County Connection
The County Connection is a Concord-based public transit agency operating fixed-route bus and ADA paratransit 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.
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. The changeover from AC Transit to County Connection was somewhat gradual, with County Connection assuming the remainder of the service by 1982.
Fixed-route service
As of May 2020, the County Connection operates 25 weekday routes, seven weekend-only routes, and 19 school tripper routes within central Contra Costa County. 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. With support from the city of Walnut Creek, the County Connection also operates a free downtown circulator with trolley livery 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
Route overview
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.Weekends
Service is provided on the following 11 routes: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 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 | 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 |