September 03,2026

Despite a year of challenges, our workforce delivered 3 million+ trips a month

OAKLAND,
Calif. – For the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit), this Labor
Day marks more than a three-day weekend or the unofficial end of summer. It is
an opportunity to recognize our workers, especially during what has been an
exceptionally challenging year for the transit industry.

“The
work our employees do every day may not always feel like a milestone in the
moment. But that is how milestones are made: one task completed, one challenge
solved, and one shift at a time,” said Board of Directors President Diane Shaw.
“Over the course of a year, those individual efforts become something much
bigger.”

Those
efforts can be seen across every corner of AC Transit: cleaning and fueling a
fleet of more than 500 buses overnight, driving congested streets while looking
out for students and riders with disabilities, troubleshooting mechanical
problems in the middle of service, building smarter digital tools, turning
hours worked into accurate paychecks, and taking on countless other responsibilities
most riders will never see.

Since
last Labor Day, those individual efforts have added up to something much
bigger. Our employees have helped deliver more than 3 million rides each month
to work, medical appointments, and other essential destinations, along with
30,000 daily school trips.

“Together,
our employees helped propel AC Transit to its first three consecutive months of
year-over-year ridership growth in the post-pandemic era. All while our transit
district adjusted to internal cost-cutting and a projected $200 million
structural deficit over the next four years,” said General Manager-CEO Salvador
Llamas. “Despite the financial pressures facing our transit district, our
employees are working hard to keep East Bay communities connected.”

This
Labor Day, we wanted to introduce you to just some of AC Transit’s team of
talent, including Journey Level Mechanic John J., whose mother built a career
with AC Transit and encouraged her mechanically curious son to apply.
Thirty-four years later, John is still solving complex mechanical problems and
enjoying the variety that first drew him to AC Transit.

“You
never know what needs to be fixed. You never know what happened to a bus. So,
the change every day was best for me because it never became repetitive.”

Senior
Transportation Supervisor Alexandria P. grew up riding AC Transit, relying on
supplementary bus service and the many other lines that crisscrossed East
Oakland. She has turned those same roads into a 12-year career of service that
began behind the wheel as a Bus Operator. And although her uniform has changed,
her smile has not.

“We
have a lot of people who are going through so much in life. And you and your
smile uplift them out of a situation. I have people tell me all the time, ‘You
don’t know that you just made my day.’”

Training
Instructor Brenda N. began her career 36 years ago. Since then, technology has
changed, the buses have changed, and the world has changed, but her commitment
to riders never did. Through it all, she says one thing has remained constant:
AC Transit is family.

“The
operators, the dispatchers, and the superintendents…are  just one big happy family. I always felt like
no matter what was happening in my personal life, I always had an outlet when
it came to my job.”

Andrei
P. is one of AC Transit’s newer hires, but his connection goes back much
further. An East Bay native who grew up riding AC Transit, Andrei left the
advertising agency world to bring his creative experience home to AC Transit.
Today, he leads our graphic design team. So, when you step aboard a bus, you’re
stepping into some of their work.

“All
the signs and printed materials you see onboard our buses… our team created
them, along with digital graphics that appear in stadiums.”

This
Labor Day and throughout September, we invite you to join AC Transit to show a
little extra appreciation. When you encounter one of our employees, take a
moment to offer a heartfelt “thank you” for the work they do each day to keep
you and the East Bay moving.