Fares & Passes
Special Note
There are no fare exchanges allowed on Merced County Transit. You can not trade tokens for All Day Bus Passes. No Exceptions.
Cash Fares
The base fare is $1.00 for all local rides within a single city or community. Fare information for traveling between cities click here.
Half Fares: Seniors ride for half the regular case fare between 10:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m. on all urban fixed-routes. (Available to all Medicare card holders.)
Urban Routes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5x, 11, 12, & 16
Children Fare Policy: New policy effective January 5, 2010. Children under 46 inches in height are permitted to ride free as long as they are riding with an adult who pays a fare, whether that be in cash or with a bus pass or other form of payment. Indicators are in place on all buses showing the 46 inch measurement.
For complete cash fare information click here.
Pass Information
Merced County Transit offers a variety of passes tailored to meet a wide range of passenger needs.
31-Day Passes are good for unlimited riding on specific Merced County Transit Services for 31 days from the date of first use. 31 day Carless Commute Passes may not be used on Dial-A-Ride.
All Day Bus Passes are good for unlimited riding on the day they are purchased on all services of Merced County Transit except Carless Commute.
7 Day Passes are good for unlimited riding for 7 days from date of first use on all services of Merced County Transit except Carless Commute.
| Pass Type | Prices (Effective March 2009) |
|---|---|
| 31-Day Fixed-Route Pass | $45 (good on fixed-routes only) |
| 31-Day Dial-A-Ride Pass | $55 (good on all services) |
| 31-Day Carless Commute Pass | CAR-LESS COMMUTE PASS PRICES (Pass Prices are for Calendar Month) |
| All Day Pass | $6 |
| 7-Day Pass | $20 |
Electronic Fare Cards
Bus ridership in Merced County is at an all-time high. Maybe it is because of high gas prices, maybe more people are concerned about the environment, or maybe our more frequent bus service and convenient routes have finally caught on.
Introducing a NEW reason to ride THE BUS - new electronic fare cards and new flexible fare programs. When you board The Bus, just swipe your electronic fare card and climb aboard. If you need to purchase a pass just tell the driver what you need, feed your cash into the machine and take your electronic fare card and change card.
Fares for Longer Trips
The fares for trips that require two or more buses shall be the sum of the fares to complete the trip.
Dial-A-Ride Fares
Dial-A-Ride fares shall be the same as the fixed route fares. The minimum local fare for trips taken where the pickup and destination are in the same city or community shall be $2, except in the cities of Atwater, Merced and Los Banos where the one-way Dial-A-Ride cash fare is $2. Additionally for TSA-4, the fares shall be as follows:
All passes are valid on Dial-A-Ride.
| All Rides between | Prices (Prices are One Way) |
|---|---|
| Gustine and Newman | $2.00 |
| Gustine and Santa Nella | $2.00 |
| Gustine and Los Banos | $4.00 |
| Santa Nella and Los Banos | $2.00 |
| Gustine and Merced | $6.00 |
| Gustine and Livingston | $6.00 |
Buying Tickets and Passes
The Bus monthly passes and all day bus passes are available for sale on all buses.
Monthly passes may also be purchased at the following locations:
Merced Transportation Center - 16th St. & "N" St., Merced
Merced County Transit Office - 880 Thornton Road, Merced
Merced City Hall - 18th St. & "N" St., Merced
Merced County Public Works - 715 Martin Luther King Jr. Wy., Merced (Mail Order Passes Available Here)
Merced Mall - Information Booth
Los Banos Miller & Lux - 830 6th St, Los Banos
How to Operate the Farebox
As you climb the steps to board the bus, you'll see the metal farebox located next to the driver. Please put your cash fare into the top of the farebox. Our drivers cannot make change for you, so please have exact change for your fare.
If you have a bus pass, you'll do things a little differently: the first time you use the pass, just insert it into the farebox card reader. After that, you can use THE BUS' handy swipe card reader to swipe your pass through and save time!
Note:
Riders cannot combine currency or coin with partially used passes.
