The map compares the AC Transit bus routes in the fall of 2019 and 2020. It shows that several AC Transit bus routes were cut during the year of the pandemic. The color gradation represents the percentage of households without access to cars by census tract. The darker the color, the greater the percentage of households without a vehicle, and in many cases, particularly in lower income areas, more dependent on bus public transit.
The following map shows the same bus routes reduction, layered over census tracts defined by median household income. The darker the color, the higher the median household income.
While overall mobility in the East Bay decreased dramatically in the first months of the pandemic, particular with mass transit, several lines remained open. Beginning in August, there was an increase in mass transit use, according to Apple Mobility Data. There is a decreasing trend in the month of December, coinciding with a surge in COVID 19 infections in the most populous Bay Area counties.
By Brett Marsh and Yinuo Shi. Data source: AC Transit, US Census Data, Apple Mobility Data.