The bus fleet of the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit), serving the counties of Alameda and Contra Costa, is the third-largest in California. It was initially formed in with a mixture of gasoline and diesel-powered buses purchased from its immediate predecessor, the privately owned Key System. The first new buses were purchased for AC Transit in 1960, shortly after its formation and the GM New Look buses were delivered later that year. The transit agency operated GM buses exclusively until 1974, when the first Flxible New Look buses were ordered. Since then, AC Transit has ordered and operated buses from most of the major North American transit bus manufacturers, including Flyer, Gillig, Motor Coach Industries, Neoplan USA, and North American Bus Industries, as well as Van Hool, a Belgian bus supplier.
AC Transit has four operating divisions where buses are stored and light maintenance is performed, one central maintenance facility for major overhauls, and a general office in downtown Oakland, California.
Summary AC Transit is the third-largest bus-only transit agency in California, carrying an average of 200,000 riders per weekday on 331 service lines, with miles of annual revenue service traveled by its fleet of buses.
Active + Current Fleet Year Manufacturer Model Length(feet) Qty Fleet Series Fuel Image 2008–09Van Hool A300K 30 9* 5101-5139 Diesel 2009 AG300-4(articulated) 60 5* 2191-2199 Diesel 2013 Gillig Low Floor 40 13* 1301-1365 Diesel 2013 New Flyer Xcelsior XD60(articulated) 60 23 2201-2223 Diesel 2013 Gillig Low Floor 40 54 6101-6154 Diesel 2014 Gillig Low Floor 40 68 1401-1468 Diesel 2015 ElDorado National Aerotech 220 24 6 3505-3510 Diesel 2016 Gillig Low Floor 40 55 1501-1555 Diesel Low Floor 40 25 1556-1580 Diesel-Electric Hybrid 2017 Low Floor 40 10 1581-1590 Diesel 2018 Alexander Dennis Enviro500 42 15 6201-6215 Diesel New Flyer Xcelsior XD60(articulated) 60 29 2224-2252 Diesel 2019 Gillig Low Floor HEV 40 1 1591 Diesel-Electric Hybrid 2018 Gillig Low Floor 35 1601-1635 Diesel 2022 Gillig Low Floor 40 50 1641-1690 Diesel 2016–17 New Flyer Xcelsior XDE60(articulated) 60 27 2301-2327 Diesel-Electric Hybrid 2018–19 New Flyer Xcelsior XHE40 40 10 7017-7026 Hydrogen Fuel Cell 2019 New Flyer Xcelsior XE40 5 8001-8005 Battery Electric 2021 Gillig Low Floor EV 40 2 8006-8007 Battery Electric 2022 New Flyer Xcelsior XHE40 40 20 7031-7050 Hydrogen Fuel Cell 2022 Gillig Low Floor EV 40 21 8008-8028 Battery Electric 2022–23 MCI D45 CRT LE 45 36 6301-6336 Diesel 2024 Gillig Low Floor40 50 1701-1750 Diesel2025-26New FlyerXcelsior XHE60 (articulated)6092501-2509Hydrogen Fuel Cell
Notes
Future Fleet + Future Fleet Year Manufacturer Model Length(feet) Quantity Fleet Series Fuel Image Notes2026GilligLow Floor EV3510TBDBattery ElectricTo replace the final A300Ks still in service
Retired + Retired Fleet Year Manufacturer Model Length(feet) Qty Fleet Series Preserved Fuel Image ex-Key System buses 1941–42 White 788 33 23 815-898 Gasoline 1944–45 798 35 91 900-999 1947–48 75 1000-1074 1947 Mack C-41-GT 33' 2" 60 2501-2560 1946 GM TGM-3609 Old Look 30' 9" 45 1300-1344 Gasoline 20 1200-1241 Diesel 1947 TDH-4008 Old Look 33 5 1401-1405 Diesel 1944 TD-4006 Old Look 5 1500-1504 1940–41 TD-4001 Old Look 4 1501-1504 1947–48 TDH-4507 Old Look 35 175 1700-1874 1949 TDH-4509 Old Look 25 1900-1924 1921 1950–51 TDH-5103 Old Look 39' 6" 50 2000-2049 1958 TDH-4801 Old Look 37' 6" 21 2100-2120 2103 New buses purchased by AC Transit 1960–61 GM SDH-4501 New Look 35 57 100-156 100 Diesel 1961 SDM-4501 New Look 5 300-304 1961 TDH-4516 New Look 50 400-449 1961 TDH-5301 New Look 40 125 500-624 1961–62 TDH-4517 New Look 35 43 700–712; 720-749 1963–66 TDH-5304 New Look 40 65 300-364 1963–66 TDH-4519 New Look 35 55 750-804 1968–69 T6H-5305 New Look 40 55 626-680 1968 T6H-4532 New Look 35 5 805-809 1971–72 T6H-5305 New Look 40 90 900-989 Diesel 1973 T6H-5307N New Look 35 55 810-864 839 1961 (1974) TDH-4517 New Look 29 13 700S-712S Diesel 1974 Flxible 53102 New Look 40 120 180-299 Diesel 1975 36 8000-8035 1976 Minibus MBD-8002 25 29 2200-2228 1978 M.A.N. SG 220(articulated) 60 30 1600-1629 1980–82 Western Flyer D901 40 170 1000-1169 1980 35 20 2000-2019 2013 1982–84 Gillig Phantom 40 226 1300–1390; 1400–1483; 1485; 1500-1549 1982–83 35 51 2049-2099 1983 Neoplan AN440 40 61 1200-1260 1984 AN408 26 3 2300-2302 1983 M.A.N. SG 310(articulated) 60 15 1630-1644 1983 Crown-Ikarus 286(articulated) 60 15 1700-1714 1988 New Flyer D35HF 35 29 2400-2428 1988–89 D40HF 40 79 2500-2578 1989 D60HF(articulated) 60 30 1800-1829 1990 Gillig Phantom 40 52 2601-2652 1991-92 30 62 2701-2762 2738 1993 40 60 2801-2860 1996 New Flyer D60HF(articulated) 60 30 1901-1930 1997–98 NABI 416 40 204 2901–2971; 3001–3067; 3101-3166 2000 MCI D4500 45 30 6001-6030 2001 10 6031-6040 200345396041-6079 1999–2003 NABI 40-LFW 40 84 4001–4021; 4051–4090; 7201-7223 2003 Van Hool AG300(articulated) 60 30 2001-2057 2005Van HoolA300K30515001-5051Diesel 2005 Van Hool/ ISE/ UTC Power A330 FC 40 3 FC1–FC3 Hydrogen 2006Van HoolAG30060252101-2110; 2151-2165Diesel2008Van HoolA300L40271201-1227Diesel2010Van HoolA300L FC4013FC4 - FC16
Notes
Experimental and prototype
+ Experimental and prototype fleet Year Manufacturer Model Length(feet) Qty Fleet Series Fuel Image 1966 (1958) Kässbohrer A.G. Super Golden Eagle 60 articulated 1 XMC-77 Diesel 1967 GM TDH-5303 New Look 40 1 XMC-53 (625) Diesel 1971 (1969) GM T6H-5305 New Look 40 1 666 Steam 1973 (1961) GM TDH-4517 New Look 29 1 708S Diesel 1983 Neoplan Skyliner 40 1 Diesel 1986 (1963) GM/Flyer TDH-5304 New Look & D901 40 1 311 Diesel 1999 APS Systems Custom low-floor 40 1 999 Propane-Electric 1999 New Flyer / Ballard / XCELLSiS ZEbus (F40LF) 40 1 — Hydrogen 2002 ElDorado National / Thor / ISE ThunderPower (E-Z Rider II) 30 1 4285 Hydrogen 2015New FlyerXcelsior XHE60(articulated)6012501Hydrogen Fuel Cell
Notes
History
Key System inheritance At its inception in 1960, AC Transit purchased the mixed White, Mack, and GM "old-look" bus fleet from its predecessor, the Key System. The 249 White, Mack, and GM gasoline buses were valued at and the 276 GM diesel buses were valued at . 189 gasoline buses manufactured by White were declared surplus in 1961 and were sold for , and the last gasoline-powered bus ran in revenue service on July 31, 1961, although some of the newer gasoline-powered Macks were retained for lightly traveled lines. Later in 1961, AC Transit began converting 10 of the GM old-look gasoline-powered buses to diesel using secondhand transmissions and engines. The last of 26 Mack buses remaining in the fleet, #2510, ran a "farewell tour" on Line 43 in February 1965, decorated with painted tears and the message "To my friends, good-bye."
New Look "Transit Liners"
The first new buses ordered for AC Transit were 250 diesel GM New Look buses, which were delivered by late 1961. The cost per coach was . During the planning stage, the District announced plans to acquire 572 of these modern "Transit Liners" at an estimated cost of . AC Transit began New Look "Transit Liner" operation in late 1960. The New Looks were credited with turning around ridership and revenue for the District. Many were equipped with air conditioning, and these proved especially popular in that first summer of operation, when high temperatures reached .
AC Transit would continue to operate a mixed fleet of buses throughout the 1960s; the buses purchased from Key System started to be retired in 1969 (#1806 was the first diesel Old Look retired), but were not fully retired until 1974 with the delivery of Flxible buses. In 1969, the fleet consisted of 693 diesel-powered GM buses: 462 New Looks and 131 Old Looks. AC Transit continued purchasing exclusively GM New Look buses through the early 1970s. In 1970, AC Transit announced that it would test GM's Environment Improvement Package (EIP), an emissions control retrofit consisting of a needle injector valve, catalytic muffler, air induction system, and rubber engine mountings; the District also noted it would participate in a steam-powered bus experiment, and was willing to evaluate electric- and turbine-powered buses. The "low sac needle" injector was credited with reducing smoke by up to 93% and odors by a factor of 15. The first EIP-equipped bus was assigned fleet #902 and entered revenue service in early 1971. All the AC Transit New Look buses were fitted with the new injectors by November 1972. In 1972, with the opening of BART, the District equipped all New Look buses with a blue light next to headsigns. The blue light was illuminated with the words "TO BART" when the bus was headed towards a BART station.
In 1974, AC Transit ordered 120 Flxible New Look buses, its first purchase of new buses that had not gone to GM. Flxible had bid per bus in 1974, beating GM's bid of . In 1975, a second round of bids were solicited for 36 additional "deluxe" buses with reclining seats and air conditioning, intended for a BART contract to provide extension service to suburban areas. For the 1975 orders, inflation and additional equipment greatly increased the price. Flxible submitted the winning low bid of per bus, beating GM's bid of . As it turned out, AC Transit would never receive another new bus from GM. Given the rise in bus prices, rather than replace the oldest Transit Liners (received in 1960), the District spent approximately per coach in 1975 to add standee windows and low-back seats, extending the life of the New Look fleet.
In August/September 1976, AC Transit was one of ten agencies to participate in a group purchase of AM General/MAN SG 220 articulated buses, part of the first widespread deployment of articulated buses in North America once the orders began to be delivered in 1978. After a fire in the Transbay Tube shut down BART service for several months starting on January 17, 1979, the AC Transit articulated buses were diverted to Transbay service.
"Advanced Design" and dropping GM
Models of three coaches designed by GM, American Motors, and Rohr Industries for the Transbus project were shown in 1973. Although none of the Transbus project prototypes would ever go into production, AC Transit expressed an interest in acquiring the GMC RTS-II in 1975; the RTS-II "Advanced Design" coach was a direct descendant of the GM Transbus prototype. In July 1976, AC Transit released requests for bids for the next generation of buses: 66 "Advanced Design" and several smaller coaches. In September and October 1976, Flxible 870 and GMC RTS-II buses toured several East Bay cities; these "Advanced Design" coaches were being evaluated as potential replacements for the existing New Look fleet. AC Transit ordered 66 RTS-II buses in May 1977 from GM as part of a larger group purchase with five other operators. The purchase was allowed to proceed after a lawsuit by the losing bidder, AM General, was settled; the judge concluded the buses could be purchased without wheelchair lifts because of their limited reliability. The bid price was per coach. However, AC Transit canceled the contract in 1979, citing the high cost, which had risen to each, slow delivery (delivery had been expected in 1978), and fewer seats than the existing New Look buses. The District rejected several RTS buses that had already been assembled; the completed buses were later sold to the Santa Clara County Transit District.
Rather than pursue a set of "Advanced Design" buses, AC Transit chose to purchase buses with New Look-derived designs after the RTS contract was canceled; AC Transit ordered 175 Flyer D901 buses in lengths. The per-unit cost was for a 40-ft coach. The Flyer D901 fleet were the first AC Transit buses to be equipped with electronic route signs, along with kneeling suspension and a wheelchair lift. 15 more Flyer D901s were added in 1982.