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.

County Connection
County Connection bus at Orinda station in 2018
ParentCentral Contra Costa Transit Authority
Founded1980
Headquarters2477 Arnold Industrial Way,
Concord, California
LocaleEast Bay
Service areaCentral Contra Costa County
Service typebus service
ADA paratransit
Routes29 local
7 express
25 select service
1 local shuttle
Stops1,000+
Fleet125 heavy-duty transit buses
48 paratransit vans
Daily ridership9,500 (weekdays, Q2 2024)[1]
Annual ridership2,661,400 (2023)[2]
Fuel typeULSD
Chief executiveWilliam Churchill
Websitecccta.org

History

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An AC Transit bus at Orinda station prior to the County Connection takeover

AC 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

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As 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

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Weekdays

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Weekday 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

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Service 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

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  1. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Second Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  2. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  3. ^ History of Lines by Line: Major Changes Since 1960 (PDF). Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District). July 17, 1978. pp. 5, 12.
  4. ^ "Shuttle Bus Ceremony Tomorrow". Oakland Tribune. December 11, 1974. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b c 2023–2028 Short Range Transit Plan (PDF). Central Contra Costa Transit Authority. December 15, 2022. p. 3.
  6. ^ "Council Will Decide On Improved Transit". Martinez News-Gazette. March 19, 1980. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Her Slogan A Winner". Martinez News-Gazette. February 24, 1982. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b Radin, Patricia (June 6, 1982). "New bus service begins Monday". Oakland Tribune. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Hirsch, Allan (June 3, 1982). "New Service Begins Monday". Martinez News-Gazette. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b CCCTA – Maps & Schedules Archived April 15, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ "Fact Sheet". County Connection. December 14, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Early Bird Express" (PDF). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. 2019.
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