On May 1, 2016, the Capitol Corridor will implement a new schedule and routing for connecting bus service between Emeryville and San Francisco (Route 99). View the new schedule here.
Service to the Transbay Temporary Terminal (SFC – 200 Folsom St.), which is two blocks from downtown and has multiple Muni connections, will be unchanged and should have improved on-time performance as a result of the new schedule and routing. The new schedule will not affect any of the Capitol Corridor train schedules.
Service to the following San Francisco bus stops will be discontinued:
- Caltrain (SFP – 4th & Townsend) – last day of service, Saturday, April 30, 2016
- Moscone Center (SFM – 747 Howard Street) – last day of service, Saturday, April 30, 2016
- Civic Center (SFV – 1145 Market Street) – last day of service, Friday, April 29, 2016
Connecting Capitol Corridor bus service* to/from the other downtown San Francisco bus stops will be reduced as follows:
- Financial District (SFF – 5 Embarcadero Center) – service limited to connections with peak travel morning and afternoon trains.
- PIER 39/Fisherman’s Wharf (SFW – Beach St. and Embarcadero) – service reduced to two daily westbound trips (connecting from weekday trains 529 and 531 and weekend trains 727 and 729) and one daily eastbound trip (connecting to weekday train 542 and weekend train 742).
- Shopping Center (SFS – 835 Market St.) – Weekend service is eliminated. On weekdays, there will be no westbound connecting bus service, and eastbound service is limited to one trip per day, connecting to train 542.
*Some San Joaquin trains may have connecting bus service. Capitol Corridor passengers who have a Capitol Corridor train + bus ticket (bus portion may be to the Transbay Temporary Terminal stop, for example) can use that ticket to board a San Joaquin bus. See schedule for San Joaquin connecting bus times.
Fare Increase for Route 99 Bus Service – June 2016
In addition to the schedule and route change, Capitol Corridor will be raising fares for San Francisco bus service starting June 2016. The new, higher San Francisco bus fare has yet to be finalized. While raising fares in addition to cutting back service is the last thing we want to do, it is necessary in order to preserve the current level of service at the Transbay Terminal and to continue limited service at the Financial District and Pier 39 stops.
Reasons for the Service Change and Fare Increase
The primary reason for the bus service change and upcoming fare increase is to reduce expenses resulting from the recent and dramatic increase in bus driver labor costs. To do this, we had to find a way to decrease the number of miles and hours driven by bus operators between Emeryville and San Francisco. We analyzed ridership at all of our San Francisco stops to determine which ones had the highest ridership so that the cuts would impact the fewest number of people.
Why the fare increase as well as the service cuts? Unfortunately, the cost increase of operating bus service between the East Bay and San Francisco was so significant that we could not make up the difference with only a service reduction. Without the accompanying fare increase, we would have to completely eliminate service at the Financial District and Pier 39 stops, both popular stops with good ridership. We would also have to reduce the number of trips to and from the Transbay Terminal.
The silver lining. A secondary reason for the service change is to streamline bus operations to and from downtown San Francisco. We anticipate that service to the Transbay Terminal, Financial District, and Pier 39 stops will be greatly improved by this change. By making fewer stops, buses will be less likely to be slowed down by the frequent traffic congestion and road closures, resulting in better on-time performance.
Timing
The new bus schedule and route will go into effect on Sunday, May 1, 2016, and the fare increase will go into effect in June. The complete schedule will be available soon on the Capitol Corridor website. Monthly ticket users who normally purchase their May ticket in April (Saturday, April 16 is the first day available) should consider this new schedule before purchasing their monthly pass.
Other Options for Travel to/from San Francisco
In addition to our dedicated bus service to the Transbay Terminal, Financial District, Pier 39, and Shopping Center bus stops, passengers have other options for travelling between the East Bay and San Francisco.
- BART: Capitol Corridor connects with BART at the Richmond and Oakland Coliseum stations for an easy transfer to several stops in downtown San Francisco, including stops at the Moscone Center and Civic Center. BART trains run frequently, every five minutes during weekday commute hours, to every 20 minutes on weekends and holidays. Discount BART tickets are for sale in the Capitol Corridor Café Car – $8 for a $10 value ticket. Visit bart.gov for schedule and fare information.
- Ferry: The San Francisco Bay Ferry is a unique and pleasant way to travel into San Francisco. Take the train to Jack London Square and from there, it’s a pleasant 10-minute walk to the ferry dock. Visit sanfranciscobayferry.com for schedule and fare information.
New Weekday Bus Trip Between Sacramento & Auburn Starting Monday, May 2
Capitol Corridor will be adding a new weekday bus trip between Sacramento and Auburn. Connecting from Train 538, which arrives in Sacramento at 6:23pm, this bus will make stops in Roseville and Rocklin before terminating in Auburn. The schedule is as follows:
– Train arrives in Sacramento: 6:23pm
– Bus departs Sacramento: 6:35pm
– Bus departs Roseville: 7:05pm
– Bus departs Rocklin: 7:20pm
– Bus arrives Auburn: 7:35pm
Please note this new bus trip is not currently shown on the draft schedule for May 1.
