AC Transit Announces Evening Bus Detours in Berkeley for October 17 Cal Football Game

The Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District issued a rider service alert announcing temporary bus route detours in Downtown Berkeley and the campus Southside neighborhood on Saturday, October 17, to accommodate crowds attending the California Golden Bears evening football game at California Memorial Stadium. District transit operations supervisors confirmed that service adjustments will take effect during two separate peak traffic windows: pre-game from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., and post-game from 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Four primary local bus routes—Lines 22, 27, 36, and 51B—will operate on modified paths.

During the designated Saturday evening hours, AC Transit coaches will bypass multiple regular curbside boarding stops along College Avenue, Bancroft Way, Durant Avenue, and Piedmont Avenue as municipal police officers close stadium perimeter streets to vehicular traffic. Line 51B, which connects the Rockridge BART station in Oakland and College Avenue commercial districts with Downtown Berkeley and the Berkeley Amtrak station, will utilize designated alternative stops along Shattuck Avenue and Fulton Street. Riders on Lines 22, 27, and 36 will also board at temporary transfer points outside the pedestrian congestion zone.

Transit district officials coordinated the game-day traffic management plan with the UC Berkeley Police Department, the City of Berkeley Public Works transportation division, and stadium event staff. By rerouting buses away from Piedmont Avenue and upper Bancroft Way during peak spectator arrivals and departures, dispatchers aim to prevent forty-foot transit coaches from becoming trapped in gridlock while maintaining reliable schedule headways for East Bay riders traveling to Oakland, Emeryville, and Albany.

Football supporters traveling from Walnut Creek, Concord, Lafayette, and Orinda via BART are encouraged to disembark at the Downtown Berkeley station on Shattuck Avenue and walk up through the university campus or catch the dedicated stadium shuttle service. Municipal parking enforcement officers reminded motorists that residential permit parking restrictions remain strictly enforced across the Elmwood and Panoramic Hill neighborhoods throughout Saturday evening.

Commuters and game attendees can review the complete list of closed bus stops and designated alternative boarding locations online at actransit.org or by calling the AC Transit customer service center at (510) 891-4777. Real-time coach arrival predictions and automated detour updates are also accessible through the official agency mobile transit application throughout Saturday night.