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County Connection Awarded FTA Grant

County Connection Among FTA’s Low-No Emissions Grant Awardees

Agency receives nearly $2,700,000 for four electric buses and five chargers.

CONCORD, Calif. – County Connection (Central Contra Costa Transit Authority) has been awarded $2,684,311 from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to purchase four all-electric buses that will use wireless power transfer technology enabling both depot plug-in charging and en-route fast-charging that can extend battery life and support a greater range for each bus between depot visits.  The electric buses will replace four diesel buses, which have been in service since 2002 and have logged more than 500,000 miles each.  The diesel buses consume a combined 9,000 gallons of diesel fuel each year.  The new buses will prevent just over 300 metric tons of CO2-equivalent (CO2-e) emissions and 0.090 metric tons of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from being emitted into the atmosphere each year. In addition, the annual amount of 2.042 metric tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx), 0.156 metric tons of hydrocarbons (HC), and 1.107 metric tons of carbon monoxide (CO) emissions will also be prevented, as a result of the new buses.

“County Connection is very pleased to be one of 20 transit agencies in the United States to be selected through a competitive process to receive this project grant,” said County Connection Board Chair and Town of Danville Mayor and Council Member Robert Storer.  “Battery-electric buses are much quieter than diesel buses and can help County Connection reach its goal to integrate a new generation of advanced, non-polluting transit buses into our fleet and reduce diesel emissions.”

The grant is provided through FTA’s Low or No Emission Vehicle Deployment Program (Low-No). County Connection’s funding share is a portion of $55 million in competitive grants FTA offers to public transit agencies nationwide.  County Connection will put the grant towards four 29-foot wireless all electric battery powered buses. The electric propulsion system is being supplied by New York-based BAE Systems out of New York.  East Bay Area manufacturer Gillig Corporation will build the four buses. In addition to the bus purchases, the grant will also be used for the infrastructure required to operate the buses. The buses will be charged using wireless power transfer technology purchased from Salt Lake City-based Wireless Advanced Vehicle Electrification Inc. (WAVE), which will provide County Connection with four depot chargers and one on-route charger.  The anticipated cost of the entire project is $4,894,500. The balance of the project will be funded through a mix of public transit grants through state and federal sources. The first of the new buses will be in service by mid-2017.

“This important step toward reduced greenhouse gas emissions is the result of the successful combination of effort and partnership between County Connection, the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE), BART, PG&E, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA), the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), Gillig Corporation, BAE Systems, and WAVE, Inc.,” adds Storer. “We also have to acknowledge the support and encouragement of Congressmen Mark DeSaulnier, Eric Swalwell, and Mike Thompson.  The single-minded pursuit of all of these groups and individuals make it possible for County Connection to incorporate innovative, energy-efficient buses to help improve air quality and reduce our dependence on oil.”

The grant will enable County Connection to implement its second all electric vehicle project and continue to deliver on the agency’s long-term plan to provide reliable transit service in efficient vehicles that eliminate diesel emissions.  The first project includes the replacement of four diesel-powered downtown Walnut Creek trolleys with four wireless electric trolleys, also being built by Gillig with BAE supplying the propulsion system and inductive chargers using the WAVE system.  The first of the new trolleys is expected to be in service by early November 2016.

More information about the FTA grants under MAP-21, including the Low-No program that focuses on deploying the cleanest and most energy-efficient U.S.-made transit buses designed to cut carbon pollution and other traditional pollutants, can be found by visiting:

https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding.

About County Connection

County Connection operates a fleet of 112 clean diesel and 9 hybrid diesel buses in fixed-route service and 55 gas-powered vans in door-to-door service.  For assistance or for more information on bus routes, please visit cccta.wpengine.com or call Customer Service at (925) 676-7500.

600 Select Series Schedules Are Available/New Schedules For Rt. 98X

August 9, 2016

Changes to several of the 600 series bus schedules, as well as the Rt. 98X will take place effective August 14, 2016.

The 600 series buses provide supplemental service that coincide with school bell times. This select service operates only when schools are in session when demand is typically higher.

SERVICES TO BE ELIMINATED INCLUDE:

  • All service on Route 609 will be eliminated – Route 609 served Foothill Middle, and Northgate High.
  • All service on Route 610 will be eliminated – Route 610 served Diablo View Middle School.
  • The morning service on Route 603 will be eliminated. Rt. 603 served Campolindo High and Saint Mary’s College.

Route 98X schedule is completely re-written. Please see https://countyconnection.com/schedule/98X/ for updates.

Complete information on all routes and schedules is available on the website. This information is also available by calling Customer Service at 925-676-7500.

Downtown Concert Series Means Bus Detours

July 14, 2016

With the beginning of the summer concert series in Todos Santos Park, several bus stops will be closed around the park on Thursdays in the afternoon and evenings.

Route 11

  • Traveling TO Pleasant Hill – the stop on Salvio at Colfax is closed and passengers are directed across the street to a temporary stop on Colfax at Salvio.
  • Traveling TO Concord BART – the stop on Salvio at Grant is closed and passengers are directed to walk one block to the stop on Pacheco St at Grant

Routes 17 and 19

  • Buses leaving Concord BART will not travel on Grant St. The stop on Grant at Pacheco will not be served by either route. Passengers are directed to walk up one block to the stop on Grant at Bonifacio.

Summertime Stuff-A-Bus This Saturday

July 5, 2106

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Join County Connection and the Food Bank for our first ever Summertime Stuff-A-Bus event on Saturday, July 9th. We’ll have a bus at the Grocery Outlet at 1840 Willow Pass Rd. in Concord from 9 AM to 2 PM.

While you’re shopping, pick up an item for your neighbors in need and help stuff the bus.

The most needed items are peanut butter, whole grain cereals, powdered milk, canned meats, canned or dried beans, hearty soups, canned tomatoes and vegetables, and whole wheat pasta.

For more information on how you can help end hunger, visit www.foodbankccs.org

 

May Emission Reduction Numbers Are In

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The ridership numbers are in, and County Connection riders reduced CO2 emissions by 31,898 pounds EACH WEEKDAY in the month of May. Nice work!

Using County Connection’s average trip length (one way) of 5 miles, each person who leaves their car at home and uses the bus will reduce CO2 emissions by 4.6 pounds. So riding just one day a week does make a difference.

Real time options such as Bus Tracker and the free transit app, Clipper, and free Wi-Fi make using the bus more convenient and predictable. Check out these amenities today!

Your Technologically Advanced Bus

Buses today are very different from the buses that were on the road 30 years ago. They have been through many technological advances and improvements. As far back as the late 1980s, buses began to change in ways that particularly increased accessibility for many riders. Recently, buses have seen changes that take advantage of the internet and wireless communication. Now, we are on the cusp of seeing great advances in zero emission buses, as well as driver assisted buses. Finally, we might (sooner rather than later) see the emergence of an autonomous bus! However far off that may be, today’s buses have come a long way since 1986.

A vast majority of buses once had stairs that had to be navigated in order to board. In 1990, buses with boarding stairs were called high floor buses. Today, almost all buses are low floors buses and boarding stairs are gone. This makes getting on and off a bus much easier and allows for people with disabilities and for many seniors to use bus transit. In a related technological development, wheelchair tie downs first appeared on buses beginning in the late 1980s. That is now standard equipment on all buses.

As we entered the new century, technological advances on buses really took off. It is now common:

  • To find buses that are fully Wi-Fi compatible.
  • For bus stop announcements to be automated.
  • To see exactly where buses are located in real time.
  • For customers to use their laptop or smart phone to see exactly when their bus is going to arrive at the bus stop they want to use.

In addition, electronic ticketing has made using multiple transit systems across the Bay Area much easier; and a single fare instrument can be used to make multiple system trips.

At County Connection, our entire fleet of buses are now fully Wi-Fi equipped, and they will accept the Clipper card. This follows up on the completion of our Bus Tracker project in 2013. Bus Tracker allows a passenger to use their laptop, smartphone, etc. to determine when their bus is coming to their stop. This means that a rider can use Bus Tracker to determine when to board a bus, which is low floor with the latest and greatest in vehicle safety features, that will get them to a BART station in time to catch a train, all the while using their Clipper card on both systems. Moreover, they can work or surf the net on their device of choice, as they ride their bus and BART; perhaps into San Francisco.

As to what is coming next, County Connection has begun to move its technology with buses towards the realm of zero emissions in the form of electric buses. This fall, we will deploy the first of our electric buses in Walnut Creek on our downtown trolley. More projects of this type are in the works and will be available in the future.

Perhaps just as exciting is the likelihood of driver assisted buses coming along within the next five years. These buses will assist the driver in pulling in and out of bus stops; alert the driver to blind spot hazards; assist the driver in negotiating tight lanes; and more. Finally, the transit industry is watching the rapid development of autonomous vehicles very closely. As this progresses, the development of an autonomous bus or bus that can be put on “auto pilot” may not be all that far off.

With all these advances, it is clear that today’s bus is not anything like yesterday’s bus. And, tomorrow’s bus promises to be even more evolved than today’s advanced bus. While it is rewarding to be a part of public transit and watch the transformations this industry is striving towards, and it is also very good for the public we serve.

2016 National Dump The Pump Day

DTP%202016%20logo_bus%20onlyJoin millions of Bay Area residents and transit systems nationwide this Thursday, June 17 in supporting 2016 National Dump The Pump Day by using your local public transit system.

Started in June 2006 when local gas prices were over $4 per gallon, this national day emphasizes that public transportation is a cornerstone of local economies in urban, suburban, and rural communities.

Using public transit is one way every person can make a different in minimizing our carbon footprint. To see how you can make a difference, check out the carbon footprint calculator at PublicTransportation.org

Several Bus Stops Will Relocate At Concord BART June 13th

6/7/16

Several bus stops are being relocated at Concord BART as part of the modernization project on Monday, June 13, 2016.

  • Route 14 will move and share the space currently used by Route 16.
  • Route 10 and 310 will move forward one space to the current Route 14 stop.
  • Bus stop signs and panels will be moved on Monday, June 13th.
  • Temporary signs at the affected bus stops will be posted Wednesday, June 8th.