County Connection
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).
 | |
 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 | 131 heavy-duty transit buses 48 paratransit vans |
| Daily ridership | 11,627 weekday boardings[1] |
| Fuel type | ULSD |
| Chief executive | Rick Ramacier |
| Website | cccta.org |
History
In March 1980, the Central Contra Costa Transit Authority 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, the town of Danville and the city of San Ramon also joined CCCTA. CCCTA is governed by a board of directors, with a representative appointed from each of its member cities and the county. Day-to-day operations are overseen by the General Manager.
On July 1, 1980, CCCTA began service, with its first route serving Walnut Creek.[2] The changeover from AC Transit to County Connection was somewhat gradual, with County Connection assuming the remainder of the service by 1982.[3]
Fixed-route service
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.[4] 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.
Major points of interest in the area served by the County Connection include:
- Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill
- Diablo Valley College, San Ramon Valley Campus, in San Ramon Route 35
- Cal State East Bay in Concord Route 93X and 260
- Sunvalley Mall in Concord Routes 9, 18,19, 20, 98X, 314, and 316
- Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek Route 4
- Saint Mary's College of California in Moraga Routes 6 and 250
- Bishop Ranch Business Park in San Ramon Routes 21, 35, 36, 95X, 96X, 97X, and 321
Weekdays
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.[4]
| 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 Pleasant Hill | Concord, Pleasant Hill | Service via Monument Blvd Ride 314 on Weekends |
| 15 | East-West | BART Concord | BART Pleasant Hill | Concord, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek | Service via Treat Blvd Ride 311 and 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 | Diablo Valley College | Martinez (Amtrak), North 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 |
| 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[5] |
| 715 | East-West | BART North Concord/Martinez | BART Lafayette | Concord, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek | Early Bird Express route with limited early-morning trips[5] |
Weekends
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 | Starts August 11th, 2019, serves Bishop Ranch[6] |
Fixed-route fleet
The current fixed-route fleet consists of 135 wheelchair-accessible buses manufactured by Gillig. Each bus is accessible by a ramp and has space for two wheelchairs. Buses feature Clever Devices GPS-based automatic voice annunciation (AVA) and visual next-stop announcements. Each bus has the capacity for two bicycles on a front bumper-mounted rack, with an additional two bicycles permitted aboard at the bus operator's discretion.
| Fleet # | Length (feet) | Floor height | Wheelchair-accessible via | Make | Model | Year | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900-908 | 40 | Low-floor | Fold-out ramp | Gillig | Low Floor BRT | 2009 | Diesel-electric hybrid |
| 909-939 | 40 | Low-floor | Fold-out ramp | Gillig | Low Floor BRT | 2009-2010 | ULSD |
| 1300-1309 | 40 | Low-floor | Fold-out ramp | Gillig | Low Floor BRT | 2013 | ULSD |
| 1400-1406 | 29 | Low-floor | Fold-out ramp | Gillig | Low Floor | 2014 | ULSD |
| 1500-1532 | 40 | Low-floor | Fold-out ramp | Gillig | Low Floor BRT | 2015-2016 | ULSD |
| 1600-1603 | 29 | Low floor | Fold out ramp | Gillig | Trolley Bus EV | 2016 | Electric |
| 1700-1712 | 35 | Low floor | Fold out ramp | Gillig | Low Floor | 2017 | ULSD |
| 1713-1726 | 29 | Low floor | Fold out ramp | Gillig | Low Floor | 2017 | ULSD |
| 1800-1803 | 29 | Low floor | Fold out ramp | Gillig | Low Floor EV | 2018 | Electric |
References
- CCCTA - Operating & Scheduling Committee: Fixed-Route Operating Report for May 2010
- CalAct - "The County Connection Central: Contra Costa County's Ride 1980-2001" Archived 2006-04-26 at the Wayback Machine
- Darlene Bonanno v. Central Contra Costa Transit Authority
- CCCTA - Maps & Schedules Archived April 15, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- "Early Bird Express" (PDF). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. 2019.
- "NEW Weekend Route 335 Starts Aug 11, 2019". County Connection. July 18, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2019.