WHEELS to Change Routes, Schedules on September 26

By Hacienda Network Staff Writer

WHEELS has announced changes in routes and schedules starting Sunday, September 26. Several routes have been redesigned for added convenience to Hacienda commuters.

All Hacienda tenants and residents are still entitled to free WHEELS bus passes from the Hacienda Owners Association.

New Routes

Route 9 has been re-engineered to provide more thorough coverage of Hacienda and has been given a greater role as a central circulator through the park. The route will now travel Owens Drive, Rosewood Drive, Hacienda Drive, Gibraltar Drive, W. Las Positas Boulevard, Willow Road, and Chabot Drive.

Route 5, which, like Route 4, must be boarded from the Dublin side of the BART station, has been altered to provide more convenient access to Hacienda's residential areas, traveling on W. Las Positas Boulevard and Stoneridge and Hacienda drives.

Route 8 has been modified as well and will provide better service to companies on W. Las Positas Boulevard.

Faster than a Speeding Car

WHEELS' Walnut Creek Commuter Express Bus will not be affected by the changes, but it's in the news for a different reason. On September 9, the bus won a race with five-time world land speed record holder Craig Breedlove, who was unable to keep up with the express bus as it sailed through the carpool lanes from Walnut Creek to Hacienda.

The route, which was first launched by WHEELS in January, stops in Concord, Walnut Creek, and Pleasant Hill on its way to Hacienda, where it stops at the East Dublin/Pleasanton BART station.

Breedlove, traveling alone in a borrowed sport utility vehicle, was unable to take advantage of his high speed skills in the typically crowded traffic of the morning commute.

Maps, Passes Available

New WHEELS maps and schedules, as well as information about many other Bay Area transit agencies, are available from the Hacienda Owners Association.

Both the new schedules and free WHEELS bus passes may be ordered via the Transportation Hotline at (925) 734-6551 or via the Hacienda web site.

Passes will be delivered to each applicant's place of business.

Photo: WHEELS new routes feature many improvements to their Hacienda service.

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