"Oakland city represent, address me as your majesty" - Kreayshawn. Beep beep beep beep. I have a love hate relationship with what I call the Fremont bus in Chinese. AC transit has been part of my life ever since like 2000 or something. I have only ridden it for 7 years and use it mostly in Fremont, Hayward and Union City. Yes I use it Union City. Crazy of me eh. One thing I find cool is that when I am in Fremont near Lake Liz, I have no issues waiting for any bus nearby. The minimum wait I have is like 10 minutes. If you are well aware of the bus schedules and time your bus stop arrival correctly then you should experience no drama. One thing I dislike is that most buses are in Oakland. If you are waiting for the bus being that it's in Oakland please be aware of your surroundings because some bus stops are in unsafe neighborhoods. If you live in San Leandro please avoid because dangerous people from OAK will target you. Another hit is I love the Giant bus that you see on transbay lines. It's so cool. Only at AC Transit. I pretty much grew up with this transit agency. It was even there in my tough time when I nearly passed out after my ex-girlfriend dumped me. I forgot who the bus driver was but he or she was really calm in making sure my airlift picks me up on time. In Fremont and Milpitas this bus is here to help me stay fit and get my school work done. Warning: Some bus drivers can be very crabby so please do not cause any distractions. Be polite. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbW2UK0b7fQ read more

I haven't ridden AC Transit in over 15 years, & I now write this on the 18 bus. The driver pulled too close to the curb & the rear exit door became stuck on a piece of a plant holder. The rank incompetence & chronic insult to the hard working people who try to use this service makes a mockery of public transit. I remember years ago when the drivers weren't on strike & no one cared. This is a pointless service & cannot justify its existence in any way. Tear this corrupt, inept agency down & start over. read more

6/4 Trying to catch 18 bus on shattuck and Allston and it's a fucking 16 min wait. Next bus behind is only 5 mins. How does this bunching shit keep happening? Why am I waiting 15 mins for a fucking bus? And this happens all the fucking time. You can't get anywhere fast and it's not reliable So fucking tired of showing up to a stop with a long wait. read more

Buses cancelled at the last minute.bus never showed up.the 71 bus from San Pablo to get to El cerrito never on time... your employees don't care that other people have to get to work as long as they are getting paid... the attitude's coming from bus drivers is unreal especially if you say something about the bus being 20 minutes late or never shows up they get aggravated with the customers for not accepting their feedback.its sad that this company hires idiots that don't want to do there jobs... people shouldn't have to find alternative transportation for getting to work.then you wonder why your system is garbage because of your employees faults not the customers.. read more

AC Transit is what happens when the majority of the employees are DEI hires. Show up Stattuck Ave and Allston way like 1030...any bus close? Absolutely not. 10 min fucking wait. Show up to any time aby time of day im waiting 10 mins. The moment I show up at the bus stop yhe fucking bus needs to appear. No waiting around. No delays. No excuses. read more

Drivers are professional and always willing to help with directions. They are calm cool and collected ready to tackle whatever challenges driver's may present, or experience. The 51A rocks! read more

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At Nicolet and fremont blvd by the gas station on the corner, i saw the bus 211 pass up a customer at around 740-750pm on thanksgiving evening. The bus driver never stopped. She seemed upset and i asked her if she was ok, she said numerous buses have passed her up and never stopped for her and she had been waiting for a bus to board on. Granted there's a regular unhoused person but this young black lady wanted to get on the bus. Another good samaritan gave her a ride to where she needed to go. Not cool that the bus driver didn't bother to stop. read more

Incredibly disappointing the 216 was discontinued on Alvarado Niles Rd between Nursery & Decoto in Fremont/Union City. Lived in this area for 20+ yrs and suddenly without. The transit availability to either Fre or UC Bart attracted me to this area. Feeling completely jilted. It worked well while it lasted. read more

And yes Matthew I have submitted reports on the the lack of communication and service. It's not getting better as I wait for another late F line. read more

Disappointing that service on the NL line from bay 30 at Salesforce to Eastmont, scheduled daily at 7:28 am is often delayed or canceled. Sadly it's not much better on the return trip to SF from Lakeshore/Grand area, around 3:30/4 pm as there is a cancellation more often than not. AC raised their fares but can't come through with timely and consistent service. read more

The service before was better but now is horrible the waiting for a bus is like 40 minutes and yet they never on time..the worst bus service ever read more

4/6 Waiting for 51B toward Rockridge. GPS say's 8 mins. Set timer for 8 mins. Getting close to 8 mins, no sight of bus. After 8 mins Bus is still 3 mins away.... So what in the fuck did the bus go? Why even have a GPS at all? Absolutely wild how this shit system is always off, always late. Where is the fucking bus 1583? read more

On Saturday, July 20, 2024, A 51B bus, #1572 arrived around 2:06 to 2:10 PM at Center St & Shattuck Ave, in front of Cirket Store. 3 people were waiting for the bus. One of them is on a wheelchair. I decided to get on from the back because the person on wheelchair will get on from the front. Doors opened, I was trying to get on from the back door after 2 people get off. Suddenly the door closed and hit my right forearm. Then I have to wait to get on from the front door. The other guy who was also waiting said, "That's rough to close the door like that." "It hit my right forearm," I said. Then the driver adjust the bus a few times to let the wheel-chair person get on. I got on the bus after him. The driver said," No back door, OK" with careless tone. I didn't argue with her; I found a seat to sit down. I didn't see any signs saying no entry from the back door, and there is a clipper tapper on the back. I did see people get on from the back sometimes. I am not sure why she closed the back door like that. The door actually hit my right forearm. She looks agitated and unfriendly, but she doesn't have to release frustration to passengers. I took a few photos on the bus few minutes before it arrived Amtrak station. And 1 photo after I got off the bus. Please see the attached photos. read more

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Date and time: Dec 19, 2024 12:41pm Bus: Line 72 hilltop- CCC- San Pablo. Driver: African American lady in her early 50s wearing red glasses and had her hair in a ponytail Reason: I was running from the other side of the street to make sure I get there before she leaves as soon I got to the door she closes on my face. Respectfully I ask "can you please open the door." She opens the door and I was paying and she said in an aggressive way " you told me to open the door and there are two buses almost here!" I didn't think she was talking to me until she said with a loud voice "HELLLLOOO; I AM TALKING TO YOU CAN YOU NOT HEAR ME ARE YOU WEARING HEAD PHONES OR WHAT!" I looked up and when I seen that she was talking to me so I said "I am sorry what?" She said it again screaming " YOU TOLD ME TO OPEN THE DOOR AND THERE ARE TWO BUSES ABOUT TO ARRIVE!" I looked at her and told her "how was I supposed to know about the buses" so I turn to take a seat and she stepped on the gas and I almost fell thanks to the pole i ended up getting a grip. If bus drivers can't respect passengers then that is not the right job for them, and it's not like I am riding the bus for free the money I give goes to there paycheck so at least give us respect. read more

Worst transit service. Anybody with a car should NEVER take AC Transit. Always late, rude drivers, drugged out passengers, constantly dirty. I absolutely hate this system and worst of all, they charge more and more for worse services. read more

Received a $110 parking ticket based on photo taken from the bus and analyzed by AI. The angle of the photo does not show that I was not parked on the red zone. Total rip off of residents. read more

I hate AC Transit with all my heart! Always late, rude drivers. Gotta get to work but you don't know if they're gunna arrive on time!

I don't have extensive experience with AC Transit, except for writing from the West Oakland BART station to my home on 12th and Wood. But the service works great for that. read more

If I could give zero stars I would. Buses are always late, operators are clueless and have an 'attitude." Bus operators make good money and they don't need a college education. I stopped saying "Thank you" to the bus operators when it reaches my stop. It falls on deaf ears and is not appreciated. Bus operators are always in a bad mood. I am on a fixed income and regularly ride the bus. I ask the operators to lower the lift and it's a problem for them. read more

As a long time rider, I appreciate AC Transit. Does every bus show up in time? no, of course not, which is true of every transit system in the world - even in Europe and in Japan and China..........but it's been my experience that they have a good 90%+ on time rate Buses are consistently clean - which is not true of BART and MUNI But the BEST thing I like about AC Transit- are the friendly drivers. I don't know how they do it- I've ridden public transit around the world-Asia, Europe and many East Coast cities - and AC Transit drivers stand out as being friendly and helpful ( Sydney, Australia public transport comes in a distant second place, in my opinion). I applaud AC Transit's redesign initiative as being fair and inclusive. the first go-:around didn't work so well in the Spring of 2024- but rather than implement a bad plan- AC Transit management is in the process of improving upon their initial proposal. Covid has created a lot of challenges ( and opportunities............) to improve AC Transit's route structure. read more

the 96bus at 9:00 skip two bus stops with me missing my bus home at night. very scary situation and angry that they was lazy on the routes they are meant to take. read more

90% of the drivers have no idea what customer service is or about being polite anymore. Sadly, it's the African America drivers that are very disrespectful to a lot of the Latino community. I've lived in 4 different states and I've never seen such disrespect like you do in Oakland, CA. If I could give them a -0 I would. read more

Absolutely unreliable! In my neighborhood I NEVER know if the bus will shop up mornings and weekends! Direct customer complaints are usless!

I'm writing and complaints over something that happened during the pandemic and it was bothersome enough that this is why I no longer will be taking AC Transit I made a point to get my driver's license back and I will never ever again trust public transit again for anything there was a supervisor that was training other bus drivers during the pandemic she went around me it was the last bus of the day and I literally had to pull my belongings to my storage unit I was barely able to get there before they closed I already felt like I had tennis elbow my arms and my muscles in my body hurts so bad and I have this bus driver go completely around me then when I got to my storage unit the only person that was on that bus was one of my friends and he proceeded to tell me how lame that bus driver was cuz there was nobody else on the bus I think it's a racist thing number one because the bus driver was black and I got to be honest this was the most unprofessional bus driver I've seen come out of AC Transit ever and during the pandemic I thought that I could give them some credit until this lady read more

The drivers are very courteous and need to deal with customers requests/or information. The Drivers are trained not only with driving, but, customer service which is very necessary. Thanks, Drivers! read more

Growing up in the East Bay, we always got a ride from "Aunt Clara" or AC Transit. In fact, when I was in high school, it was the bus drivers on the old 7 and 67 lines that knew where the parties were at! I have an AC Pass but, I hadn't ridden the local bus for awhile. I need to work on Sat at the pre-game event for the Oregon vs. Cal game. Knowing better not to drive, I hopped on the 51B to campus. First off, I tip my cap to the 511.org travel planner, which provided the route and pretty accurate times for departure and arrival. I jumped on the 51B right next to Grocery Outlet and in about 15 minutes, I was at College and Durant, a short walk to Memorial Stadium. The South Asian driver was very nice. After working the gig, I walked down Bancroft and got on the 51B to ride home. Literally "down hill" from here... This time the bus driver was really a punk. He was just as Kelsey E. and Patricia H. have Yelped; pissy attitude and obnoxious. When the bus came by, the driver just passed me by. Me and a fellow rider ran down the street and actually caught the bus at the next stop. Asked him why driver why he didn't stop and his reply was, "I didn't see you standing there." Uh, WTF? There were about six of us standing there. I'm not sure why this "ASS (I mean) AC Driving Miss Daisy" was just so negative and bitter. He just was a weird road rage driver, who could care less about us, the passengers. Still, for $2 bucks each way, it's not like I hired a town car. It is in fact, my "Auntie Clara" and for what we pay and what it's worth, it's still a great deal. Kinda like the Post Office. You just get what you pay for. read more

There are many wonderful, patient AC Transit drivers and other workers but I'm writing about the in-person customer service at 1600 Franklin. I'm very grateful to the honest person(s) who turned in my item. After several days of looking on their lost-and-found website, filling out their forms, calling and emailing back and forth, I was finally notified by AC Transit that I could pick up my item, which had been found and turned in a week earlier. I used some vacation time and took off work early to go to their Franklin Street customer service office, where AC Transit had told me my item was being held. There were two agents behind the bulletproof windows, the first one busy with another customer and the second not with a customer but apparently busy with another task. I waited several minutes and she finally called me up. I informed her that I was there to pick up a lost item, having been told by AC Transit in an email that I could pick it up there at their office. I started to tell her the claim number from the email I had received but she interrupted me and didn't let me finish giving the number, telling me that it wasn't the correct claim number. I showed her the email with the claim number and she disappeared into the back for a few minutes and then came back and began to slowly leaf through a binder with photos of items. She disappeared again, for longer this time, and finally came back with the wrong item. I had noticed the whole time I was there that she didn't seem to hear me well and that she was listening to some kind of broadcast and then I saw that she had her mobile phone on a holder, stuck on the window and facing her so she could watch the screen (instead of looking at the faces of her customers). I didn't want to anger her and not be able to recover my item so I didn't say anything at first. She was watching what sounded like a TV sitcom! After she came back with the wrong item, I tried to explain what looked different on my item and either she didn't listen carefully or she didn't understand or both, so I asked her if she could turn down her TV show. She angrily switched it off and had me wait while she went back through the book at a snail's pace--except snails are nicer than she was. By the way, I work with the public every day, with people who are frustrated and rushed and I understand that these public-facing jobs can be hard and that often one feels unappreciated. I am a union member and am supportive of fair and better wages for people who serve the public but this woman should not have that job. If she can't be fired because she has won or is likely to win a lawsuit, then just give her her salary for life and let her stay home because she is truly hateful. She finally disappeared a second time, for many more minutes and then came back with my item. I didn't dare say anything but please and thank you because she was so fierce and I didn't want her to hold my item or shout at me. read more

Am I the only one still wearing a mask? Answer is yes. Listen I know you don't want to but come on , if you're coughing and sneezing why not. I now have a helmet, with a face shield, it's that bad. I understand that you don't care about others, what about yourself? Before I forget THANK YOU AC Transit for opening the front window. Us mask wearers now have a chance. All your drivers are SWAY AWESOME!!! That's all for now. read more

Bus canceled for no reason - bus driver could not give less of a care that people have been waiting over an hour...and this is an agency supposedly working for the public?! read more

Here's another update of AC Transit, but this time it's for line 51B's new bus. I boarded this bus after riding the BART train from downtown Oakland to the Rockridge BART station. Wow, I am definitely impressed with these new buses that AC is showcasing. The 51B heads from the Rockridge area to Berkeley Amtrak. There's a reason why I decided to use public transportation today instead of having my husband drive me to Berkeley...trying to save on gas and parking by the UC Berkeley Campus and/or downtown Berkeley is not easy during the day. The 51B I boarded is a hydrogen fuel cell - hybrid electric drive with zero emission bus. I love the hummingbird/flower graphic design on the back fender of the bus. The front fender also shows logos for other transit agencies - SamTrans, Golden Gate Transit, Muni and VTA. The seats are padded and comfy. I was not able to take photos of the seats (many passengers were aboard and I did not want to invade their privacy). The ride was comfortable and relaxing; no drama, which is a good thing. It didn't take me too long to head up College Avenue to Bancroft Way by the UC Campus. I was on my way to the Sheng Kee Bakery, and yes, I needed to do a review...LOL. read more

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My love/hate affair with AC Transit continues.... I notified AC Transit officials on May 5 2017 on their Facebook site (only because it allows attaching photos), about a non-AC bus is illicitly using the bus stop intended only for the 97. The reply I got was this: "you're right, that is not an AC Transit vehicle. Contact your city non-emergency number and perhaps they can help identify the bus. Good luck!" Are you frikkin kidding me? I'm doing AC Transit a favor by reporting this and they make it my problem? Why is this my problem? Apparently the moderator of their FB site is incompetent, or doesn't care that fares are being hijacked by an unauthorized bus. read more

AC Transit - a non-AC Transit bus using the #97's bus stop to pick up passengers. - Public Transportation Near Me - Oakland, California

Here are my good experiences with AC Transit: 1. 90% of my rides on the NX2 from SF to the Laurel District. With two exceptions, they've departed from the Transbay Terminal on time. One exception wasn't really AC Transit's fault, but due to a traffic shit show between the Transbay Terminal and the Bay Bridge, which made us sit in the Terminal for over an hour. 2. Using the 18 line, going down Shattuck to downtown Berkeley or over to Solano Ave. It was pretty frequent and drama free. 3. Riding the 54 up/down 35th Ave to/from Fruitvale BART. Runs pretty frequently (every 10 minutes during morning and evening rush hours) and effectively. 4. The bus from Fremont BART to the business park near Tesla's factory. Like the NX2, its on-time rate was pretty good. I should note that I rode this years ago (2005-07), so it might suck now... Bad experiences: 1. Bus drama on other lines. I know, it's a public bus in a city. Shit happens. Still gets tiresome sometimes. 2. Some of the lines aren't that dependable. Not sure how long you're going to have to wait each time. Kind of annoying. One example is the 14 that goes between Fruitvale BART and West Oakland. Probably not dependable because that is a really long route. Overall, AC Transit is ok. I would love it if buses were more frequent, but I see that they're often pretty empty, so I I understand why they aren't more often (and yes, I also realize that they might increase ridership with higher frequency). read more

If you think for one minute they deserve any more than one star, you do not ride ac transit 24-7 as I do! I am on the bus every day sometimes all day. The 72, 72M, 72R used to reliable. 3 buses travel this route on San Pablo Ave. and still, you can wait over a half hour for one to arrive. I stop here because this is the straw that breaks the camels back. Of all the continuously late buses, the ones that never arrive, etc. etc. NOW, this route follows that course. My love-hate relationship for public transit will probably never change. It is difficult to walk up to a bus stop and see people already waiting for over a half hour for a bus that does not arrive until another half hour. Some are elderly etc. It's 11:30 pm. Then the bus driver drives like a snail while a passager stands in the doorway having a conversation with her! And, still, passengers thank the drive when they step off. read more

It's been a few months since my last review. The schedules and routes have changed a bit, in ways that haven't really been convenient. I've had to rely on this service every weekday for a month though, and you know what? It's been on time and reliable. Their livetraffic website hasn't let me down a single time. So I'm bumping them up to 3 stars. Why not 5? Because they still have a history of YEARS of fucking up, and their new routes make me actually walk 2 miles out of the way to get where I need to go. But at least it shows up now, which is all I really asked for to begin with. read more

The transbay line is excellent. Always within a few minutes of when i expect it. It is a little crowded near the end of the line, but I never had to wait for another bus to stop by. The bart lines, however, are terrible. 50% of the time they are no shows and you'll have to wait for several buses before they arrive. I've had to get a lyft after waiting for nearly an hour. read more

I was near Broadway/20th in a downpour with street flooding when in desperation, I took a few liberties with traffic safety and made a beeline to the 51A bus that had stopped for passengers. I want to thank the compassionate bus driver who seemed ready to lecture me about pedestrian safety -- she had the "mom" look, the "I'm-about-to-ground-you" look -- but instead waved me through without accepting my fare as I repeatedly and sincerely apologized, my hair and clothes dripping wet. Thank you to the drivers for all that you do to keep your passengers safe. read more

Once again, AC Transit is an unreliable, disorganized, hot, steaming pile of mess.... The stop for 28 Hayward BART at Bayfair has been temporarily relocated at least 3 times over the past few weeks, and way finding signage is non-existent. Jolly good show, AC Transit! Continue to show a complete disregard for your customers and employ drivers with a "I don't give a sh*t" outlook on their job. read more

The bus service has gone to hell over the years. I've heard that the bus drivers don't even STOP for elderly passengers! This happened with the 89 line two days in a row (at about 2:20 PM). Someone who's 80 years old! WTF...and buses don't show up after an hour, until half-block lines form then FOUR of buses from the same bus arrive! This happened last Friday. WHAT is the point! That defeats the purpose. So unreliable. They don't come based on their schedule. Someone seriously needs to audit each line and each driver. I feel sorry for the senior citizen community for whom this is their main mode of transportation. Most stops don't even have benches nor stands, for when those buses that don't come and the pouring rain this season. read more

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!" read more

We ended up walking four miles. Why???? Because whether you access the A.C. site or SFMuni site or even call them, no one knows the routes or busses let alone the costs. We got off at 19th Bart circled around Grand to Piedmont to McArthur Bart and eventually Emerygoround to Ikea. The good thing is we got to see some of Oakland. Clean nice city. But difficult to figure out A.C. Transit routes and fares even with apps. I will return to Oakland but I will walk. read more