Manteca Transit will be adding a $3 all-day pass to ride buses on its four fixed routes.

The City Council approved the move on Tuesday.

A start date for the passes to be available has not yet been established.

Currently there is a $1 one-way fare for adults and the ability to secure 10-day passes and month-long passes.

The rate for those 65 and older or on MediCal or veterans for the all-day pass being rolled out is $1.50.

Transit Manager Juan Portillo noted introducing a day-pass option would provide an additional fare product to meet the needs of riders who make multiple trips in one day, such as traveling for errands, appointments, or recreational purposes.

It was noted offering day passes could improve convenience for riders and encourage increased use of the transit system.

Portillo said a record 24,000 youth riders took Manteca Transit in 2025. High school and junior high students with school ID cards ride free thanks to a state grant.

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 need to cross Union Pacific Railroad tracks.

Manteca Transit is staging two workshops on Thursday, Jan. 29, seeking input from the community on how the city can improve routes and service.

The workshops are taking place Thursday, Jan. 29, at noon and 6 p.m. at the Manteca Transit Center, 220 Moffat Blvd.

The workshops are a precursor to a major revamp that will be coming in two phases with a targeted start of July 2026 and completed phase in by July 2027.

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.

Manteca Transit on Oct. 1 launched route adjustments that extended service to the city’s newest neighborhoods in fast growing southwest Manteca and the cluster of 1,301-home Griffin Park neighborhoods between South Main Street and Tinnin Road.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com