Dumbarton Express Bus Ridership Hits Record High in August

More and more people are riding on the Dumbarton Express and setting record-breaking numbers.

According to AC Transit, which governs the bus line, ridership hit a record high in August with 30,552 riders — a 7 percent increase from July and a 15 percent jump from the annual ridership in August 2012.

So far this year, the Dumbarton express has averaged 1,328 daily boardings. That’s up from about 1,200 daily passengers a year ago, according to AC Transit.

The service connects the East Bay and the Peninsula, with 91 daily trips between Union City and Palo Alto.

Two bus lines run weekdays from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. from the Union City BART station and either the Stanford University campus or the Stanford Research Center. The lines also make stops at the Menlo Park and Palo Alto VA hospitals, two major destinations on the Peninsula.

The transit service credits new schedules and expanded services for the increased ridership.

Last year, the Dumbarton Express extended service beyond the Stanford Oval to the Stanford Medical Center, adjusting its schedule to correlate with hospital shift times. The service also increased its frequency on the DB1 line from every 30 minutes to 20 minutes, and added 11 trips to the DB line and 32 to the DB1 route. 

With those expanded services came increased ridership.

According to AC Transit, monthly ridership has shot rom 25,000 a month in 2012 to more than 29,000 so far this year.

“Bus service to the Peninsula has been dramatically enhanced, and the ridership levels show that the public has taken notice,” AC Transit General Manager David Armijo said.

Do you ride the Dumbarton Express? How is your commute?