30-60 minute headways.

[edit] See also

• All-Nighter

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The County Connection official website