You could start seeing more Manteca Transit buses on the city’s two major commercial corridors — Yosemite Avenue and Main Street — as early as August.
At the same time, bus service will be tied closer to the start and dismissal bells at Manteca, Sierra, and East Union high schools. That is in addition to a morning only Sierra High bus route service to further connect with the booming new neighborhoods south of the 120 Bypass.
There will also be a second and a third transfer point added — one at the Civic Center/Senior Center and the other at The Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley — in addition to the main transfer station at the Manteca Transit Center
It’s all part of changes now being vetted to Manteca Transit service that includes adding a fifth fixed bus route.
The bottom line is simple. The system is being tweaked to increase frequency to more popular destinations.
In doing so, the goal goes beyond reducing the time current riders have to wait for a bus, especially for return trips.
It is designed to encourage more use by the system’s largest block of riders, high school students, that account for a third of the monthly average of 7,300 riders on the fixed route buses.
It also will make the system a more convenient and viable option to those that currently do not make use of the Manteca Transit system.
The proposed new fixed route system will be available for public review and input at a number of community outreach events in the coming weeks:
*Wednesday, May 13, at 2 p.m. at a pop-up tent at Eskaton Senior Living.
*Thursday, May 14, at 11:30 a.m. during a lunch and bingo event at the Manteca Senior Center.
*Thursday, May 21, at 6 p.m. at the Music on Maple event in downtown Manteca.
*Saturday, May 23, at 10 a.m. at the Memorial Weekend Commemoration at Woodward Park.
The routes are being presented to the Manteca City Council for final approval on June 6 at 6 p.m.
The city is essentially creating a pair of loop routes operating generally on Main Street and Union Road as well as Yosemite Avenue and Louise Avenue that run in opposite directions.
That would allow riders, instead of waiting an hour between buses to return from a destination, to catch a return bus between 20 to 40 minutes later in addition to an hour later.
At the same time, a fifth fixed route will run through neighborhoods south of the 120 Bypass and provide options to connect with the other four routes at three different locations.
In doing so, the city has the ability to improve timing to more poplar stops.
Juan Portillo, who coordinates the city’s transit system, provided an example. Currently, the city bus passes the Sierra High stop five minutes after the afternoon dismissal bell. The route changes will mean students can board a transit bus minutes after dismissal instead of waiting more than 50 minutes.
Changes, overall, mean students riding transit buses can get to the high school campuses closer to the morning bell without doing so either 40 minutes earlier or a few minutes late
The new morning only Sierra High route open to all riders and not just high school students, is designed to start in the neighborhoods that are part of the Sierra High attendance area in southeast Manteca near Woodward Park. It will then travel west to the southwest area before heading north to Zurich Drive and Crom Street to take in neighborhoods being added this fall to the Sierra High attendance area then to the Sierra High campus.
High school students whose families have moved to Manteca from the Bay Area are used to catching transit to reach school and to access popular destinations afterwards as well as on the weekends.
The transit system is funded by state and federal grants.
The proposed routes can be seen on the city’s website where feedback can also be made.
Manteca Transit is also planning shuffle service to the Memorial Weekend Commemoration event at Woodward Park from the parking lot at The Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley on May 23-24.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
