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Starting this weekend, you can stay at the bars until last call and not have to drive home, or wait hours for a bus, or take an expensive Uber across the Bay Bridge.
BART and AC Transit have announced a new bus line that will shuttle commuters on weekends between 1 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. — another peak commute time in which BART trains don't run.
The transit agencies today approved a 1-year pilot program for the new bus line 822 which will run every 30 minutes, from 24th Street in San Francisco all the way to Pittsburg/Bay Point in the East Bay. It's complimenting AC Transit's current late-night service that is existent, but sometimes leaves commuters waiting over an hour to catch a bus from San Francisco to the East Bay.
What's more, the existing lines 800 and 801 will have buses running more frequently (every 20 minutes instead of every 30 minutes) from approximately 12:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. That service will augment AC Transit’s existing All-Nighter services that cart thousands of commuters across the Bay daily from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m..
“Night-life in both San Francisco and Oakland are important aspects of those economies,”
said AC Transit Board President Greg Harper. “We are happy that we are able to engage in a joint venture with BART to provide safe and affordable transit for those patrons. This is likely to be the first of many such efforts.”
BART is paying for this $796,000 project with a mix of money coming from BART's budget, grants, and, yes, your transit fares.
It's another option for later-night folks who have lamented BART's lack of 24-hour service. BART has said repeatedly it cannot run trains late-night because that's when it conducts its vital maintenance (?) and there just aren't enough trains available.
AC Transit’s regular fares will apply to the new Line 822 and the augmented Lines 800 and 801 late-night service will cost riders $4.20 for transbay trips and $2.10 for local trips. Senior, youth, and the disabled discounts will apply, Day Passes will be honored and fares can be paid with Clipper® or cash.
In San Francisco, Lines 822 and 800 will stop at the following locations:
- 24th Street/Mission
- 16th Street/Mission
- Market/Van Ness Ave
- Civic Center/UN Plaza
- Powell Street
- Montgomery Street
- Embarcadero
- Temporary Transbay Terminal at Beale and Howard streets.
In the East Bay, Line 822 stops at the following locations:
- 14th Street/Broadway (Oakland)
- Rockridge BART (Oakland);
- BART stations at Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, and Pittsburg/Bay Point.
The new service arrives just in time for all those holiday parties.
