“The Bus” – Merced County Transit was formed from the consolidation of four former local public transit service providers in July 1996. Today “The Bus” is the single public transportation service provider for all of Merced County. The Bus” serves the County of Merced, its six incorporated cities and its 13 unincorporated communities and townships. Both regularly scheduled fixed route service and demand response ( Dial-A-Ride) services are provided on a Monday through Saturday basis.
“The Bus “ is governed by the Transit Joint Powers Authority for Merced County.
The Authority is made up an 11 member Board of elected officials : one each from the cities of Atwater, Dos Palos, Gustine, Livingston, Los Banos and Merced, CA. and the five members of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Merced, CA. The transit service is operated under contract by Laidlaw Transit Services, Inc. and the program is administered by the Merced County Dept. of Public Works – Transportation Division.
Currently there are 27 buses operating on 16 fixed routes with another 16 buses providing
Dial-A-Ride service. The buses are owned , fueled and maintained by the Merced County Heavy Equipment Shop on behalf of the Transit Joint Powers Authority. Daily operations including the provision of drivers , dispatchers, and Road Supervisors is done by Laidlaw Transit. “The Bus” carries approximately 1,000,000 passengers per year.
During 2006 “The Bus” received its first 9 “clean air” buses. The buses are 2006 model Orion VII - 35 passenger low floor buses that are powered with compressed natural gas.
In addition to being clean air (super low emission buses) the Orion VII’s do not have entry steps or wheelchair lifts. The low floor feature allows passengers to step onto the bus and a simple ramp is deployed to allow wheelchair users to board. These buses also kneel to allow even easier boarding access.
The 9 clean air buses were purchased with a combination of Federal, local and matching funds from the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District.
Future plans included adding more clean air buses to the system along with more frequent route and Dial-A-Ride service; a compressed natural gas fueling facility; 12 additional Dial-A-Ride buses; and a designated bus stop/signage program.
