All Nighter (bus service)

The All Nighter is a night bus service network in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. Portions of the service shadow the rapid transit and commuter rail services of BART and Caltrain, which are the major rail services between San Francisco, the East Bay, the Peninsula, and San Jose. Both BART and Caltrain do not operate owl service so that track maintenance can be performed and the All Nighter network helps fill in this service gap. The slogan is, "Now transit stays up as late as you do!"

All-Nighter, with black and yellow owl and moon crescent mascot.

History

The service launched initially in December 2005, and fully launched on March 19, 2006.[1][2] BART performs overnight maintenance on its tracks, which requires the agency to shut down third rail power. Since there are no redundant BART lines, service is discontinued during maintenance hours.[3] BART and Caltrain riders who previously faced uncoordinated substitute bus transit service after midnight can now take advantage of the coordinated All Nighter bus service.

N-Judah Owl Muni bus at Market and Fifth (August 2018)

The service is operated by AC Transit, Muni, SamTrans, and VTA.[3] The agencies have a network of timed transfers, and half-hourly weekend service was implemented between downtown San Francisco and several BART stations along the Richmond and Fremont lines.[4] More frequent weekend service was later implemented as the Late Night Bus Pilot Program, funded by BART's operating budget, after a 2011 study concluded that shifting BART hours to stay open later but also start service later on weekends would adversely impact low-income and minority workers who rely on BART for their commute.[3]

AC Transit Route 800 operates along Market Street in San Francisco; this is the first AC Transit route to operate anywhere within San Francisco beyond the Transbay Terminal.[5] On weekends, Route 800 is extended to 24th and Mission.[3]

VTA Route 22, which runs all day, carries approximately 20% of all VTA bus riders. The late night Route 22 has earned the nickname "Hotel 22" for the homeless that form the majority of riders for the overnight runs.[6] In January 2019, VTA proposed cutting service on Route 22 between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. to help close a budget deficit.[7] In April, the agency recommended continuing overnight service, but working with other agencies to redirect homeless riders to shelters.[8]

The service is funded by Regional Measure 2 (RM2), which voters approved in 2004.[9] The measure increased tolls by $1 on state-owned bridges in the Bay Area.

Before the AllNighter

Overnight transit service throughout the Bay Area predated the All Nighter initiative. Overnight service has consistently operated within San Francisco, but service outside of San Francisco has been inconsistent, rising and falling with the financial fortunes of the various transit agencies.

  • AC Transit's long-standing overnight service was completely withdrawn in 1996,[10]:1–15 restored in 1999,[10]:1–13 and expanded in later years.
  • SamTrans introduced overnight service to SFO in 2001[11] and maintained it with a subsidy from the airport starting in 2003.
  • VTA introduced overnight service on Route 22[12] and the light rail network, but later withdrew overnight light rail service due to financial difficulties.
  • Golden Gate Transit, which had long offered an essentially 24-hour service on Route 80 to Santa Rosa, reduced the span of service in 2003.

24-hour service was one of the issues considered in the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's 2001 Lifeline Network study, which detailed the transportation needs of economically disadvantaged individuals.[13]

Discontinued routes

The All Nighter service initially included County Connection Route 820, which operated between downtown Oakland and central Contra Costa County.[5][14] This route was discontinued effective December 28, 2008 due to budgetary problems and low ridership.[15][16][17][18] Route 820 operated between downtown Oakland and Concord BART.

WHEELS Route 810 was another initial service offering which operated between Bay Fair BART in San Leandro and Livermore via Dublin/Pleasanton BART.[5] Route 810 was discontinued effective June 27, 2009 due to budgetary problems and low ridership.[19]

Additional service from Bay Fair BART to Castro Valley BART via AC Transit Route 880 was discontinued effective March 28, 2010 due to that agency's budgetary problems. Route 880 operated between Bay Fair BART and Castro Valley BART.

Weekend service to Pittsburg/Bay Point BART via AC Transit Line 822 was introduced as a one-year pilot program in December 2014;[20] it was discontinued one year later effective December 20, 2015 due to low ridership. Line 822 operated weekends from San Francisco to Pittsburg/Bay Point BART via Oakland, Pleasant Hill BART and Walnut Creek BART.

Late Night Transportation Working Group

In April 2014, Supervisor Scott Wiener formed the Late Night Transportation Working Group to study options for improved public transportation in and around San Francisco.[21] In September, the Working Group announced that BART would test more frequent service for AC Transit route 800, cutting headways from 30 to 20 minutes, and introduce service from San Francisco to Pittsburg/Bay Point BART via a new AC Transit route 822.[22]

Service area

Service in Contra Costa and Alameda counties (including Alameda, Berkeley, Fremont, Hayward, Oakland, Richmond and San Leandro) is provided by AC Transit. AC Transit also operates Transbay service to and from San Francisco over the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge.

Service in San Francisco is provided by the San Francisco Municipal Railway. Service on the Peninsula is provided by SamTrans in San Mateo County with connections to San Francisco and Palo Alto. Service in the South Bay is provided by the VTA in Santa Clara County between Palo Alto and San Jose.

All Nighter service generally operates daily between midnight and 5 a.m. AC Transit's Transbay service operates until 6 a.m. on Saturdays and 8 a.m. on Sundays and designated holidays to correspond with the times BART is not operating.

Transfer points

The All Nighter network has two primary pulse transfer points where routes are coordinated to meet and provide direct transfers between agencies.[23]

  • The primary transfer point in San Francisco is at Market Street and Van Ness Avenue, where Muni, AC Transit, and SamTrans meet. Timed transfers are available between Muni's L Owl and 90 San Bruno Owl lines, AC Transit route 800, and SamTrans route 397. Muni's N Owl line stops there as well, but without any timed transfers to other All Nighter buses.
  • The primary transfer point in downtown Oakland is at Broadway and 14th Street, where various AC Transit routes meet. Timed transfers are available between AC Transit routes 800, 801, 802, 805, 840, and 851.

Secondary timed transfer points are located at seven different locations in San Francisco. The transfer point between SamTrans and VTA is near the Palo Alto Transit Center, which connects SamTrans route 397 with VTA route 22; the routes are not coordinated.

Service gaps

The All-Nighter network operates primarily in dense areas centered on Oakland and San Francisco. No overnight service is provided to several parts of the Bay Area:

  • Marin and Sonoma counties in the Golden Gate Transit service area (limited late night/early morning service is offered on GGT routes 30 and 101)[24]
  • Eastern Contra Costa County in the Tri-Delta Transit and County Connection service areas
  • Western San Mateo County in the SamTrans service area
  • Solano County in the SolTrans service area.
  • Southern Alamdea County and northern Santa Clara County between Fremont and San Jose

Among the major bridge crossing the Bay, only the San Francisco Bay Bridge has All Nighter service, connecting San Francisco and Oakland.

Routes

The All Nighter network officially consists of 25 bus routes.[24]

BART shadow service is provided by AC Transit routes 800 (between San Francisco and Richmond) and 801 (between Oakland and Fremont) in the East Bay, Muni route 14 in San Francisco (between Embarcadero and Daly City), and SamTrans route ECR on the Peninsula (between Daly City and San Francisco International Airport). Caltrain shadow service is provided by VTA route 22 (between Palo Alto and San Jose) and SamTrans route 397 (between San Francisco and Palo Alto, including stops at SFO).

AllNighter service to San Francisco International Airport is provided by both SamTrans route ECR (operating on a shortened route to Daly City, where it connects with Muni) and SamTrans route 397. Service to Oakland International Airport is provided by AC Transit routes 73 and 805.

RouteCommunities served
Muni — San Francisco
K-Ingleside Owl[lower-alpha 1] Downtown, Civic Center, Castro, Twin Peaks, Forest Hill, West Portal, Ingleside  
L-Taraval Owl Downtown, Civic Center, Castro, Twin Peaks, Forest Hill, West Portal, Parkside, Ocean Beach
M-Ocean View Owl[lower-alpha 1] Downtown, Civic Center, Castro, Twin Peaks, Forest Hill, West Portal, Ocean View
N-Judah Owl South of Market, South Beach, Downtown, Civic Center, Duboce Triangle, Haight, Inner Sunset, Outer Sunset, Ocean Beach
T-Third Owl[lower-alpha 1] Civic Center, Downtown, South Beach, South of Market, Mission Bay, Dogpatch, Bayview, Sunnydale
5-Fulton Civic Center, Fillmore, NoPa, Inner Richmond, Outer Richmond, Ocean Beach
14-Mission or 107-Mission Owl[lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3] South of Market, Mission District, Bernal Heights, Excelsior, Daly City
22-Fillmore Marina, Cow Hollow, Pacific Heights, Fillmore, Mission District, Potrero Hill, Dogpatch
24-Divisadero Castro, Noe Valley, Bernal Heights
25-Treasure Island Transbay Terminal, Treasure Island
38-Geary Transbay Terminal, Downtown, Union Square, Tenderloin, Western Addition, Japantown, Laurel Heights, Inner Richmond, Outer Richmond
44-O'Shaughnessy Mendell Hill, Hunter's Point, Bayview, Silver Terrace, Portola University Mound, Excelsior North, Excelsior Library, Mission Terrace, Bernal Glen, Glen Park
48-Quintara/24th Street Dogpatch, Potrero Hill, Mission East, Southeast Mission, West Mission, Juri Commons, Fair Oaks, Central Noe Valley, Upper Noe
90 Van Ness/San Bruno Owl[lower-alpha 4] Marina, Civic Center, South of Market, Mission District, Portola, Visitacion Valley
91 Ingleside/Third Street/Stockton/19th Avenue Owl[lower-alpha 5][lower-alpha 6] Parkmerced, Parkside, Sunset, Richmond, Marina, Fisherman's Wharf, North Beach, Chinatown, Downtown, SoMa, Dogpatch, Bayview, Visitacion Valley, Excelsior, Ingleside, St. Francis Wood, West Portal
AC Transit — East Bay
73[lower-alpha 7][lower-alpha 8] 73rd/Hegenberger (Oakland, Oakland International Airport)  
376[lower-alpha 7][lower-alpha 9] El Cerrito, Richmond, San Pablo, Pinole
800[lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 10] San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Albany, El Cerrito, Richmond
801[lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 11] International/Mission (Oakland, San Leandro, Hayward, Union City, Fremont)
802[lower-alpha 12] San Pablo (Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, Berkeley Amtrak)
805[lower-alpha 13] MacArthur (Oakland, Oakland International Airport)
840[lower-alpha 14] Foothill (Oakland)
851[lower-alpha 15] Alameda, Oakland, Berkeley
SamTrans — Peninsula
296[lower-alpha 7][lower-alpha 16] Redwood City, East Palo Alto, Palo Alto  
397[lower-alpha 5][lower-alpha 17] San Francisco, Brisbane, South San Francisco, San Francisco International Airport, Millbrae, Burlingame, San Mateo, Belmont, San Carlos, Redwood City, East Palo Alto, Palo Alto
ECR[lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 18] Daly City, Colma, South San Francisco, San Bruno, San Francisco International Airport, [Millbrae, Burlingame, San Mateo, Belmont, San Carlos, Redwood City, Atherton, Menlo Park, Palo Alto]
VTA — South Bay
22[lower-alpha 5] Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, San Jose  
Notes
  1. Although officially considered part of the All Nighter network, this route has limited service and does not operate during traditional owl hours.
  2. Emulates BART.
  3. Runs close to BART from Embarcadero to Daly City.
  4. Combination of the 9-San Bruno and 47-Van Ness daytime bus lines.
  5. Emulates Caltrain.
  6. Combination of the 28-19th Avenue, 30-Stockton, T-Third, 8-Bayshore, and K-Ingleside daytime bus and streetcar lines.
  7. Not officially part of the All Nighter network.
  8. Run at all times. Route is supplemented in its entirety by Route 805.
  9. Operates until about 4 a.m. Combination of portions of the 71 and 76 daytime bus lines.
  10. Runs close to BART Richmond line. Combination of portions of the F, 6, 51B, and 72M daytime bus lines.
  11. Runs close to BART Warm Springs/South Fremont line. Combination of portions of the 1, 10, and 99 daytime bus lines.
  12. Serves a portion of the 72/72M daytime bus line.
  13. Combination of portions of the NL, 12, 57, and 73 daytime bus lines.
  14. Serves a portion of the 40 daytime bus line.
  15. Combination of portions of the 51A and 51B daytime bus lines.
  16. Supplements Route 397. Combined with a portion of the 281 daytime bus line at night.
  17. Combination of portions of the ECR, 281, 292, and 296 daytime bus lines.
  18. Runs close to BART from Daly City to San Francisco International Airport. Short-turned at SFO to return to Daly City during AllNighter hours.

Initial list of routes

The initial service providers for the All Nighter service in 2006 were AC Transit, Muni, SamTrans, County Connection, and Wheels.[25] Most headways were 60 minutes, with the exception of Muni (30 minutes except 45 minutes on the 25-Treasure Island) and AC Transit (30 minutes on weekend routes 800 and 801).[26]

RouteCommunities served
AC Transit — East Bay
800[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] San Francisco—Richmond via Oakland, Berkeley, Albany, El Cerrito  
801[lower-alpha 1] Oakland—Fremont via San Leandro, Hayward, Union City, Fremont
802 Oakland—Berkeley via Emeryville
805 Oakland—Oakland International Airport
840 Oakland—Eastmont
851 Alameda—Berkeley via Oakland
Muni — San Francisco
L-Taraval Owl Downtown, Civic Center, Castro, Twin Peaks, Forest Hill, West Portal, Parkside, Ocean Beach  
N-Judah Owl South of Market, South Beach, Downtown, Civic Center, Duboce Triangle, Haight, Inner Sunset, Outer Sunset, Ocean Beach
5-Fulton Civic Center, Fillmore, NoPa, Inner Richmond, Outer Richmond, Ocean Beach
14-Mission[lower-alpha 1] South of Market, Mission District, Bernal Heights, Excelsior, Daly City
22-Fillmore Marina, Cow Hollow, Pacific Heights, Fillmore, Mission District, Potrero Hill, Dogpatch
24-Divisadero Castro, Noe Valley, Bernal Heights
38-Geary Transbay Terminal, Downtown, Union Square, Tenderloin, Western Addition, Japantown, Laurel Heights, Inner Richmond, Outer Richmond
90 Owl Marina, Civic Center, South of Market, Mission District, Portola, Visitacion Valley
91 Owl[lower-alpha 3] Parkmerced, Parkside, Sunset, Richmond, Marina, Fisherman's Wharf, North Beach, Chinatown, Downtown, SoMa, Dogpatch, Bayview, Visitacion Valley, Excelsior, Ingleside, St. Francis Wood, West Portal
25-Treasure Island Transbay Terminal, Treasure Island
SamTrans — Peninsula
397[lower-alpha 3] San Francisco—Palo Alto via Brisbane, South San Francisco, San Francisco International Airport, Millbrae, Burlingame, San Mateo, Belmont, San Carlos, Redwood City, East Palo Alto  
County Connection — Contra Costa County
820[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 4] Oakland—Concord via Orinda, Lafayette, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill  
Wheels — Alameda County
810[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 5] San Leandro—Livermore via Bay Fair, Dublin, Pleasanton  
Notes
  1. Shadow of BART service
  2. Transfer to/from Muni and SamTrans at Van Ness, downtown San Francisco stations, Transbay Terminal.
  3. Shadow of Caltrain service
  4. Transfer to/from AC Transit at 14th & Broadway. Express from transfer point to Orinda BART.
  5. Transfer to/from AC Transit route 801 at Bay Fair BART. Express from transfer point to Dublin.

References
  1. "New Transbay Service To Begin March 19". AC Transit. 10 February 2006. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  2. Maitre, Michelle (22 March 2006). "Live a little: All Nighter ready to roll". East Bay Times. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  3. "Enhanced Late Night Bus Service Pilot". AC Transit. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  4. "GC 05-071c, Attachment A" (PDF). AC Transit. 15 June 2005. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  5. Herel, Suzanne (22 March 2006). "Agencies introduce All Nighter buses". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  6. Emmons, Mark (31 October 2013). "Homeless turn overnight bus route into Hotel 22". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  7. Richards, Gary (16 January 2019). "Bus route known as Hotel 22 may have to limit service". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  8. "VTA Releases Final Recommendations for 2019 New Transit Service Plan" (Press release). Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. April 5, 2019.
  9. "Approved Projects: RM2 (Regional Measure 2) Owl Network". AC Transit. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  10. "1: AC Transit Today". AC Transit: Short Range Transit Plan, FY 2002 - FY 2013 (PDF) (Report). AC Transit. 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-10-08. Retrieved 2006-08-06.
  11. "SamTrans adds owl service to SFO bus schedule, new overnight service will aid airport employees" (PDF) (Press release). San Francisco International Airport. 18 January 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2006. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  12. Route 22 Website Archived September 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  13. Lifeline Transportation Network Report: 2001 Regional Transportation Plan for the San Francisco Bay Area (PDF) (Report). Metropolitan Transportation Commission. December 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-28. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  14. Cuff, Denis (17 September 2008). "Night Owl bus may be grounded". East Bay Times. Bay Area News Group. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  15. Cuff, Denis (27 December 2008). "East Bay Roundup: Bus Route Discontinued". East Bay Times. Bay Area News Group. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  16. County Connection to cut bus service, raise fares
  17. Cuff, Denis (27 December 2008). "All Nighter bus route ending". East Bay Times. Bay Area News Group. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  18. December Service Changes
  19. "Wheels Announces Phase II Service Reductions Effective June 27, 2009" (Press release). Wheels. 27 May 2009. Archived from the original on 2011-06-16. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  20. "AC Transit to Expand Its Late Night Bus Service" (Press release). AC Transit. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  21. Cabanatuan, Michael (22 April 2014). "Ride on to sunrise". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  22. Cabanatuan, Michael (30 September 2014). "Hope for late-night transit dawns; BART to roll out test project". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  23. "GC Memo No. 05-071c" (PDF). AC Transit. 15 June 2005. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  24. "AllNighter Service: All Nighter Routes". Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  25. "All Nighter – Late Night Bay Area Transit: Now transit stays up as late as you do!". 511.org. 2005. Archived from the original on 2006-04-09. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  26. "All Nighter Route Map" (PDF). 511.org. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-08. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
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