The commute hour service connected Lake Merritt BART station in Oakland with the island city of Alameda across the Webster and Posey Tubes, vehicle only tunnels separating the cities under a channel known as the Oakland-Alameda Estuary.[3] The nineteen-seater buses carry up to twenty-four passengers.[4] The coaches carry as much as thirteen bicycles, significantly higher than the typical of two passengers per bicycle. Service operates on thirty-minute headways operating runs from 7 AM to 11:30 AM and 3:30 PM to 7 PM Pacific Standard Time.[5] The service is free of charge as it is funded entirely by San Francisco Bay Air Quality Management District grant money.[6] The system began operations on August 15, 2011, with a one-year $236,000 renewable grant. The ECS line also connects the Peralta Community College District campuses of Laney and College of Alameda including the latter's satellite campus on the island's Marina Village.[7]
