AC Transit Route 72

72
Overview
Operator	Eastbay Motor Coach Lines (1933–) AC Transit (1960–)
Began service	1933 (1933)
Route
Locale	Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, Albany, El Cerrito, Richmond, El Sobrante, San Pablo
Via	San Pablo Avenue
Daily ridership	2,692 (Fall 2022, 72)[1] 2,583 (Fall 2022, 72M)[1] 3,971 (Fall 2022, 72R)[1]
Map	72, 72M, 72R
Route map ← 71  List of AC Transit routes  73 →

The 72 is a bus route in the East Bay operated by AC Transit. It serves the San Pablo Avenue corridor between Jack London Square in Oakland and Hilltop Mall in Richmond. The service is descendant from the original streetcar lines that ran along the street.

Transit services along San Pablo Avenue were previously provided by two streetcar systems. The Oakland Traction Company San Pablo Line served the street in Alameda County and the East Shore and Suburban Railway served the street in Contra Costa County with a transfer between the two at the county line. A one-seat ride was established with the introduction of buses along San Pablo Avenue on November 7, 1933. The 72 Line initially terminated at Sixth Street in Richmond and at Tenth Street in Oakland.^[2]

By 1973 and the start of Bay Area Rapid Transit services, the 72 ran as several branching lines off San Pablo with letter designations: 72B, 72C, 72M, and 72P.^[3]

v t e Line 72R
Legend
Contra Costa College El Portal Drive Stone Street Van Ness Avenue Vale Road San Pablo Dam Road Tulare Avenue Garvin Avenue I-80 Macdonald Avenue BART to Richmond El Cerrito Del Norte Potrero Avenue Moeser Lane Carlson Boulevard Solano Avenue (Albany) Cerrito Creek Path Gilman Street University Avenue Dwight Way Ashby Avenue SR 13 Alcatraz Avenue Stanford Avenue 40th Street I-580 30th Street I-980 West Grand Avenue Uptown Transit Center 19th Street Oakland 14th Street 12th Street 7th Street BART to Millbrae (via San Francisco) I-980 / I-880 3rd Street 2nd Street

On June 30, 2003, AC Transit inaugurated its first service with bus rapid transit features along the 72's route. Stops on the 72R are spaced roughly every 2⁄3 mile (1.1 km), with priority given at signals along the route.^[4]