Merced County Transit
Merced County Transit, also known as "The Bus", provides public bus transportation services throughout Merced County in the Central Valley and San Joaquin Valley areas of California. Vehicles are owned and maintained by Transit Joint Powers Authority of Merced County with daily operations conducted by a private contractor, Transdev as of May 2020.
 | |
| Parent | Transit Joint Powers Authority of Merced County |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1996 |
| Headquarters | 1950 Wardrobe Ave Merced, CA 95340 |
| Service area | Merced County, California |
| Service type | Bus service, Dial-a-Ride Micro Transit |
| Routes | 15[1] |
| Stops | 238 |
| Destinations | Communities of Merced, Atwater, Winton, Livingston, Delhi, Turlock, Dos Palos, Los Banos, Gustine, Planada, and Le Grand |
| Hubs | Downtown Transportation Center (Transpo), North Merced Transit Center (M Street) |
| Fleet | Gillig Low Floor, New Flyer XE40, Ford Starcraft, Chevrolet Starcraft, Turtle Top Terra Transit, Dodge Grand Caravan[1] |
| Annual ridership | 1,000,000 [1] |
| Fuel type | Gasoline, Diesel, Battery Electric |
| Operator | Transdev[2] |
| Website | mercedthebus.com |
Merced County Transit, also known as "The Bus", provides public bus transportation services throughout Merced County in the Central Valley and San Joaquin Valley areas of California. Vehicles are owned and maintained by Transit Joint Powers Authority of Merced County with daily operations conducted by a private contractor, Transdev as of May 2020.[3]
History
[edit]The Bus was formed in 1996 by consolidating four local transit service providers.[4]: 29
Merced Transportation Center
[edit]Located in the former Southern Pacific railway station at 16th and O Streets in Merced, the downtown transportation center (Transpo Center) serves as the hub for Merced's local, regional and national bus service.[5] Greyhound provides bus service to Sacramento, the Bay Area, and Los Angeles. YARTS and VIA Adventures provide bus service to Yosemite National Park. Situated at the same location, the California Welcome Center carries souvenirs, maps, and brochures for visitors, as well as YARTS bus tickets.[6]
Another transportation center for North Merced was recently constructed on M Street near Bellevue Road which is intended to serve as a park and ride lot for UC Merced students, staff, and visitors to easily connect with The Bus and UC Merced shuttle bus services.
Fleet
[edit]The fleet consists fixed-route transit buses as well as ADA Paratransit and Micro Transit cutaway buses and vans. The fixed-route fleet primarily consists of Gillig Low Floor Clean Diesel buses which range in size from 29' to 40', with most being 35', and both New Flyer XE40 and Gillig Battery Electric buses which are 35' and 40' in length. Another set of smaller cutaway buses and vans are primarily used to provide ADA Paratransit service throughout the county and Micro Transit service in the city of Los Banos and the westside of the county.
The agency began the greening of their fleet in 2006 with the purchase of 9 "clean air" Orion VII models and planned the construction of a compressed natural gas fueling facility.[1] In late 2019 and early 2020, The Bus was awarded grants to help begin the transition towards a zero-emission fleet. The first set of five 40' New Flyer XE40 battery electric buses arrived in late June 2023 and began service in early November 2023, and the second wave of four Gillig battery electric buses (1 35' and 3 40') arrived in late September 2024 and began service in February 2025. The agency is also exploring other zero-emission bus options, including a pilot program for a hydrogen fuel cell powered bus, for future services to be on track to have a fully zero-emission fleet by 2041 in accordance to state guidelines.
| The Bus Fleet Roster as of May 2025 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qty | Fleet numbers | Length | Make/Model | Fuel type | Status |
| Fixed Route Full Size Transit Buses | |||||
| 2 | M-157, M-158 | 40' | 2012 Gillig Low Floor | Diesel | In service |
| 5 | M-159 to M-163 | 40' | 2013 Gillig Low Floor | Diesel | In service |
| 6 | M-164 to M-169 | 35' | 2015 Gillig Low Floor | Clean Diesel | In service |
| 4 | M-170 to M-173 | 35' | 2017 Gillig Low Floor | Clean Diesel | In service |
| 8 | 2901 to 2908 | 29' | 2023 Gillig Low Floor | Clean Diesel | In service |
| 5 | 2909 to 2913 (?) | 29' | 5 29' Gillig Low Floor Clean Diesel Buses | Clean Diesel | Future Order |
| 7 | 3501 to 3507 | 35' | 2021 Gillig Low Floor | Clean Diesel | In service |
| 1 | 3508E | 35' | 2024 Gillig Low Floor Plus EV | Battery Electric | In service |
| 5 | 4001E to 4005E | 40' | 2022 New Flyer XE40 | Battery Electric | In service |
| 3 | 4006E to 4008E | 40' | 2024 Gillig Low Floor Plus EV | Battery Electric | In service |
| 1 | TBD | 40' | 1 40' Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus | Hydrogen Fuel Cell | Future Order |
| Paratransit and Micro Transit Cutaway Buses | |||||
| 5 | 2501 to 2505 | 25' | 2023 Ford Starcraft Allstar E450 | Gasoline | In service |
| 2 | 2506, 2507 | 25' | 2022 Chevrolet Starcraft G4500 | Gasoline | In service |
| 12 | 2508 to 2519 | 25' | 2024 Turtle Top Terra Transit E450 | Gasoline | In service |
| 4 | TBD | TBD | 4 Battery Electric Cutaway Buses | Battery Electric | Future Order |
| Paratransit and Micro Transit Vans | |||||
| 3 | V-301 to V-303 | 17' | 2015 Dodge Grand Caravan BrawnAbility | Gasoline | In service |
| 9 | V-304 to V-312 | 21' | 2017 Ford Glaval 350HD Transit Van | Gasoline | In service |
Services
[edit]15 fixed bus routes and 2 on-demand services are provided 7 days a week (with the exception of the UC route which operates Monday through Friday only) operate within the city of Merced and throughout the county, as well as to the city of Turlock in neighboring Stanislaus County. However, the unincorporated community of Hilmar-Irwin which has a combined population of over 5,000 does not to have any of The Bus services, even though it is located within Merced County, along with the town of Snelling.[7]
| Rte. No. | Route Description | Weekday Hours and Frequency | Weekend Hours and Frequency | Destinations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Routes and Services as of January 2025 | ||||
| A1 | Atwater Cross-Town | 6:22 AM to 6:30 PM Every 60 Minutes | 8:49 AM to 6:05 PM Every 60 Minutes | Bellevue Rd, Winton Way, Broadway, Buhach Rd, Castle Air Force Base, Atwater Target |
| A2 | Winton Way | 6:18 AM to 7:04 PM Every 60 Minutes | 8:32 AM to 5:34 PM Every 60 Minutes | Connects Atwater and the town of Winton via Winton Way
Planned to be replaced with Micro Transit service in 2025 |
| L | Livingston Commuter | 6:14 AM to 8:14 PM Every 90 to 120 Minutes | 7:15 AM to 8:29 PM Four Runs | Connects Livingston with Winton, Atwater, and Merced College (Merced) |
| LB | Los Banos Commuter | 6:04 AM to 8:38 PM Every 90 to 120 Minutes | 7:30 AM to 7:51 PM Four Runs | Los Banos-Dos Palos-Downtown Merced |
| M1 | Merced West | 6:01 AM to 8:07 PM Every 30 Minutes | 8:08 AM to 6:07 PM Every 90 Minutes | Southwest Merced-Downtown-Merced Marketplace-Northwest Merced via Highway 59 |
| M2 | R Street Route | 6:09 AM to 8:10 PM Every 30 Minutes | 8:30 AM to 5:55 PM Every 60 Minutes | Downtown-Merced Mall-Merced Marketplace via R Street |
| M3 | M Street Route | 6:12 AM to 8:02 PM Every 30 Minutes | 8:14 AM to 5:55 PM Every 90 Minutes | South Merced-Downtown-Merced Mall-Merced College-via M Street |
| M4 | G Street North Route | 6:04 AM to 8:22 PM Every 30 Minutes | 8:00 AM to 5:52 PM Every 60 Minutes | Downtown-Merced College-Mercy Hospital-Bellevue Ranch-via G Street |
| M5 | Merced Southeast | 5:56 AM to 8:14 PM Every 30 Minutes | 8:04 AM to 5:55 PM Every 60 Minutes | Southeast Merced-Amtrak-Downtown-via Childs Ave & 21st St. |
| M6 | Merced Northeast | 7:01 AM to 8:18 PM Every 45 Minutes | 8:13 AM to 5:53 PM Every 45 Minutes | Downtown Merced-G Street-Hoover Middle School-Save Mart |
| M7 | G Street South Route | 6:13 AM to 7:59 PM Every 45 Minutes | 8:03 AM to 6:04 PM Every 45 Minutes | Downtown Merced-Fairgrounds-Rescue Mission-via G Street |
| P | Planada Commuter | 6:00 AM to 8:52 PM Every 90 Minutes | 6:35 AM to 6:44 PM Four Runs | Le Grand-Planada-Downtown Merced |
| T | Turlock Commuter | 5:30 AM to 8:55 PM Every 60 Minutes | 9:00 AM to 6:45 PM Four Runs | Turlock-CSU Stanislaus-Delhi-Livingston-Atwater-Downtown Merced via Highway 99 |
| UC | UC Route | 6:10 AM to 8:02 PM Every 40 Minutes | NO SERVICE | Downtown Merced-Amtrak-Merced College-UC Merced-via M Street and Yosemite Ave. |
| W1 | Winton Commuter | 5:23 AM to 8:47 PM Every 60 to 75 Minutes | 7:21 AM to 6:25 PM Every 120 to 135 Minutes | Winton, Atwater(Bellevue Rd), Buhach, Beachwood-Franklin, Downtown Merced |
| The Micro Bus | 6:00 AM to 7:30 PM | 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM | Westside on-demand service for both ADA and general passengers within the Los Banos, Dos Palos, Santa Nella, and Gustine communities with expansion to the Merced, Atwater, and Winton communities planned in the near future | |
| ADA Paratransit | 6:00 AM to 7:30 PM | 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM | On-demand dial-a-ride service throughout the county exclusively for Seniors and ADA eligible passengers which provides service within a 3/4 mile radius of existing fixed route service areas | |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "About Us". Transit Joint Powers Authority of Merced County. Archived from the original on 2009-11-16.
- ^ "Authorize Staff to develop and issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a new contracted operator agreement for "The Bus" - Merced County Transit Re: 5 year agreement (July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2015)". Merced County Board Of Supervisors. April 14, 2009. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011.
- ^ "Merced County, California: countywide transit". Archived from the original on 2011-07-18.
- ^ LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. (June 30, 2017). Merced County 2017/18 - 2021/22 Short Range Transit Plan (Report). Merced County Association of Governments. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
- ^ City of Merced - Visiting Us
- ^ California Welcome Center - Merced
- ^ THE BUS: Route maps and bus schedules Archived 2009-11-25 at the Wayback Machine