Parent | Western Contra Costa Transit Authority |
---|---|
Founded | 1977 |
Headquarters | 601 Walter Ave, Pinole |
Service area | Contra Costa County, California |
Service type | transit bus, express bus, paratransit |
Routes | 14 |
Stops | 300 |
Fleet | 57 |
Daily ridership | 4,944 |
Fuel type | Diesel, Gasoline, & Hybrid Electric |
Operator | MV Transportation |
Website | westcat.org |
WestCAT is a public transportation service in western Contra Costa County (north of Oakland, CA). It is a service of the Western Contra Costa Transit Authority.
The Western Contra Costa County Transit (WestCAT) was established in August 1977 as a Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement between Contra Costa County and the cities of Hercules and Pinole. It was created with the purpose of owning, operating and administering a public transportation system serving the area between the Richmond/El Sobrante border to the west and the Al Zampa Memorial Bridge to the east. WestCAT is governed by a 7-member Board of Directors and supported by professional staff of seven. The two cities of Pinole and Hercules are each represented by two board members, while the unincorporated communities of Crockett, Rodeo, and Montalvin Manor each have one representative, appointed by the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors.
WestCAT's fleet started out with shuttle vans, and then using buses made by El Dorado National and Thomas Built Buses. Now, WestCAT runs an almost all Gillig fleet, ranging from 19 Gillig Phantoms, to 18 Gillig Low Floors. WestCAT also has five Motor Coach Industries (MCI) over-the-road coaches and three Alexander Dennis Enviro500 double-decker buses for use on the LYNX. In addition, WestCAT has 10 Ford E-450 Paratransit vans, and 2 Toyota Camry hybrid electric sedans used for Dial-A-Ride.
As of September 2013, WestCAT provides a network of local and express bus routes throughout western Contra Costa County. [1] In addition, WestCAT operates regional service between Martinez (Route 30Z) and the Hercules Transit Center and between the Hercules Transit Center and Contra Costa College (Route C3). The (Local) routes are 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19. Also (Express) JX, JL/JR (referred to as the "J" by most riders, the "L" designates via Lakeside Drive, and the "R" designates via Richmond Parkway), JPX (serves Pinole Valley residents wanting to go to the Hercules Transit Center or BART). Also, WestCAT operates transbay service between the Hercules Transit Center and the Salesforce Transit Center in San Francisco called the LYNX with stops in the Rodeo Park and Ride located on Willow Avenue, North Shore Business Park near Bio-Rad, the Victoria by the Bay neighborhood in Hercules and the Hercules Transit Center. From the Hercules Transit Center the line then goes nonstop to San Francisco via the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on I-80. WestCAT currently offers free Wi-Fi service on the LYNX line. [2]
Major transfer points for the majority of WestCAT and other agencies' routes include:
Route Number | Direction | Terminals | Days of Operation | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
North/East Terminal | South/West Terminal | ||||
10 | Loop | Hercules Transit Center - Turquoise | Weekdays | ||
11 | Loop | Hercules Transit Center - Crockett | Weekdays and Saturdays | ||
12 | Loop | Hercules Transit Center - Mandalay/Bonaire | Weekdays | ||
15 | Loop | Hercules Transit Center - Viewpointe Blvd | Weekdays | ||
16 | Loop | Richmond Parkway Transit Center - Wright Ave/Doidge Ave | Weekdays | ||
17 | Loop | Richmond Parkway Transit Center - Cypress/Broadmore | Weekdays (except midday) | ||
18 | Loop | Richmond Parkway Transit Center - Tara Hills | Weekdays (except midday) | ||
19 | Loop | Hercules Transit Center - Hilltop Mall Shopping Center | Saturdays Only | [19] | |
C3 Regional Route | East-West | Hercules Transit Center | Contra Costa College | Weekdays | |
30Z Regional Route | East-West | Martinez Amtrak | Hercules Transit Center | Weekdays | [30Z] |
J (JR/JL) Express Route | North-South | Hercules Transit Center Weekdays Willow/Viewpointe Weekdays after 8pm & Weekends | El Cerrito del Norte BART | Daily | [J] |
JX Express Route | North-South | Hercules Transit Center | El Cerrito del Norte BART | Weekdays (except midday) | |
JPX Express Route | North-South | Hercules Transit Center | El Cerrito del Norte BART | Weekdays | [JPX] |
Lynx Transbay Route | North-South | Willow Avenue Commute trips Hercules Transit Center Non-commute trips | Salesforce Transit Center | Weekdays (limited holiday service) | [Lynx] |
705 | North-South | MacArthur BART | Temporary Transbay Terminal | Weekdays | [Early Bird] |
708 | North-South | El Cerrito del Norte BART | 19th Street Oakland BART | Weekdays | [Early Bird] |
WestCAT provides service to the communities of:
The local transportation demand management organization 511 Contra Costa also provides information for intermodal transfers throughout Contra Costa County, and works closely with WestCAT to help transit users make regional connections beyond their immediate service area.
Contra Costa County is a county located in the U.S. state of California, in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 1,165,927. The county seat is Martinez. It occupies the northern portion of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area and is primarily suburban. The county's name refers to its position on the other side of the bay from San Francisco. Contra Costa County is included in the San Francisco–Oakland–Berkeley, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Hercules is a city in western Contra Costa County, California. Situated along the coast of San Pablo Bay, it is located in the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area, about 10 miles (16 km) north of Berkeley. As of the 2020 census, its population was 26,016, according to the United States Census Bureau. The site of Hercules was first developed in 1881 as a manufacturing facility of the California Powder Works for the production of its patented dynamite formulation, Hercules powder. In 1882, the Hercules Powder Company was incorporated and assumed responsibility for the Hercules site. It was one of several explosive manufacturers that were active along the Pinole shoreline in the late 19th to the mid-20th century. The small company town that grew up near the facility subsequently became known as "Hercules", and was incorporated at the end of 1900. Starting in the 1970s, Hercules was heavily redeveloped as suburban bedroom community that lies along the I-80 corridor in Western Contra Costa County. It has a very ethnically diverse population.
San Pablo is an enclave city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 32,127 at the 2020 census. The current mayor is Patricia Ponce. Currently, the city council consists of Abel Pineda, Arturo Cruz, Elizabeth Pabon-Alvarado, and Rita Xavier. Ponce is mayor, and Cruz, Pabon-Alvarado, and Xavier are council members. Dorothy Gantt is the city Clerk. Viviana Toledo is the city treasurer.
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The East Bay is the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area and includes cities along the eastern shores of the San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. The region has grown to include inland communities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. With a population of roughly 2.5 million in 2010, it is the most populous subregion in the Bay Area.
The West Contra Costa Unified School District is the school district for western Contra Costa County, California. It is based in Richmond, California. In addition to Richmond, the district covers the cities of El Cerrito, San Pablo, Pinole, and Hercules and the unincorporated areas of Bayview-Montalvin Manor, East Richmond Heights, El Sobrante, Kensington, North Richmond, and Tara Hills.
Richmond station is an Amtrak intercity rail and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station located in downtown Richmond, California. Richmond is the north terminus of BART service on the Orange Line and Red Line; it is a stop for Amtrak's Capitol Corridor, San Joaquins, and California Zephyr routes. The accessible station has one island platform for the two BART tracks, with a second island platform serving two of the three tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad Martinez Subdivision for Amtrak trains. It is one of two transfer points between BART and Amtrak, along with Oakland Coliseum station.
El Cerrito del Norte station is a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station located on Cutting Boulevard in El Cerrito, California. The station is served by the Orange and Red lines. Located near San Pablo Avenue and Interstate 80, it serves as a regional transit hub for local AC Transit bus services, and for commuter feeder services from Solano, Napa, and Marin Counties in the North Bay plus western Contra Costa County. Opened in 1973, the station was renovated in 2017–2021 to add additional elevators, stairs, and lobby space.
The Richmond Parkway Transit Center, or RPTC, is a park and ride lot and bus terminal located in Richmond, California. It is named after the adjacent Richmond Parkway and serves as a transfer point for WestCAT and AC Transit. The center is situated on the corner of Richmond Parkway and Blume Drive, near the Pinole border and adjacent to Interstate 80 and the Hilltop Plaza shopping center.
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Hercules station is a proposed intermodal infill train station and ferry terminal in Hercules, California in Contra Costa County. It is to be the first direct Amtrak-to-ferry transit hub in the San Francisco Bay Area and will be constructed in between the existing Richmond and Martinez stations. By July 2018, three of the station's six construction phases had been complete, including street at Bay Trail approaches. However, no proposed opening date has yet been announced by the City of Hercules.
Throughout the history of Bay Area Rapid Transit, there have been plans to extend service to other areas.
Macdonald 80 Shopping Center, or Macdonald 80, is a 200,000 sq. ft. (18,580m³) regional shopping mall in the North & East neighborhood in Richmond, California, anchored by a Target store. The center was largely demolished and rebuilt after suffering from urban decay and blight. It is the only entirely LEED certified mall. It is anchored by a large Target store.
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Doctors Medical Center was an eight-story, 120-bed public hospital in San Pablo, California which served 250,000 residents in western Contra Costa County from 1954 to 2015.