Melody – Page 3 – County Connection

Contra Costa Accessible Transportation Strategic Plan

Let’s make transportation convenient for older adults and people with disabilities!

If you’re an older adult, have a disability, or are a veteran, transportation in Contra Costa County can be challenging. We want to identify ways to make it easier for you to get around the county—whether you’re going to an appointment, getting groceries, visiting family, or anything else.

You can participate from home!

Due to the shelter-in-place we are asking individuals to complete the survey online or participate in a short phone interview. Participants will be entered in a drawing for a $25 gift card! 

Administrative Offices Closed to Public Starting Wednesday, 3/18

County Connection’s administrative offices, including the LINK Paratransit office, will be closed to the public starting Wednesday, March 18, 2020 until further notice.

County Connection will continue to operate regular service aside from 600-series routes. Due to school closures, the 600-series routes are currently not in service. Service on those routes is expected to resume once schools are back in session.

Customer Service call center will also remain staffed during regular hours (Monday – Friday, 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM) and can be reached by phone at (925) 676-7500 or email at help@countyconnection.com.

Please check our website regularly, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay informed.

For lost and found inquiries, please call (925) 676-7500.

Additional Info for LINK Passengers

If you need to purchase LINK tickets or pay for ADVANCE PAYMENT, please mail your check to County Connection LINK at:

County Connection LINK
LINK tickets
2477 Arnold Industrial Way
Concord, CA 94520
Do not come to the office, it will be closed to the public.

If your LINK Advance payment account is depleted of funds because of the delay in submitting your payment, LINK will continue to provide trips but will send you an invoice at the end of the month with 15 days to remit payment. Our main concern is the safety of our riders, staff and drivers.

COVID-19 Service Updates

Updated 04/28/2022:

Please note that effective April 28, 2022, masks are required when riding BART. However, masks remain optional on County Connection but are strongly recommended. Click here for more information on BART’s mask policy.

Updated on 04/19/2022:

As a result of a court order, the federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA) mandate requiring mask use on public transportation and transportation hubs was rescinded, and masks are no longer required on County Connection buses. However, CDC continues to recommend that people wear masks in indoor public transportation settings at this time.


Click on page 2 below to see older posts

Proposed Continuation of Monument Free Program

The Public Hearing originally scheduled for March 19, 2020 has been cancelled and rescheduled for April 16, 2020.

DUE TO COVID-19, THIS MEETING WILL BE CONDUCTED AS A TELECONFERENCE. Click here for more info.

Notice of Public Hearing

The Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (County Connection) will hold a public hearing to gather comment on the proposed continuation of a pilot program offering free rides on weekday Routes 11, 14, and 16, as long as funding remains available for the program through the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP) or another similar funding source. These routes serve low-income communities along the Monument Corridor and connect from Concord BART to various destinations in Martinez, Pleasant Hill, and Walnut Creek, including BART stations, Martinez Amtrak and Contra Costa Regional Medical Center.

Comments can be submitted in writing via mail, email, or online, or at the scheduled public hearing. Written comments must be received by March 11, 2020.

How to Comment

  • In writing to:
    Director of Planning & Marketing
    2477 Arnold Industrial Way
    Concord, CA 94520
  • At the public hearing:
    Thursday, April 16, 2020 at 9:00 am
    County Connection Board Room
    2477 Arnold Industrial Way
    Concord, CA 94520

It is anticipated that the Board of Directors will take action on the proposed fare program at their regular meeting scheduled for April 16, 2020, following the public hearing.

County Connection Sees Increase in Ridership

Agency’s service and route changes realize results.

CONCORD, CA – County Connection is showing an increase in ridership in year-over-year comparisons, especially on routes where bus frequency has increased. Last spring the agency announced significant service and route changes that included increasing peak service frequency, discontinuing routes, adding extensions, and making minor adjustments. Since the changes in March 2019, although revenue hours have not increased, ridership is growing and was nearly 11% higher in November 2019, when compared to the same month last year.

“Any significant change in service will generally take a year or two for people to utilize it to its potential,” said Rick Ramacier, County Connection General Manager. “However, based on what we know about the response to the service changes so far, we are pleased.”

County Connection is showing signs of being ahead of the national curve on transit ridership increases. Nationally transit ridership reports did show declines through 2018, but of late numbers have stabilized and are on an upswing. According to the quarterly “Transit Ridership Report” released by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), nationally ridership increased in 2019 by 2.20% when compared to the third quarter of 2018.

Primary contributors to County Connection’s ridership increase includes:

  • Comprehensive Operational Analysis of all County Connection services, which incorporated community needs outreach, rider input, and anticipated future public transit demands.
  • Major service changes implemented in March 2019 that included cuts, adjustments, and enhancements throughout the service area.
  • New weekend route 335 launched to serve the San Ramon Transit Center, Bollinger Canyon Rd, Dougherty Rd, and Dublin/Pleasanton BART on Saturdays and Sundays
  • Major schedule and routing changes to routes serving Bishop Ranch (Routes 92X, 95X, 96X, and 97X) featuring 10 min peak frequency from Walnut Creek to Bishop Ranch.
  • Free rides on three weekday bus routes – Routes 11, 14, and 16 – as part of a one-year pilot program that began on July 1, 2019.
  • Rider amenities like free Wi-Fi aboard County Connection buses.

“County Connection is more customer-focused to meet the needs of today’s riders and the significant improvements to our services means reduced roadway congestion from individual cars and more mobility options for those that need it,” said Candace Andersen, County Connection Board Chair. “We are encouraged by the direction our ridership numbers are going, knowing that we can connect more of the region’s residents to work, education, medical appointments, and other destinations that help people go about their daily lives. These early results prove riders are discovering how convenient riding public transit can be.”

System wide County Connection provides more than 12,000 daily rides throughout its service network. All County Connection riders can get real-time arrival information and track bus locations by downloading the Transit app, available for iPhone and Android phones, or by visiting countyconnection.com.

About County Connection
County Connection operates fixed-route and paratransit bus service throughout the communities of Concord, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, Walnut Creek, Clayton, Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga, Danville, San Ramon, as well as unincorporated communities in Central Contra Costa County. For assistance or for more information on bus routes, please visit countyconnection.com or call Customer Service at (925) 676-7500.

Get your holiday shopping done with County Connection!

Planning to do some holiday shopping? Forget the hassles of traffic and parking and leave the driving to us!

These are just some of the major shopping destinations that we serve:

DestinationWeekdaysWeekends
Alamo Plaza21321
Broadway Plaza4 (FREE!)4 (FREE!)
City Center Bishop Ranch35, 92X, 96X, 97X335
Crescent Plaza9, 16 (FREE!), 18314, 316
Crossroads Shopping Center9316
Downtown Martinez16 (FREE!), 18 , 19, 28, 98X316
Concord Park N Shop11 (FREE!)311
Pleasant Hill Shopping Center18 , 19, 28, 98X 316
Rheem Shopping Center66
Sunvalley Mall9, 18, 20, 98X314, 316
The Veranda & Willows Shopping Center91X320

Need some trip planning help?

Try using the handy trip planner on our homepage here, or talk to one of our friendly Customer Service Representatives by calling (925) 676-7500 (Monday – Friday, 6:30 am – 6:30 pm)

Winter Service Changes Starting Nov 17, 2019

Winter service changes will take effect starting Sunday, November 17, 2019, and will include major schedule and routing changes to routes serving Bishop Ranch (Routes 92X, 95X, 96X, and 97X), as well as minor schedule changes on Routes 1, 9, and 93X.

Summary of Changes

  • 10 min peak frequency from Walnut Creek to Bishop Ranch, see Routes 95X & 96X
  • Reduction in service on Route 97X (3 fewer AM trips, 1 less PM trip)
  • Stops at Chevron, BR 3, & BR 6 will no longer be served. BR 7 will no longer be served by Routes 95X, 96X, & 97X.
  • Stop at BR 1 will be relocated (see map)
  • Routes 96X & 97X will only serve southern part of Bishop Ranch (BR 1, BR 2600, Sunset/Bishop, San Ramon Transit Center)
  • Route 95X will serve northern part of Bishop Ranch (BR 15, BR 8, Annabel, San Ramon Transit Center)
  • Minor schedule changes on Routes 1, 9, & 93X

Maps & Schedules

RouteChangeNew Map & Schedule
1Schedule changes PDF
9Schedule changes PDF
92XRouting change to remove Chevron stop PDF
93XSchedule changes PDF
95XIncreased service; routing change to serve northern part of Bishop Ranch (Annabel, BR 8, & BR 15); southbound AM trips and northbound PM trips will not serve Danville Park & Ride PDF
96XSome trips replaced by Route 95X; routing change to only serve southern part of Bishop Ranch (BR 1, BR 2600, Sunset/Bishop, San Ramon Transit Center) PDF
97XReduction in service; routing change to only serve southern part of Bishop Ranch (BR 1, BR 2600, Sunset/Bishop, San Ramon Transit Center) PDF