AC Transit will implement sweeping changes to its bus network on Sunday, Aug. 10, affecting dozens of routes across the East Bay, including several in Fremont, Newark and Union City. The agency’s Realign plan, approved earlier this year, is the first systemwide overhaul in decades and is designed to reflect current ridership patterns while maintaining service levels without increasing operating costs.
The Realign initiative comes after more than two years of public engagement and data analysis, including over 22,000 survey responses. The result is a restructured network aimed at improving reliability, simplifying routes and matching service to demand.
In the Tri-City area, the changes are significant. Line 99 will replace existing lines 9, 210 and 212, providing a more streamlined north-south connection between Fremont BART and Union City BART. The new Line 211 will also debut, operating along Fremont Boulevard and serving Ohlone College and Warm Springs BART. Together, these routes are expected to offer 15-minute weekday frequencies.
In Newark, Line 200 has been restructured to serve the growing Bayside Newark development on the west side of the city near Dumbarton Bridge. Although its frequency will shift to every 30 minutes, the line will begin earlier in the morning and end later in the evening, aiming to better serve commuters.
Other adjustments include earlier start times—some as early as 5am—on key routes such as 52, 62 and 65. These lines will also see later evening service and frequency changes to improve consistency and reduce wait times. Weekend service is also being expanded on several routes.
Some routes will be eliminated or rerouted, with AC Transit encouraging riders to check new schedules in advance. While the agency says the redesign preserves overall access to major destinations like BART stations, job centers and schools, some neighborhoods will lose direct service and may need to adjust to new walking distances or transfer points.
AC Transit’s planning team says the Realign network is a response to long-term changes in how people move through the Bay Area, including shifts in commute patterns and population growth in certain corridors.
Full route maps, schedules and personalized rider tools are available at actransit.org/realign.
The truth about “Realign” is that AC Transit is significantly REDUCING bus service
• on the San Pablo Avenue corridor in Oakland,
• to the Oakland International Airport,
• in Fremont, and
• between San Francisco and the East Bay (especially Alameda and Richmond)
to fund lots of small, inconsequential improvements.
There’s a mix-up in the article. The main bus line between Hayward, Union City and Fremont, the 99, is being replaced by the 9, which ends at Union City BART. If your trip doesn’t involve BART, in other words, if you used to cross Union City BART on an AC Transit bus, you’ll now have to wait for a second bus, and both will come run less frequently than the 99 did.
New Line 9 (East 14th Street/Mission Boulevard between San Leandro BART, Bay Fair BART, Hayward BART, South Hayward BART and Union City BART).
replaces:
old Line 99 (Mission Boulevard between Hayward BART, South Hayward BART and Union City BART, then Fremont Boulevard to Fremont BART)
and also replaces (outside the Tri-Cities area):
old Line 10 (East 14th Street/Mission Boulevard between San Leandro BART, Bay Fair BART, and Hayward BART).