Dumbarton Express
Dumbarton Express bus at Union City station
FoundedSeptember 10, 1984 (1984-09-10)
LocaleSan Francisco Bay Area
Service areaAlameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties
Service typeBus service
Routes2
OperatorMV Transportation
Websitedumbartonexpress.com

Dumbarton Express is a regional public transit service in the San Francisco Bay Area connecting Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties via the Dumbarton Bridge, the system's namesake. The bus service is funded by a consortium of five transit agencies (AC Transit, BART, SamTrans, Union City Transit, and VTA). Dumbarton Express is administered by AC Transit and operated under contract by MV Transportation.

Service

Dumbarton Express operates two weekday-only routes:[1]

Dumbarton Express allows passengers to ride locally in the East Bay and Peninsula, without crossing the bridge.[2]

History

Dumbarton Express bus in 2004

AC Transit began operating peak-hour service between Union City station and Palo Alto station on September 10, 1984.[3][4] The yearlong trial service was funded by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.[5] The DB1 route serving the Stanford Industrial Park was added within a year.[6] By 1987, route DB was also extended to the industrial park via a different route.[7] A private company took over operations in January 1989, with AC Transit continuing to administer the service.[8]

In 1993, five transit agencies (AC Transit, BART, SamTrans, Union City Transit, and VTA) formed a consortium to fund the service.[3] A third route, DB2, was introduced in October 1998. It operated between Union City station and the East Palo Alto area.[9] The route saw low ridership and was discontinued on June 30, 2001.[10][11] AC Transit again became the service operator in March 2005.[3]

AC Transit introduced a separate transbay service, route U, on August 29, 2004. Not part of the Dumbarton Express brand, it serves Fremont station rather than Union City station.[12][13] AC Transit also operated its route DA between Ardenwood and Redwood Shores from March 28, 2010, to December 15, 2013.[13][14][15]

By 2009, some reverse-peak trips (eastbound in the morning and westbound in the afternoon) were routed via East Palo Alto and designated DB3.[16] On December 19, 2011, route DB3 was discontinued, and MV Transportation replaced AC Transit as the operator of Dumbarton Express service.[17][18] At that time, the service cost $2.1 million annually to operate, of which fare revenues covered $0.5 million.[3] Service was increased by 80% on July 2, 2012, with service on route DB1 tripled. Route DB was rerouted to terminate at The Oval on the Stanford University campus, while route DB1 was extended to cover part of the former DB1 route in the Stanford Research Park.[19]

On August 2, 2017, SamTrans released a study that examined the feasibility of adding additional bus routes to the service. The study recommended two new bus routes: an express route traveling between Union City station and Redwood City Caltrain station, and a local route between the Union City BART station to job centers in northern Mountain View and Sunnyvale. The introduction of the two routes was expected to more than double Dumbarton Express ridership. Rail service between Redwood City and Union City on the Dumbarton Rail Corridor is also proposed.[20]

References

  1. ^ "Route Map". Dumbarton Express. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  2. ^ Dumbarton Express. "Fares and Passes". Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d "Authorize the Interim General Manager to Enter Into a Further Nine Month Extension of the Dumbarton Bridge Express Service Cooperative Agreement to June 30, 2011" (PDF). Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District. September 10, 2010.
  4. ^ Taylor, Steve (September 5, 1984). "Buses to cross bridge". The Peninsula Times Tribune. pp. B-1, B-3 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Closing in on goal for buses". The Peninsula Times Tribune. December 11, 1984. p. 88 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "AC officials search for funding to keep Dumbarton lines running". Oakland Tribune. August 28, 1985. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Dianda, Mario (December 14, 1987). "Bridge bus bids due". The Peninsula Times Tribune. pp. A-3, A-4 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Dianda, Mario (October 22, 1998). "Express bus service over Dumbarton will continue". The Peninsula Times Tribune. p. 40 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Abramson, Ronna (January 9, 1999). "Dumbarton Express offers free bus rides". Oakland Tribune. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Dumbarton bus line canceled". The Almanac. May 23, 2001. Archived from the original on October 30, 2004.
  11. ^ Mills, Mike (June 21, 2001). "Improved schedules for Dumbarton Express buses go into effect Monday, July 2nd". Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District. Archived from the original on February 14, 2002.
  12. ^ "Cruise from Fremont to Stanford on Line U" (Press release). Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District. September 23, 2004. Archived from the original on February 13, 2005.
  13. ^ a b "Inner East Bay Comprehensive Operational Analysis (COA) Transbay Route Profiles" (PDF). Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District. November 2012.
  14. ^ "AC Transit Service Changes, March 28, 2010". Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District. January 18, 2010. Archived from the original on March 14, 2010.
  15. ^ "Better Service in Southern Alameda County!" (Press release). Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District. December 16, 2013. Archived from the original on March 19, 2015.
  16. ^ "Line DB3". Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District. Archived from the original on August 20, 2009.
  17. ^ "Minor service changes begin on December 18". Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District. November 22, 2011. Archived from the original on December 14, 2011.
  18. ^ "Upcoming Changes to Dumbarton Express Service". Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District. December 15, 2011. Archived from the original on February 12, 2012.
  19. ^ "Dumbarton Express Service Nearly Doubles on July 2" (Press release). Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District. June 12, 2012. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012.
  20. ^ "Dumbarton Transportation Corridor Study" (PDF). SamTrans. August 2, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 2, 2017.

External links

Media related to Dumbarton Express at Wikimedia Commons

Public transit in the San Francisco Bay Area
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