Manteca is making changes to transit routes Oct. 1 to literally — and figuratively — meet growing demands, 

And the adjustments are something that would have been head scratching moves just two decades ago in the San Joaquin Valley.

The adjustments are service extension to the city’s newest neighborhoods in fast growing southwest Manteca and the cluster of 1,301-home Griffin Park neighborhoods.

“We received a lot of interest from those areas,” Manteca Transit Manager Juan Portillo said of community feedback used to reconfigure routes.

Twenty-four years ago when he started working to help manage municipal transit systems, new neighborhoods in smaller San Joaquin Valley cities were the last place there was an interest in transit services.

Bus service — even in Modesto and Stockton — relied heavily on low-income and elderly riders.

That has changed in recent years in Manteca.

New residents from the Bay Area are used to making extensive use of transit, especially teens.

At the same time, the percentage of teenage drivers have been dropping. A growing number are waiting until they turn 18 to get a license.

Vehicle ownership — once viewed almost as a rite of passage in high school — has been dropping among teens in California.

Mayor Gary Singh, who has been a leading advocate on the council for the past eight years to expand Manteca Transit ridership beyond seniors and low income while at the same time working to improve home-to-school safety, is pleased at the latest ridership figures.

That is especially true of student ridership.

In August, there were 2,046 high school and junior high students who took Manteca Transit to or from school or both.

That compares to 247 in August of 2019.

It is also a student ridership record.

Students with school ID ride free at any time thanks to a state grant secured by the City of Manteca.

“That’s an 18 times increase,” noted Portillo.

The 2019 comparison is an accurate measuring stick of ridership growth as it was before the pandemic.

Singh noted Manteca Unified — due to budget constraints —  does not provide bus service for high school students that reside within 2.5 miles from campus.

That has been a big issue south of the 120 Bypass where students going to Sierra or Manteca high schools have to use freeway crossings or an undercrossing to reach school. It’s an even bigger issue to reach Manteca High given the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.

The longer routes south of the Bypass reaches the core of newly developed areas and includes new stops.

The routes couldn’t have been extended earlier due to extensive road closures and construction that made it impossible to make buses run on time.

Portillo, who has overseen Manteca transit for seven years, also noted the heaviest used route in terms of ridership — Route One — has been tweaked to complete the route on time to allow smoother transfers.

The new routes are posted on the Manteca Transit website.

Portillo said a major revamp will be coming in two phases with a targeted start of July 2026 and completed phase in by Jully 2027.

The city will be seeking community input.

Not only will a fifth route be added and the current ones reconfigured, but they will be modified to be timed with ACE commuter train arrivals at the Manteca Transit Center.

ACE service from downtown Manteca to San Jose and Sacramento is now expected to start in the next two years.

Route 1 Modification

Route 1 will no longer service Stop 8 (Daniels St. at Stadium Center) starting Oct. 1.

Passengers wishing to access Stadium Center are advised to use Stop 33 (Airport Way at Daniels Street) as an alternative. This will improve on time performance so the route can get back to the Transit Center and riders can transfer to other routes.

Route 2 Expansion  

Route 2 has been extended to better serve our growing community. The route now includes expanded coverage south of Woodward Park, providing direct access to:

*Griffin Park Neighborhood

*Evans Estates Park

*Walter Woodward Elementary School

*Surrounding residential neighborhoods

New bus stops are at:

*South Main Street at Rina Drive

*Springfield Drive at Stephen Robert Lane

*Buena Vista Drive at Tannehill Drive

This expansion improves access to recreational areas and educational facilities, ensuring more convenient transit options for families and students.

Route 4 Expansion  

Route 4 now includes service to the McKinley Area, offering transit access to:

*Residential neighborhoods in and around McKinley

*Terra Ranch Park

*Arbor Bend Park

*Captain Tom Moore Park

*Local shopping centers and nearby schools

New bus stops are at:

*Woodward Ave at Yukon Territory Ave

*Joshua Street at Woodward Ave

This enhancement aims to reduce walking distances and increase service reliability in one of Manteca’s fastest-growing communities.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com