News & Announcements – Page 9 – County Connection

Category: News & Announcements

Monroe Woodard – Local “Roadeo” Champion

April 14, 2016

Monroe 2-croppedMonroe Woodard will once again represent County Connection in the 2016 International Bus Rodeo sponsored by the American Public Transit Association (APTA). The annual competition features the best of the best from transit properties across the United States and Canada – all vying for the coveted bragging rights. This year’s event takes place in Charlotte, North Carolina in May.

Competitors must maneuver a 40-foot bus through an obstacle course consisting of ten “problems” ranging from precise passenger stops, tight right and left turns, serpentine turns, and a judgment stop – just to name a few. Drivers are also judged on their appearance, safety skills and the smoothness of operation. And finally, they have just 7 minutes to complete the course.

Monroe’s represented County Connection at the National event several times, and recently earned the top score in County Connection’s local “roadeo” event. Competition is fierce among County Connection operators and the scores get closer each year.

Monroe has been driving for County Connection for over 20 years and began competing 11 years ago.

Good luck Monroe – we know you’ll represent us well.

BART Survey – Late Night Bay Area Travel Survey

4/1/16

BART is conducting a survey about the travel needs of Bay Area residents. As a provider of feeder service to seven East Bay stations, County Connection is helping to spread the word. The BART research team is asking people to take this 5-8 minute survey and help improve transportation options. As a thank you for completing the survey, you will be entered in a drawing to win one of 100 $10 Amazon Gift Cards provided by BART. Please participate by April 17.

Follow this link to the Survey: http://bart.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_ag8suit34ezAYUl

The BART research team thank you in advance for your participation!

Emission Reduction in February

March 24, 2016

GoGreen_1200x1200_heartCounty Connection riders reduced CO2 emissions by 31,829 pounds EACH WEEKDAY in the month of February. Were you one of them?

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. Riding just one day a week will make a difference.

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

Bus Bridge Between N. Concord & Pittsburg BART In Place

County Connection is operating a bus bridge between the North Concord/Martinez and the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART stations to assist BART passengers affected by the trackside equipment problem. Equipment problems caused system wide delays for BART all afternoon which are expected to continue into the evening commute hours.

County Connection, along with other neighboring bus systems will attempt to have the bus service mirror the BART 15 minute frequency, however traffic on eastbound HWY 4 will likely result in delayed travel time between the two BART stations.

Bus Stop Improvements Underway

Clayton - Fry WayNew Shelters Are On The Way

County Connection is making improvements to many bus stops throughout the service area, made possible with a combination of state and federal funds for capital projects. Agency planning staff developed an improvement program and identified a priority list  based on both compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and high ridership volume.

The bus stop access improvement program will focus on upgrading shelters so they have solar lighting, improving ADA accessibility, improving pathways and access to bus stops, and providing real time signage as well as other passenger amenities.

County Connection bus stops are located in the public right of way and therefor decisions about improvements are being coordinated with the local jurisdictions involved. The first round of improvements will be to upgrade old shelters with solar lighted shelters in the cities of Concord and Pleasant Hill.  A demonstration program for solar powered signs that show arrival times will be implemented this year as well.

 

Transit Driver Appreciation Day-March 18, 2016

Monroe3/15/16

Transit drivers don’t have an easy job, they just make it look that way.

For hours on end, your driver manages to keep a schedule, check fares, give directions, announce stops, remember requests and more. All while safely maneuvering an extra-large vehicle through unpredictable traffic, tough weather conditions and some really tight spaces.

On March 18, join us in celebrating our hard-working bus drivers

For simple, innovative suggestions on how you can thank your favorite driver, visit http://transitdriverday.org/

Real Time Predictions Will Be Down Briefly 3/7/16

3/3/16

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BusTime will be down starting at 3:00 AM on Monday, March 7th for planned maintenance.

The BusTime program generates real-time predictions for Bus Tracker as well as any other real-time transit application. BusTime contractors will move a new 511 real-time interface to the central server. This is the final step in getting County Connection’s real-time system available in a compatible format with the 511 real-time system operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

The system is expected to be down for a few hours.

January CO2 Emissions Reduction

February 24, 2016

1 day sign

County Connection riders reduced CO2 emissions by 29,353 pounds EACH WEEKDAY in the month of January. Were you one of them?

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. Riding just one day a week will make a difference.

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