County Connection is making a significant realignment and service enhancement to Route 4, the Walnut Creek “Downtown Trolley”, marking the first major redesign of the route in over two decades. The improvements are designed to streamline operations, enhance reliability, and provide more frequent service to support growing mobility needs in downtown Walnut Creek.
For decades, Route 4—originally launched as Route 104—has served as a vital connector between Walnut Creek BART and the downtown core. Operated in partnership with the City of Walnut Creek, the service has long been fare-free and is often served by County Connection’s prototype Gillig electric trolley-themed buses.
Over the years, increasing traffic congestion, the addition of a figure-8 routing with the construction of Plaza Escuela in the early-2000s, and temporary routing changes made during the COVID-19 pandemic have created delays and reduced available charging time for the route’s battery electric bus fleet. To address these challenges, County Connection staff presented a proposal in 2025 to realign the route, optimize stop spacing, and take advantage of existing pedestrian infrastructure and the City of Walnut Creek’s transit signal priority (TSP) system, which gives more green lights to our buses.
In addition to a new alignment, Route 4 will soon run every 15 minutes (previously every 20 minutes) on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.—an improvement funded through an Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) Grant awarded in partnership with the City of Walnut Creek and Resources for Community Development for the Civic Crossing affordable housing development now under construction at 699 Ygnacio Valley Road. The grant provides up to $4.15 million to support increased bus frequency for approximately five years.
“Route 4 has been a cornerstone of mobility in Walnut Creek for decades,” said Bill Churchill, County Connection General Manager. “This realignment ensures the service can continue to meet the needs of residents, workers, and visitors while improving reliability.”
As part of County Connection’s federal responsibilities under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, a major service change analysis was conducted to ensure the proposal does not disproportionately impact minority or low-income riders. The Title VI Service Equity Analysis found no disparate impacts or disproportionate burdens and projected a net increase in service for both groups.
Public outreach efforts began in September 2025, including opportunities for riders to provide feedback via email, mail, and online. A public hearing was held on October 16, 2025, prior to the County Connection Board of Directors meeting. All feedback received wasincorporated into the final Title VI report submitted to the Federal Transit Administration.
Planned changes to Route 4 will begin on January 11, 2026. “Changing any route or service is an enormous endeavor,” explained Andrew Smith, Director of Planning & Marketing, “and one that takes a lot of thoughtful coordination between County Connection, the City, various funding sources, and the public.”
This realignment ensures that Route 4 remains a dependable and accessible link for everyone traveling through downtown Walnut Creek.
