F (AC Transit)

The F is a bus service operated by AC Transit in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is one of the operator's many transbay routes, which are intended to provide riders a long-distance service across the San Francisco Bay between the East Bay and San Francisco. The service is descendant of the foundational Key System streetcar and ferry line that operated prior to the formation of AC Transit.

F
Route F bus in the Salesforce Transit Center, August 2018
Overview
Operator	Key System (1903–1960) AC Transit (1960–present)
Began service	October 26, 1903 (October 26, 1903)
Route
Locale	Berkeley, Emeryville, San Francisco
Start	University of California, Berkeley
Via	Adeline, Market, 40th
End	Salesforce Transit Center
Stations	36
Timetable	F
Map	F
Route map Legend Hearst Av & Walnut St Hearst Av & Arch St Hearst Av & Euclid Av Hearst Av & Le Roy Av Gayley Rd & Greek Theater Piedmont Av & UC Faculty Club Piedmont Av & Bancroft Way Bancroft Way & College Av Bancroft Way & Telegraph Av Bancroft Way & Dana St Bancroft Way & Ellsworth St Shattuck Av & University Av Shattuck Av & Allston Way Shattuck Av & Kittredge St Shattuck Av & Durant Av Shattuck Av & Dwight Way Shattuck Av & Parker St Adeline St & Oregon St Adeline St & Russell St Adeline St & Ashby BART Adeline St & Fairview St Adeline St & Alcatraz Av Stanford Av & King St Market St & 59th St Market St & Arlington Av Market St & 55th St Market St & 53rd St Market St & 52nd St Market St & 45th St Market St & 43rd St Market St & 40th St 40th St & San Pablo Av 40th St & Emery St 40th St & Harlan St 40th St & Hollis St 40th St & Horton St Shellmound St & Bay St Shellmound St & Christie Av Christie Av & Powell Street Plaza San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge across the San Francisco Bay Yerba Buena Tunnel Salesforce Transit Center Bay 32 This diagram: view talk edit ← E  List of AC Transit routes  FS →

History

Key Route train at Berkeley station, c. 1907–1915

Business interests controlled by Francis Marion "Borax" Smith obtained a franchise to run streetcars on Shattuck and Adeline streets by June 1902, seeking to directly compete the parallel Southern Pacific Berkeley Branch Railroad.^[1] The line opened for traffic on October 26 the following year complete with a ferry connection to San Francisco.^[2] The service was very successful, with the number of scheduled trains doubling within the first month of operation.^[3] Key System cars began sharing trackage along Shattuck with the Southern Pacific starting in 1930,^[4] though Adeline trains were discontinued past Alcatraz Avenue after March 31, 1933.^[5][6]

v t e F Line (Key System)
Legend
1903–1958
Solano Avenue & The Alameda Northbrae Tunnel  6  7  Hopkins and Sutter  5  6  7  Shattuck Square  5  Dwight  4  Ashby South Berkeley  K   3   H   E  54th Street 43rd Street  C   1  2  40th & San Pablo Hollis  A  B  Central Pacific Bridge Yard rerouted 1939 Key System Mole San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge across the San Francisco Bay Yerba Buena Island Yerba Buena Tunnel Transbay Terminal

Cars began running across the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge to the Transbay Terminal upon the facility's opening in 1939. The Key System adopted letter designations for its transbay routes at this time, with the Berkeley route designated as F and rollsigns reading Berkeley via Shattuck Avenue.^[7] The line was extended over former Interurban Electric Railway trackage to Hopkins and Sutter Streets (the stop formerly called Northbrae) to the Northbrae Tunnel beginning August 6, 1941, reestablishing service to downtown Berkeley. Service was extended through the tunnel to a new terminal at Solano Avenue and The Alameda on December 6, 1942.^[8][9] The five-car train necessary for rush hour services was locally referred to as the City of Berkeley (a reference to mainline transcontinental rail services in operation at the time).^[10] Rail service ended after April 20, 1958, and motor coaches began operating on the line.^[11]

Public ownership

AC Transit took over operation of the Key system's assets in October 1960. By then, the F's route had been established to run on Market Street in Oakland.^[12] In September 1961, service was extended down Solano Avenue for evening and Saturday runs,^[13] a move which was further applied to all trips starting in 1970. In 1973, some trips were extended slightly further down San Pablo to Buchanan, similarly applied to all service in 1975.^[14]

Boarding the F Bus at the Transbay Terminal, Aug. 6, 2010

Buses ceased serving the Transbay Terminal on August 7, 2010, and the San Francisco terminus was moved to the Temporary Transbay Terminal. The F line began running to the Salesforce Transit Center on August 12, 2018.

References

1. Demoro1 1985, p. 14
2. Demoro1 1985, pp. 17–20
3. Demoro1 1985, p. 20
4. Demoro1 1985, p. 17
5. "Berkeley In Rail Merger Appeal". The Oakland Post Enquirer. Oakland, California. March 25, 1933. p. 2. Retrieved December 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Walker 1978, p. 69
7. Demoro2 1985, pp. 189–190
8. Demoro1 1985, p. 104
9. Buchannan, Bill (July 31, 2023). "Key System was the Bay Area's original BART, and then it vanished. Here's how to find it". SFGate. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
10. Walker 1978, p. 76
11. "From Horse Car To Rapid Transit in Berkeley Picture". The Berkeley Gazette. October 27, 1966. p. 58. Retrieved November 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Tranit Information (PDF) (Map). October 1960. Retrieved November 15, 2023 – via AC Transit.
13. "AC Transit Expands Albany-S.F. Service". Oakland Tribune. September 14, 1961. p. 17. Retrieved November 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "AC Transit: History of Lines by Line, Major Changes Since 1960" (PDF). AC Transit. July 17, 1978. pp. 35–36.

Bibliography

• Demoro, Harre W. (1985). The Key Route: Transbay Commuting by Train and Ferry, Part 1. Interurbans Specials. Vol. 95. Glendale, California: Interurban Press. ISBN 0-916374-66-1.
• Demoro, Harre W. (1985). The Key Route: Transbay Commuting by Train and Ferry, Part 2. Interurbans Specials. Vol. 97. Glendale, California: Interurban Press. ISBN 0-916374-68-8. OL 2865715M.
• Walker, Jim (1978). Key System Album. Interurbans Specials. Vol. 68. Glendale, California: Interurban Press. ISBN 0-916374-31-9. OL 4742432M.

External links

• F Line — via AC Transit