AC Transit began Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service on its San Pablo Rapid line on June 30, 2003. The 14 mile long 72R – San Pablo Rapid route runs through seven cities, Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, Albany, El Cerrito, Richmond, and San Pablo, and two counties, Alameda and Contra Costa. The Rapid operates in mixed traffic and was developed with 26 stops located at major intersections. These stops are spaced 0.54 miles apart on average along the length of the corridor. Each stop has a covered shelter and is fully ADA accessible. Benches, trash receptacles, lights, maps of AC Transit bus service are some of the amenities provided at each shelter. The cost to ride the Rapid is the same as for a trip on local service ($1.75). The Rapid operates every weekday from 6 am to 7 pm on a headway-based schedule of 12 minutes. Eleven Rapid buses operate along the corridor in the morning until the afternoon. During the afternoon and evening hours, 13 buses are in operation.

Transit signal priority, automatic passenger counters, automatic vehicle locators, and real time service information signs at all stops allow the San Pablo Rapid bus to run efficiently and on time as well as making the service more attractive to potential riders. Currently fare collection is handled on board where exact change or a pass is necessary.

End-to-end travel times on the San Pablo Rapid vary between 52 minutes in off-peak traffic conditions to 63 minutes in congested conditions. Survey data show that the Rapid Bus service has reduced average end-to-end travel time by 12 minutes, equating to a 21 percent reduction compared to the local service and a 17 percent reduction compared to the superseded limited stop service. This reduction is close to the 20 percent reduction estimated by AC Transit at the outset of the project. Over 80 percent of users perceived the Rapid Bus as faster than the previous service, with almost half of surveyed respondents indicating that the service was at least 15 minutes faster. The average weekday ridership is 7,000.