AC TRANSIT LIFTS ONBOARD FACE MASK REQUIREMENT ON ALL BUS LINES

The change is effective at the start of the operating day, Sunday, October 2

OAKLAND, Calif. – The Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) notifies its riders and communities that at the start of the operating day, Sunday, October 2, the onboard face mask requirement will end.

AC Transit is one of the last transit agencies statewide to lift its onboard mask requirement. As such, this decision follows careful consideration, including the consistent decline in COVID-positive cases documented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) since July 2022.

Our transit district is confident that wearing a well-fitted mask, widespread vaccination, and broad access to self-testing has been instrumental in reducing COVID-19 transmissions and achieving the health outcomes recorded by local and federal public health officers. 

However, the potential of new variants of the COVID-19 virus has precluded public health officers from declaring an end to the pandemic. As a result, AC Transit may modify the current decision during either or all the following circumstances:  

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or Transportation Security Administration (TSA) impose new masking mandates;
• The California Department of Public Health reinstates an indoor masking requirement;
• Health officers from Alameda and Contra Costa counties reinstate indoor masking requirements; 
• The Bay Area experiences a spike in COVID-positive cases. 

(note: AC Transit defines a "spike" as a sharp increase in the concentration of COVID-positive diagnosis, documented by local public health officers and treatment professionals).

Riders may exercise personal choice and continue to wear a face mask while commuting on our bus lines. In support of individual choice, AC Transit will continue to supply face masks and hand sanitizer at the bus entrance throughout our fleet, free of charge.