Merced County Transit
| File:Merced TheBus logo.png | |
 | |
| Parent | Transit Joint Powers Authority for Merced County |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1996 |
| Headquarters | 880 Thornton Rd Merced, CA 95340 |
| Service area | Merced County |
| Service type | Bus service, Dial-a-Ride |
| Routes | 16[1] |
| Fleet | 43[1] |
| Annual ridership | 1,000,000 [1] |
| Operator | First Transit [2] |
| Website | mercedthebus.com |
Merced County Transit, also known as "The Bus", provides transit services throughout Merced County in the Central Valley area of California. Vehicles are owned and maintained by the county with daily operations being privately contracted.[3]
Merced Transportation Center
Located in the former Southern Pacific railway station, the downtown transportation center serves as the hub for Merced’s local, regional and national bus service.[4] 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.[5]
Fleet
Currently the fleet consists of 27 transit buses and 16 Dial-A-Ride vehicles. 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.[1]
Services
Fixed bus routes and dial-a-ride services are provided 7 days a week within the city of Merced and throughout the county, as well as Newman and Turlock in neighboring Stanislaus County. However, the unincorporated community of Hilmar-Irwin which has a combined population of over 5,000 appears not to have any The Bus service, even though it is located within Merced County. [6]
| No. | Route | Days | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Fixed Routes (as of 2013) | |||
| A1 | Atwater City Loop | Mon-Sun | |
| 2 | City Shopper | Mon-Sat | |
| 3 | M Street | Mon-Sat | |
| 4 | G Street | Mon-Sat | |
| 5 | Southeast-Downtown | Mon-Sat | |
| 5X | Amtrak Station-Downtown | Weekdays | |
| 6 | Hilmar/Turlock | Weekdays | |
| 7 | Turlock-Merced | Weekdays | |
| Red Route | Saturdays | ||
| 8 | Winton/Atwater-Merced | Mon-Sat | |
| 9 | Le Grand/Planada-Merced | Mon-Sat | |
| 10 | Los Banos/Dos Palos-Merced | Mon-Sat | |
| 10X | Los Banos-Merced Commuter Express | Weekdays | |
| 11 | Crosstown | Mon-Sat | |
| 12 | R Street | Mon-Sat | |
| 14 | Los Banos | Mon-Sat | |
| 15 | Sierra Gardens/Merced Mall | Mon-Sat | |
| 16 | Atwater/Winton | Mon-Sat | |
| 22 | The UC Merced Shuttle | Weekdays | |
| Other services | |||
| TSA-4 | The Westside Shuttle | Deviated route serving Gustine, Santa Nella and Los Banos | |
| TSA-5 | Dial-A-Ride | Serving El Nido, Dos Palos, Dos Palos Y and Los Banos | |
References
- ^ a b c d Merced County Transit - About
- ^ Merced County Board Of Supervisors: 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, California: countywide transit
- ^ City of Merced - Visiting Us
- ^ California Welcome Center - Merced
- ^ THE BUS: Route maps and bus schedules
External links
- The Public Transportation Services of the Transit Joint Powers Authority for Merced County
- mercedthebus current service information on Twitter
- Merced The Bus route information
- Merced Transportation Center information
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