Contact Us
Questions about Fixed Route or Paratransit?
For general Fixed Route service information and questions please call First Transit at 209-725-3813, for Paratransit information, including reservations please call 209-384-3111 or 1-800-345-3111 during the hours of operations listed below.
| Monday - Friday | 6:00 am - 8:00 pm |
| Saturday & Sunday | 8:00 am - 6:00 pm |
Contact the Transit Administration Staff
Have a comment, compliment or complaint?
The Bus administration would like your feedback - both good and bad to ensure your experience on The Bus is the best possible. Please send the PDF form from below to us via email at customerservice@mercedthebus.com or call us at 209-723-3100. We look forward to hearing from you.
If you should you request a response, your name and address or telephone number is required. Don’t worry, your contact information is kept confidential.
Compliments
We’d love to have them in writing so we can pass them on to the appropriate person and/or department. Click Here for Form (Spanish Form)
Complaints
In order to address your complaint as thoroughly as possible, please supply as many specifics as you can, including the bus and/or route number, the day and time the event occurred, the location nearest where the event took place, and which stop the bus was heading toward when the event happened. Click Here for Form (Spanish Form)
Title VI Complaints
If you believe you have been aggrieved by any unlawful discriminatory practice under Title VI may file a written complaint with TJPAMC “The Bus” or with the Federal Transit Administration, or the Department of Justice. Federal and State law requires complaints be filed within one-hundred eighty (180) calendar days of the alleged incident and include the signature of the complainant. For more information click here.
Claims
You may file a claim against the Transit Joint Powers Authority for Merced County.
Write to
The Bus - Customer Service
357 W.18th St.
Merced, CA 95340
Online Assistance
Email us at customerservice@mercedthebus.com
Authority for Prohibition Order
The Bus may exclude an individual from any or all parts of the transit system, as permitted by Public Utilities Code (PUC) 99171. In accordance with this authority, a person subject to a Prohibition Order may not, during the period of exclusion, enter or remain upon any part of THE BUS Transit System from which the person is excluded, except as permitted by the terms of the Prohibition Order.
A Notice of Prohibition Order may be issued by any member of management staff who has received training from THE BUS.
Length of Banning
The length of any Prohibition Order shall be no greater than those permitted under PUC 99171 (a)(2).
- First offense is for a period not to exceed thirty days for the first Prohibition Order.
- Second offense is for a period not to exceed 90 days fro the second Prohibition Order issued within a rolling one-year period.
- Third offense is for a period not to exceed 180 days for a third or subsequent Prohibition order issued within a rolling one-year period.
Enforcement Requirements
All banning's issued for prohibited conduct must be based upon probable cause, in determining whether there is enough evidence to justify a prohibition order. The transit system may rely upon facts resulting from their own personal observations, or reliable facts provided by witnesses or theirs.
Notice Of Banning
Every person that was engaged in conduct prohibited by PUC 99171 and will be excluded for such violations, shall be issued a Notice of Prohibition Order.
A copy of the notice must be delivered to the individual, in order to be deemed valid: the Notice of Prohibition Order must accurately denote the violation conduct and the date and time in which it occurred, and the duration of banning.
Right To An Appeal Hearing
As a matter of right, every person issued a Notice of Prohibition Order is entitled to a hearing. An individual who has received a Notice of Prohibition Order must contact The Bus by 5:00 p.m. no later than the 10th calendar day following the issue date. The administrative office may be reached as follows:
By phone: (209) 723-3100
In writing or in person at:
357 W. 18th Street
Merced, CA 95340
Hearings will be scheduled within 30 calendar days of the request.