 | |
| 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, Chevrolet Arboc, Ford Glaval, Ford Starcraft, 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). [3]
History
The Bus was formed in 1996 by consolidating four local transit service providers. [4]: 29
Merced Transportation Center
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
The fleet consists fixed-route transit buses (larger heavy-duty buses and smaller cutaway buses) as well as ADA Paratransit and Dial-A-Ride cutaway buses and vans. The fixed-route fleet consists of Gillig Low Floor Clean Diesel heavy-duty buses which range in size from 29' to 40', with a majority being 35', and five New Flyer XE40 Battery Electric heavy-duty buses which are 40' in length. The fixed-route fleet also consists of Chevrolet Arboc Spirit of Mobility cutaway buses for use on local and low ridership routes. Another set of 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. They 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. All CNG buses were later phased out by 2016 and were replaced by a combination of Gillig Clean Diesel buses and a small fleet of Chevrolet Arboc gasoline fueled cutaways. [1] In late 2019 and early 2020, The Bus was awarded grants to help begin the transition towards a zero-emission fleet. The first wave of five New Flyer XE40 battery electric buses arrived in late June 2023 and began service in early November 2023, with the next wave of four Gillig battery electric buses estimated to begin production in late 2024 with expected delivery and in-service dates expected some time in 2025. The agency is also exploring other zero-emission bus options, including hydrogen, for future services.
| The Bus Fleet Roster accurate as of April 2024 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qty | Fleet Numbers | Length | Make/Model | Fuel Type | Status |
| Fixed Route Heavy-Duty Buses | |||||
| 5 | M-150, M-152 to M-155 | 29' | 2011 Gillig Low Floor | Diesel | Some still in service, some retired |
| 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 |
| 7 | 3501 to 3507 | 35' | 2021 Gillig Low Floor | Clean Diesel | In service |
| 5 | 4001E to 4005E | 40' | 2022 New Flyer XE40 | Battery Electric | In service |
| 1 | TBD
(Likely 3508E) |
35' | 2024 Gillig Low Floor EV | Battery Electric | On order
Est. delivery September 2024 |
| 3 | TBD
(Likely 4006E to 4008E) |
40' | 2024 Gillig Low Floor EV | Battery Electric | On order
Est. delivery September 2024 |
| Fixed Route Cutaway Buses | |||||
| 11 | M-419 to M-429 | 28' | 2014 Chevrolet Arboc Spirit of Mobility | Gasoline | In service |
| 8 | M-430 to M-437 | 28' | 2016 Chevrolet Arboc Spirit of Mobility | Gasoline | In service |
| Paratransit and Micro Transit Cutaway Buses | |||||
| 3 | M-10 to M-12 | 26' | 2012 Ford Glaval E450 | Gasoline | In service |
| 6 | M-20 to M-25 | 26' | 2011 Ford Glaval E450 | Gasoline | Some still in service, some retired |
| 3 | M-214, M-216, M-218 | 26' | 2009 Ford Glaval E450 | Gasoline | Some still in service, some retired |
| 5 | 2501 to 2505 | 25' | 2023 Ford Starcraft Allstar E450 | Gasoline | In service |
| 2 | 2506, 2507 | 25' | 2022 Chevrolet G4500 | Gasoline | In service |
| 12 | TBD
(Likely 2601 to 2612) |
26' | Turtle Top Terra Transit E450 | Gasoline | On order
Est. delivery Summer 2024 |
| 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
15 fixed bus routes and 2 on-demand services are provided 7 days a week (with the exception of the UC route which is Weekdays 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 community of Snelling. [7]
| Rte. No. | Route Description | Weekday Hours and Frequency | Weekend Hours and Frequency | Destinations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Routes and Services accurate as of April 2024 | ||||
| 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 |
| 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 within the Los Banos, Dos Palos, Santa Nella, and Gustine communities with expansion to the Merced, Atwater, and Winton communities planned in 2024 | |
| 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
- ^ 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 Associtation 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