AC TRANSIT WILL CEASE DOWNTOWN OAKLAND NIGHTTIME DETOURS, FRIDAY, MARCH 8

Oakland Police and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Deputies will support bus lines; ensuring lanes are kept clear of unlawful roadway activity.

OAKLAND, Calif. – The Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) wishes to announce that nighttime detours impacting some bus line service through downtown Oakland are discontinued, effective Friday, March 8.

AC Transit will closely monitor service in the affected area and work with Oakland PD, Alameda County Sheriff, and City of Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT) to ensure service is reliably operating. 

A total of six bus stops along Broadway at 15th and 17th Northbound and 19th and 17th Southbound were temporarily detoured each weekend night since August 2022 due to intermittent street closures, stopped traffic, and large crowds. The Tempo BRT station at 19th and Broadway Northbound and Southbound at Thomas L. Berkley Way (20th Street) and Broadway were also impacted by the weekend detours.

Despite these limited weekend detours, AC Transit service operations continued, including the quarterly service sign-up, which allows Bus Operators to select their work schedules. During these sign-ups, there may be minor adjustments to timetables, bus stops, and other details. In such cases, we exhaust every communication platform to inform riders about the schedule changes.

At the beginning of March, a sign-up took place, and during the public announcement, our transit district mistakenly identified that the weekend detours also applied to weeknights.

We deeply regret the confusion and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by this misunderstanding. Rest assured, we are committed to ensuring clear and transparent communication moving forward to prevent such misunderstandings in the future.

Ultimately, the decision to end nighttime detours hinges on the removal of roadway obstacles, such as unlawfully parked food trucks, which frequently block lanes along the Broadway corridor. As a result, Oakland Police will allocate additional overtime officers to enforce regulations near bus stops between 15th and 19th. The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office will collaborate by monitoring the operation of transit service on Broadway and in the vicinity of downtown bus stops, preventing staging, stopping, or parking of vehicles in the bus only lane.

Given that over 80 percent of AC Transit's bus routes pass through downtown Oakland, ensuring unobstructed access is vital for service efficiency. Consequently, law enforcement will issue citations and possibly tow vehicles found unlawfully stopped or parked at bus stops or Tempo-Line 1T platform stations.

The continued support and understanding of our riders and East Bay communities are greatly appreciated as we strive to improve our services for you.