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AC Transit
Rating Details »
Category: Public Transportation [Edit]
Neighborhood: Downtown Oakland1600 Franklin Street
(between 15th St & 17th St)
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 817-1717
87 reviews for AC Transit
i have good and bad things to say about ac transit . i've been riding ac transit since i could first remember lately i find myself with out a car and have no choice but to ride the ac or bart . the good things is that it runs late for the most part and usually goes to the places i usually go to ..
the bad is that the buses suck on hot days tiny windows and no ac . the drivers are a bunch of rude ghetto fucks lol they pass you by sometimes even though they see you they get mad if you ask them a question also equally you get some dumbass passengers also not all but some are annoying . but i still ride it to get where i have to get to ....
Bus #57 is great for people watching and irritating because there are so many people.
It's amazing how quickly people become familiar. I found myself anticipating certain regulars and wondering what their lives were like.
There was the woman with the bright red lipstick that was too much for 8am.
The blond girl who knew all the teenagers that went to Oakland Tech.
The man who picked scabs off his face and ate them.
The mother who managed to get her kids and stroller on the bus quickly and gracefully while I stumbled around with myself and my little purse.
My two weeks of taking the bus have come to an end, but I occasionally see my fellow passengers at the bus stop. I wonder if they recognize me. I wonder if I'm creepy for noticing them. But mostly I'm just grateful I don't have to take the bus on a daily basis anymore.
Pros:
* Never too crowded, I always find a seat. Compared to Muni buses, which at peak hours have to skip stops because of overcrowding, AC Transit is great.
* The newer buses are really nice and quiet.
Cons:
* Expensive. They cover too much ground, so yeah, they gotta charge $80 for a monthly pass. But I only use one line. Can't you have a cheaper pass for people who commute just on one line, or within one county or something of the sort?
* Hardly ever on time. And what's up with 20-min intervals during peak hours?! Hello? My 8am minutes are very valuable. Please respect them.
* NextBus is wrong many a time and actually not setup at all for many of their lines. Sigh...
A little background: Growing up in NYC, I never owned a car and relied heavily on the fantastic train and bus system to get around. While I know there really is no match for NYC's transit system, I have high expectations for transit.
After moving to the East Bay I hoped to maintain the status quo. I live in Emeryville now and rely on the J bus (and the occasional F bus if my lazy ass doesn't get up in time) to shuttle me to work every day in SF. Other than that I take the 57 bus locally, typically on the way to shop in "old" Emeryville or to BART. While my fiancee does drive, we typically are traveling about on the bus if we leave the nest. My review will focus on just those buses I use in the Emeryville/Oakland area.
The transbay bus system while not perfect is typically pretty solid. You don't have to deal with the typical local service riff raff (rowdy kids, homeless, etc) and nothing beats a quick 15 minute ride into the city. The drivers are generally awful but I'd expect as much. The J bus is fantastic and generally arrives within a 10 minute window of it's scheduled time (although sometimes it decides it doesn't want to show). The F bus is hooked up to the fantastic "next bus" system so as long as you have Internet access on your mobile phone, you'll know how long you have until the next bus in "real time." After the price hike, transbay service is a bit pricey but it's by no means the most expensive option in the Bay Area. 3 stars for the transbay service overall. I'd bump this up a notch if we short trip bus'ers got the green freeway cruiser buses with the wifi.
Local service leaves a ton to be desired. The clientele in the Oakland area make the ride to/from BART quite difficult to deal with. The drivers are often rude and occasionally decide to just pass you by. The depth of the system is poor at best and it's very hard to get around places that are not extremely close without having to transfer 2 or 3 times. Wait times are increasingly growing (and let me tell you, waiting at Mac Arthur BART station for 30 minutes is no picnic). The system is also expensive and has no meaningful transfer to other systems, such as BART. The buses are also typically dirty and make for one bumpy ride. 1.5 stars for the local service.
2 stars overall because I can't do half-star ratings. This is a better system than some (Seattle comes to mind) but it is woefully inadequate for such an environmentally concerned state as California is supposed to be. Also, watch out for those proposed service changes. Slash slash slash.
This is a review of the 51 bus line. If you need to get from UC Berkeley to wherever your destination may be, walk or invest in a bike. The schedule posted has this bus running every 10 minutes...HA! That is a serious joke. It's more like every 30 minutes!
I don't seem to have a problem in the morning going TO campus, but leaving campus is an absolute nightmare. It takes me 45 minutes to get home from school. I only live 1.5 miles away! Hello?!
Also, I want to add that Cal students do not get a FREE bus pass. This seems to be a common misconception that is untrue. If you look at the breakdown of UC fees, you will see that you pay $68 per semester for your "class pass" which is your transit fee. While the cost is minimal, it is *not* free.
Dear 57 bus line,
You crazy.
Two years ago, after 4 years of driving without a license, after 4 years of having tiny heart attacks whenever I saw the police, after 4 years of driving in a zig zag pattern through residential side streets and randomly parking where ever the fuck at the slightest hint of po po, I decided to sell my car.
That's when I started riding your thick metallic ass.
It hasn't always been honey and sunshine between us. You have me waiting longer than I should at times, and at some of those meeting spots where I stood waiting for you to swoop me up, it was frequented by 1987-Starter-Jacket-wearing weirdo's and dirty bitches. Not cool. But I always waited patiently because you always got me where I needed to go.
Sometimes you stink, 57 bus line. Sometimes when I slide inside you it feels like I just got slapped by a wool blanket soaked in a wet-shit-rot-garbage cooch. Sometimes you smell like hot dogs and rubber bands. I can live with that though. I've had past rides who were worse.
I have this feeling that you might think of me as distant. Always reading. Always staring out the window watching Oakland pass by like a photo album. But don't worry, boo, I'm there with you. I'm listening. Actually, my favorite thing to do is to listen to your inner works. The rumble of your engine. The squeal of your brakes. And especially, the pack of teenage girls in the back, talking about how "they going to molly wop some bitch as soon as they get back to the East."
You crazy.
Love,
Big Lug.
5 Stars!
To be completely & utterly honest: I absolutely effing HATE AC Transit.
That said, I've lived in places where the public transit is laughable (hello, bus ride that is an hour and a half to travel the seven miles between two small towns....UGH!), and AC Transit is a huge step up from that.
But I still absolutely effing hate AC Transit.
It's expensive (and they just raised fares), the buses are NEVER on time, I've regularly had bus drivers drive right on past me when I'm standing at a stop, and there are often loads of crazy homeless peeps about. The bus drivers are often surly, impatient, and don't know the routes all that well (HOW many times have I asked for help as to if they stop at such and such place, and they go, "Uh, I dunno." IT'S YOUR ROUTE. Shouldn't you know this!??)
Not to mention that the ACTransit twitter (@rideact) is run by someone who also seems to be kind of a snoot.
Basically, the only reason I use AC Transit is because I don't have another option.
Three stars for these reasons:
-Like I said, I've lived places that have what might as well be considered non-existent public transit. Either it takes years to get any short distance, and/or the bus is only ridden by meth-addled ex-convicts. So, step up.
-While most of the bus drivers are unfortunate, to say the least, I have had the occasional sweetheart. Once I got lost IN THE THICKNESS of Oakland, then hopped on a bus to get out of the terrible, terrible neighborhood I was in, and realized this bus was heading further into the thickness, not out of it. I freaked out and the bus driver calmed me down, told me which bus to hop on to go to where I intended, and gave me a free transfer. See? Sweetheart. That is worth 2 stars alone.
-The people watching is PRICELESS.
AC TRANSIT SUCKS.
The buses are late, they smell like piss, and there's a passed out drunk dude in the back. Many (NOT ALL) of the drivers are rude. I can't wait to start driving. My bicycle is more reliable than this pathetic excuse for a transit system.
In all fairness, the Transbay buses are alright.
I'm a regular commuter on the AC Transit NL line. Having taken Bart before as an alternative to getting into SF from the East Bay and also doing the drive. I have to say taking the NL is a most excellent way to commute into the city. A monthly pass costs $116, and if you use Wage Works that can get taken out of your check from pre-tax dollars.
The NL line runs from 6am-Midnight every 15 mins up to every half hour, depending on the time of day. Then even after that from Midnight until 6am you can take the N (Late Night) and get home in your drunken stupor. Now the stops for the N are different than the NL, so getting dropped off on Broadway in Downtown Oakland at 4am might not be your fancy, but if your sporting a Bike or what-not all night affairs in the city might soon be in your future too minus a lovely DUI..
I've never taken AC Transit, but on a trip with my friends we were in traffic and behind an AC Transit bus. We noticed that on the back of the bus it said "Free Wi-Fi" and then got into the conversation as to whether it was an open connection or not...
Thinking that since all the cars are zooming by that it would just be easier to have an open connection one of us got out our computer and sure enough, got a connection. So, if you lack the money to have an iPhone and are behind an AC Transit bus while in traffic you know what to do.
College would have been different if the AC transit wasn't around. Though it is always late, crowed, or stinky, I still love the fact that I got a "free ride" with my UCB id. There were a couple of times I forgot my id and had to pay the fee, but it's under $2.00. I don't remember how transfers work but it sounds like a pain. The buses usually run till 12am on most days and have a convenient stop in front of the Downtown Berkeley Bart station.
Memorable events:
1. Crazy bus driver going super fast on a somewhat crowded street and weaving through traffic.
2. Waiting for the 1 on Telegraph Ave. while a man was peeing at the bus stop. On the sidewalk!!!
East Bay memories leave on forever.
The Transbay J line is pretty good. Very predictable, and a much quieter and cheaper than the BART alternative to get to SF.
I wish the drivers on the evening trip back from SF were more knowledgeable about the route. I've seen 2 instances of passengers asking about how to get to BART but the drivers were clueless about the simple local transfer. Similarly, a driver didn't know where the Amtrak station was in Emeryville (it's actually in view of a stop).
I don't like the Translink payment system however... that's a house of cards...
I hate you I hate you I hate you. Did I mention I hate you? Cause I do!
4 years of being a Berkeley student and I'm so over AC transit. If only having a car was convenient in the bay! There is absolutely no point in looking at the schedules since they are never on time. And, my personal favorite is when they are almost on time, and then randomly stop for longer than they should at every stop because they are "ahead of schedule." I almost missed a train because of this and got some SERIOUS attitude from the lady driver when I asked her why she was stopping for no reason.
And hey driver, don't accelerate so freakin hard when someone with baggage just steps on, unless perhaps you're trying to make them fall on everyone. And no, hairy smelly man, do not grab the hand railing above my head. I don't want your armpit in my face. And no, freshman, you need to hold on to something because your balance isn't that good. Get off your cell phone and hold on!
Uh, I'm over it.
I reckon I've been taking a bus for the last 30 years. I rode a yellow one to kindergarten. Later a public one to summer school when I was small. One that had the same colors as a Snickers bar for middle school and high school. College had double decker buses. So it's safe to say that I've had quite a bit of experience being a passenger on a bus.
Now I have the pleasure of taking AC Transit from home to work and back almost everyday. It's the CB, an express transbay that I pick up right outside my front door. And, it's amazing.
The first time someone suggested taking the bus instead of Bart from the East Bay to the City, I laughed until I realized they weren't joking. I just didn't think it was possible. I'd spent years piling into a dirty train to be squashed with others in a tube underground and underwater. At least, that was my thinking after I took the AC for the first time.
What's great about taking the bus everyday is you join a community for a small daily fee. The regulars care about each other. If you're running late, we'll hold the bus for you. If you need help with your packages, there's always someone there to help. Fallen asleep? The driver will wake you. Need advice on any topic? Someone's always ready to help.
Last year, I lost my wallet on the bus. I knew it very soon after getting off. So I waited for an hour, and flagged down the bus (thinking it was the same one I rode on). The driver informed me that it'd been a different bus. He pulled out his pen and jotted down the number of the bus that was mine; the name and number of the dispatcher; and the time it would likely be pulling into the yard.
Well, I called the dispatcher. He told me that he was off in 20 minutes, but he'd make sure that he didn't go home until he determined whether my wallet was on the bus or not. He called back about an hour later and said, "I've checked the lost 'n found and every inch of the bus. You can be assured it's not on there or here."
A few days later, I received a letter in my mailbox from a fellow AC transit rider. She had found my wallet and turned it into the police. She got my address because she wanted to make sure that I was contacted. Apparently, she hadn't trusted the police enough to it (rightfully so since they never did!). I'm still not sure who she was, but I got my wallet back.
AC Transit does amazing things like this all the time. The drivers are top notch. The routes well planned. And it's altogether a great experience everyday.
If you're looking for a way to be a little greener, see if AC transit has a route that works for you.
Dirty busses, clean busses, good drivers , bad drivers, late busses, on time busses. Drivers with a good sense of passenger pick up sight when they are running twards the bus or approaching on the side, others with poor awareness and passengers get left.
Doors that open slowly, passengers that move to slow. Ticket matchines that work, ticket matchines that dont work. Rude drivers, friendly drivers.
Ac transit. its good and bad all at the same time...Depending what bus you get, so cross your fingers and hope for a good one or hold your nose.
(added more good news aug 28-09 :-0)
Some of the drivers can be real stinkers. They will diliberately leave passengers with out picking them up , ive seen this more than a few times and heard about it from others.
It reflects poorly on thier management to correct problems within thier organisation. Im seriously considering a small compact comfortable bike and not using ac hell anymore. Some of thoose drivers have no bussiness driving anything. Toxic uv lights on the bus when lcd and led tech has been out for awhile now. Talk about wierd, heavy energy.
A couple seats over heat due to engine parts being directly underneath them. whats up with that? Why is the company called ac transit when there are very little busses with AC? lol.
I kid you not there are some drivers that dont seem quite human.
Has nothing to do with race, or economics.... It has to do with a rare species of jack-a-loon. LOL!
And to the majority of drivers just trying to do your job, this has nothing to do with you, thanks for the ride.
amended oct 30th-
the shock system is really ruff on alot of busses. I slammed my spine really hard going threw an intersection sitting in the back . Also its difficult to stand due to the buss system having poor stability. I heard a driver tell people to get up early to exit before thier stop arrives for better efficiency but the busses are not that safe to do this. Most people realize this and will wait till the buss makes a complete stop.
I freakin hate AC Transit.
I tell you I dont wanna smell anymore crackhead or homeless men with 1 leg and a crooked eye. I dont like to smell your pissy lemonade hair or I dont wanna sit next to you.
How about around 5 or 6 pm, I gotta catch the 40-Bayfair Bart.
I see a bunch of fuckin ignorant ass kids. Fighting, Cussin up a strom and I see the teenage mom pregnant with 2 kids already or the lil old lady who left her show to go cash in her cans on 103rd ave
I just cant wait... 'Till I actually can get off on bancroft and 82nd ave .
I've been lazy for the 5 years to get a License. But this should motivate me even harder
The last time I rode the bus was about a year ago. It was thru Oakland. The ride was nice, and the bus was semi clean. Then this ''person'' gets up and used the back exit for a urinal while we were moving.
LOL, hahahahaha
AC Transit Transbay is a great way to commute to SF from Oakland. It is affordable, on-time and quiet.
The formerly decent transbay service has gone way downhill. The buses are frequently late, and when they show, the drivers are almost always surly fellows with a scowl on their faces. They enjoy nothing more than ignoring the person across the street who is frantically waving for them to wait - and taking off.
The much-praised wifi service is no longer used by me, because I haven't ridden on one of those nice, big comfy green buses in quite some time. The majority of those buses have been removed from transbay service, and now serve the various schools in Oakland. Those buses are now featuring lots of graffiti, torn and ripped up seats, and broken arm rests and emergency windows. Nice touch.
We are back to using some of the older model buses which offer bone-jarring rides, no a/c, windows that do not open, sticky floors - you name it.
I think I'm going to have to go back to BART.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/17/2006
I take AC Transit every day from my home in the Oakland Hills to downtown SF.
PROS:
It is very… Read more »
I cannot tell you how much I love the AC Transit Transbay Z line bus.
It is only $106 (using Translink) for a monthly pass (compare that to taking BART every day - please!)
It has a beautiful view going over the Bay Bridge
It has Wifi and big comfy seats
It leaves at exactly 8:25am from the transbay terminal
It only takes me 23 minutes to get to work
It picks me up and drops me off right outside the door of my office building
Fast, cheap, pretty, quiet, ontime.... what more could I ask for?
I believe a cat has 9 lives. I belive a scawny white chick standing on a Okland street corner has 2.
You left my cracker ass stranded twice...begging and praying to the AC Transit Gods to spare me from the certain impending doom of being gang banged.
Now I take the ferry. Screw you!
It's pricey and not very inviting, yes, but I've never had a bad experience with AC Transit. The fact that it exists is good enough for me.
I came home last night from a Yelp event later than usual and missed my normal shuttle, thus I had to resort to AC Transit lest I wonder hopelessly through Oakland. It was only a few minutes before the bus came. I only had a $10 bill, but the driver let me on for free. He let the tourist couple in front of me on for free too, because they only had a $20.
When I disembarked and thanked him again, he says back to me, he says, "Hey man, no problem. I'm just glad I could help."
Let me rewind that for you:
"I'm just glad I could help."
Wow, I believe in people again...
On June 24th, AC had a MAJOR change in bus lines and schedules.
Certain buses were canceled or re-numbered. The handy-dandy brochures outlines the changes. Bus signs had sleeves over them explaining the changes. All that is fine but my biggest complaint is that they MOVED some of the bus stops without explaining where the new stops are. I was riding the 51 bus and the driver said, "the next stop has changed." It was only across the street but............. I was trying to figure where the 72 bus stopped at the EC Bart Station. The old stop had a sign that said, "The 72, 72M does not stop here any longer." Okay, fine but where DOES it stop? The BART station person pointed in the wrong direction. It turns out it was on the exact far end of the station.
I have been an AC rider since my days at CAL and I appreciate all the times I have been taken to my destinations, but.....
BUS PRICES--Fortunately I get a bus pass from work so I ride free. The buses used to get government subsidies, now they are pretty much on their own. It does seem a bit pricey.
BUS DRIVERS-I have had the best and the worst drivers. (Therefore the 3 star rating). The drivers used to get paid a LOT comparatively. When I first got my teaching credential, drivers got paid MORE than teachers.
But now their pay seems somewhat "modest" considering the Cost of Living in the Bay Area.
I have to give them a lot of credit. This has to be one of the most difficult jobs around--driving in the Bay Area and dealing with the public?
BUSES-I hate those stupid VAN HOOL buses. (They get a minus 5 stars) Most seats you have to step up to. Uncomfortable too! They are level with the street but so are some of the other bus designs. I always have trouble stepping up and down on the seats, especially when I am carrying stuff. Seniors or impaired folk really have to struggle.
BUS STORIES---I have had some truly "interesting" times on the bus.
I could write a book.
CHRISTMAS BUS--When I was a twenty-something lass, I was having a miserable day compounded by my miserable state. I had gotten off of work and it was raining. I saw my bus approaching.....it was the Christmas Bus.....decorated inside and out with festive holly and other finery. "Oh, god, " I thought to myself. I stepped on the bus and the driver had a Santa hat on. He smiled and gave me the happiest and most earnest greeting. There was Christmas music on the bus. I sat in my Scrooge-like slump and felt even more depressed thinking, "Now if I were in a good mood, I could really enjoy this!"
Anyway, I love/hate AC transit but I am so glad they are still around.
I cannot imagine that people actually pay 1.75 to ride these things. I am lucky to be a Berkeley student and ride for free. But even free I find AC Transit nearly intolerable.
Some folks on here, like Nat M. give them "a break" because they are "going bankrupt". I would respond that well run companies that listen to their customer's needs; respond to customer's questions and complaints (at all, and in a timely manner); provide reliable service; don't over-spend on flawed equipment (those ridiculous Van Hools Buses); and whose employees respect their customers and don't have caustic, bitter, sulfuric attitudes, rarely go bankrupt--especially when the company is a bus company providing a service with no competition at a time when gas costs 3.50 a gallon. Can you even imagine how bad a bus service has to be to alienate riders / go bankrupt at a time when gas is priced at an all-time high?! Thus, I think that Nat M. has her causal reasoning a bit cart before horsey.
Then there are the people who suggest that "If you don't like it get a car!" These are the same people that brought us, "If you don't like the war move to France!". Now I would love to buy a car and move to France but, as a student, this is not practical for me at this time. But is this a reason to assume that I and others who cannot afford cars or who choose not to own/drive can be treated like crap? Maybe we don't opt for property ownership and/or excess usage of fossil fuels (ethanol's bad too people), but this doesn't mean there are "Kick Me" signs taped to our backs.
Am I alone in thinking that it might actually be possible to have buses that:
*run pretty much on time.
*have an automated number that you could call 24/7 to find out when the next bus was expected at your stop (since they've taken the schedules down in many places and 511 transfers you to their 7-7 operators who stop answering the phone at 6:45). I've heard that there are these things called "computers" that might help with this.
*buses that are comfortable and don't force half the people to ride backwards. One time I was seriously across from and facing a guy with Leprosy. Or, okay, "Hansen's Disease."
*drivers who get decent enough pay, vacation time and benefits so that they value their jobs and don't take their road rage out on us.
*lower fares (more people would ride -- see: New York)
*drivers who stop when people are waiting and don't speed past the stop pretending they don't see you as you flail your arms.
*drivers who tell you what's happening when some accident or emergency ensures.
*Hydraulic (?) doors that stay open until you and your bags of groceries are clear -- one time one of those Hools "Jaws of Death" doors slammed on me, grabbing my ankle and making me auger on the sidewalk.
I cannot tell you how many times I have seen drivers totally ignore stops just to make up time.
There are some VERY NICE drivers. They get this one star. And then there are the drivers who should have become forest rangers working solo in the fire look-out towers because they have no idea how to behave around other human beings while commandeering a several ton moving vehicle.
Re: Van Hools:
Did you know that a committee at ACT re-designed the interior of the Van Hools buses, revising the successful design used in Europe?
Did you know that subsequently, before the ACT's version of the Van Hools bus design was adopted, ACT's own Riders Advisory Committee (RAC) said that the design was unacceptable and yet, instead of listening to the RAC the board eliminated the RAC so that they wouldn't need to listen to their recommendations and complaints?
Did you know that two lawsuits are pending which claim that the bus design violates the Americans with Disability Act (ADA)?
Did you know that AC Transit is the only transit company in the US whose board is elected? Who gets to vote?!?!
Did you know that the reason ACT felt comfortable choosing the VH's bus design was because they knew that the East Bay had "a lower number of articulate middle- and upper-class riders" than San Francisco?
It all just makes me sick.
Don't count on the late-night transbay 800 line!
Privately owned vehicles are for the clueless and self-absorbed. After walking (or biking, skateboarding, rollerblading, etc), public transit is the next-best mode of transportation for the enlightened. However, after last weekend's experience, I've vowed never to set foot on an AC Transit bus again.
Although I live in Oakland, my job and most of my friends are in SF. I usually use the fairly-dependable BART system to cross the bay, but that closes too early for me to use when I'm out late. On Saturday, 3/11/06, I was at a party at a friend's place in SF and was counting on AC Transit's late-night transbay 800 line to get me home. I checked AC Transit's website earlier that day to confirm the fare & schedule, but when I tried to catch the 4am bus I was dismayed to see it go flying up Market St just before I got to the bus stop, a full ten minutes early. I waited to catch the last bus at 5am, but finally gave up at 5:20am when it didn't materialize.
The next day I used their website to email them a complaint, and checked the box they provided to receive a response from them. Over three weeks later, I finally got a call back from their designated apologist. He tried to convince me to give them another shot by running through his stock of excuses, but it seemed like he had barely skimmed my complaint.
Anyway, this isn't the first time this happened. A few years back the old late-night AC Transit line left me stranded at the 1st & Mission bus station. You may think that two occurrences could be anomalies, and they could, but I've only tried using AC Transit's late-night service to get back to Oakland about fifteen to twenty times in the past six years, so that's at least a 10% failure rate.
I guess I should have listened to our wise and eloquent President when he said, "There's a saying in Tennessee - I don't know if it's Tennessee but it is in Texas: Fool me once, shame on, shame on ... you? Fool me twice, shame on..., uh, can't get fooled again!"
Gee, I can't understand all the negative reviews about AC Transit.
Ever since I first stepped on an AC Transit bus with squeaky brakes in high school, I was won over. Everything from the plastic seats to the sudden lurches, never ceased to amaze me. Not only that but I had the wonderful opportunity to take two buses thus doubling the pleasure, doubling the fun as you kids now a days say. :)
Just recently even, I made a small "donation" of $250 by parking in a bus zone after the buses had stopped running that night. Actually, it was $263 including the processing fee. Now the people who work at AC Transit can enjoy the use of my money to keep their great service alive.
I'll never forget the day when I was riding the bus from Kaiser in Oakland back home and just as the doors were about to slam shut, a wheelchair-bound passenger rolled up to the bus to which the bus driver (or operator, I can't remember) stated, in the most eloquent statement that I've heard all my life, "God damnit". That's right AC Transit, God damnit you are great!
Some bus drivers are nice. Others drive like a demolition derby. I've listened to ridiculous shouting matches between bus drivers and the elder they nearly caused to fall over.
Costs more than SF? Pay for a transfer? Weak.
I'm so over the bus. It takes me the same amount of time or less to bike 6 miles to work. Plus, I don't get nearly accosted when I try to defend some woman from sexual harassment.
The freaks, drunks, and thugs can have the bus.
Four stars! Four piss-drenched, B.O-smellin', crackhead-lovin' stars!
No matter which AC bus I've been on, there's always been an interesting mix of folks: from businessmen to college kids, to elderly couples clutching one another's hands to little thugs yelling at one another.
The drivers are always surly, no matter what AC you're on but they're actually pretty nice.
Back in the day, I worked in Emeryville. And the only way for me to get there was to take the good ol' 57. Or as I call it, the FIDDY SE'EN. Sure,it was dirty. Sure, it was scary. But there was always a place to sit. Sometimes I didn't even have to pay to get on because I'd lose myself in a crowd of 13-year-old denizens loudly chattering about "cuttin' up dat bitch who looked at mah mayun last night!"
On night I watched a drug deal go down on the FIDDY SE'EN and tried real quick to make like I hadn't seen a thing, but they saw that I saw. For a moment I was pretty sure that I was gonna git cut, but the dude just smiled and winked at me. When he got off the bus he bowed to me.
What a gentleman! Still, I made sure I took an alternate route home that night. Y'know, just in case.
I shuddered at the thought of riding another public bus since my days from moving up to BART from Muni. But, AC Transit's treated me well in the last year.
95% of the time it's on schedule
99% of the time you get a seat
Forward to the recent changes effective June 2007...I first frowned at thought of new schedules and bus drivers. The new schedule left me with only one opportunity to catch my morning bus instead of previously two transbay buses arriving a minute apart. Three days in a row I was late arriving to my stop and stuck waiting for the crosswalk light to change. Luckily, C Line's new bus driver waited patiently for me as I dashed across the street in my 3-inch high heels day after day.
THANKS, JEFFREY!
No complaints here. :)
Transbay bus FEAR FACTOR is what happens whenever bart breaks down. By the time the bus gets to your stop, everyone else and their grandmother have already piled on, therefore the driver might not even stop for you.
During one of those glorious overpacked commutes, no thanks to stupid unreliable bart, I was wedged up front, next to the bus driver at the front windshield, with this incredible yet horrifying shotgun view. It was like surfing on the freeway, except you have absolutely no control and inside your head, you're wondering if this is really how you're going to die. To make the best of these situations, it helps to pretend that you are training for the next snowboarding season.
Not bad for those who live around the end of the bus route and do the transbay commute to the city. It's quick (15-20 minutes) & mostly painless. Less stinky. Better view. Above ground. More reliable than BART lately. Fairly ordinary commuter crowd during commute hours (versus the creepy bus-riding degenerates who ride because they are not allowed to drive.)
I give AC Transit a 3 only because the drivers are so great.
I give AC transit a -1 because the prices are way too high. Fortunately, they beat the lowest parking lot rate ($7) close to work.
Now, about the drivers - they rock!! If you give them a hello, chat it up a bit and be nice, you'll find out that they're people just like you and me. Some of their driving is questionable, but who is going to mess with a big bus?
Thank you AC Transit for buses that have the heat stuck on high on hot days, brakes that don't really work and not giving new drivers any sort of training or info about their routes (hello, we had a driver who didn't know how to get into the carpool lane going onto the bay bridge). The result? A sardine can full of cranky, hot people. It's such fun.
You get one star for getting me to and from work everyday without having to succumb to the evil wiles of BART and one star for when I get to ride a coach bus - coach, baby, COACH!
Other than that, it's pretty much shitsville.
Public transportation, a.k.a. Communism-on-wheels, provides textbook perfect examples of the Tragedy of the Commons and the Free Rider Problem.
If you want to experience the frisson of a death defying trip to Port-au-Prince Haiti, without the trouble and expense, hop on AC Transit.
When the Yooths jump you, don't bother screaming "Help! Call the police!" The bus driver will ignore you, and open the back doors to assist your assailants in dragging you off.
The video cameras only start working if you (cut and covered in blood) punch the bus driver for mumbling "I didn't hear anything" when you ask him if he saw what happened.
For some reason, women don't feel comfortable riding AC Transit at night. You can ride for free if you are stinky, filthy, of the same ethnicity as the bus driver, and mumble stuff until the driver is sick of wasting time, or a Cal student.
After 15 years of hating cars and the people that derive their identity/egos from driving them, AC Transit drove (ha ha) me to get my license and start pushing an SUV.
5. I have been duped into thinking I was riding the right bus, when it was indeed the wrong bus. Thank you incompetent bus drivers. You know how long your line takes to get to MacArthur BART.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/1/2009
I dislike AC Transit for the following reasons:
1. If you don't time it exactly right, you may be… Read more »
The 51/ Broadway Bus is literally Hell on Earth. You either don't see one for an hour or you see three (yes, three) at one time (then you don't see another for an hour). The busdrivers are beyond rude. Total C U Next Tuesday's if you get my drift. God forbid you should ask them a question. Usually they just flat out ignore you, but if you're lucky enough to get an answer, expect to be yelled at.
But, yeah, taking it is better than polluting the air with you car I guess...
it sucks that this bay area public transportation system is NOT part of the BARTplus ticket system which is what i use since i take bart and muni on a daily basis but no longer live in san francisco (where i could just use the monthly fastpass).
ACtransit charges $1.75 for a single fare, and you have to pay extra for a transfer... goodness...
despite the cons, i give them an extra star more than muni, because ACtransit seem to have cleaner and newer busses.
i'm glad i don't rely on ACtransit cus they're rather infrequent, especially on weekends.
i live close enough to the bart station so i walk it instead :)
I don't take the bus much, but when I do, I hate it! Ac transit is one of the most unreliable bus lines in the world. And one of the most crowded. The bus fare is out of this world. I remember when you use to get a bus ride with a transfer for a buck and the transfer would last all day and you could use it unlimited til midnight! not anymore. now it is only good for and hour and 1 use. If you need to be somewhere on time you better be at the bu stop 1hr in advance. The bus is always late. Then if it is crowded, the driver will just keep going. don't get me started on how filthy the bus always is. They need to improve.
Sometimes I get home via BART, sometimes i use AC Tranist...
ACT is better than BART when:
- you can get a seat on the super comfy "express" buses
- you don't want to wrap yourself in laytex before sitting down or touching anything.
ACT sucks because:
- it's just as expensive as BART to get me home but takes longer.
- People can (and DO) use thier cell phones.
- My bus runs every 15 minutes during commute hours ONLY.
- I can only buy the 10 ride passes at 2 places.
BTW - I'd rather walk than get on an AC tranist local bus: long waits, totally expensive, loud people. Just walk - you'll feel better.
I've been riding the bus for about ten years. These days I ride it over the bridge to work; back in the day I rode it to the city to go clubbing (I was young(er) and (more) foolish), heading back on the NL at the un-gawdly hour of 2 or 3 a.m.
It's not always on time, and occasionally a pain in the ass, but for the most part I like the neighborhoodiness of seeing the same drivers and passengers every day, and getting time to read, and not having to deal with crappy commuter traffic.
Once a driver told me AC Transit's nickname was Aunt Clara (for the A and the C), as in "Aunt Clara will get you there-a." Hey, works for me, at least it has so far. (Note: I don't ride locally so much, so if those lines totally suck, I really have no idea. As a result I tend to keep to my neck of the woods when I'm without a vehicle.)
I don't want to, but I can, and I will.
