Madera County Connection

Last updated
Madera County Connection
Madera County Connection logo.svg
Parent Madera County Department of Public Works
Founded1997
Headquarters201 W Almond Ave
Locale Madera, CA
Service type Bus service, Dial-a-Ride
Routes4
Destinations Chowchilla; Coarsegold; Eastin-Arcola; Fairmead; La Vina; Madera; Oakhurst; Ripperdan
HubsDowntown Madera Intermodal Center
Annual ridership18,598 (2021) [1]
Website Official website

Madera County Connection (MCC) is the primary bus agency providing intercity services within Madera County, California. It is operated by the County Department of Public Works and offers four fixed routes connecting the cities of Chowchilla and Madera with Valley Children's Hospital and smaller unincorporated communities in the county. All four routes meet at the same intermodal terminal in downtown Madera, where riders may transfer to Madera Metro intracity buses or Greyhound Lines intercity buses. Passengers may take Madera Metro to the train station and transfer to the Amtrak San Joaquins intercity service connecting the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles.

Contents

Madera County also is responsible for operating dial-a-ride point-to-point services in the unincorporated areas surrounding Madera and Chowchilla (MCC Madera and Chowchilla Dial-A-Ride, respectively), a demand-responsive bus for seniors in the rural eastern part of the county (Eastern Madera County Senior Bus), and a medical escort program (Eastern Madera County Medical Escort Service).

History

System map (2022) Madera County Connection System Map.png
System map (2022)

Madera County Connection started in 2001 as a demonstration service, providing transportation for children and their families to and from Children's Hospital Central California. [2] :1–4

Madera County let a five-year contract to the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission (EOC) in 2019 to operate county bus services, including MCC. [3] Prior to that, separate contracts were held by Merced Transportation Company for MCC and the Community Action Partnership of Madera County for the Senior Bus and Escort Program. [4]

Services

MCC operates its fixed routes on weekdays, with no service provided on specific holidays (New Year's Day, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas). [5]

Fixed routes

All fixed routes originate and terminate at the Madera Intermodal Center in downtown Madera, at the intersection of E Yosemite Avenue and N E Street. [6]

Madera County Connection fixed routes [6]
No.Route nameDestinations servedDaysTrips/dayNotes / Refs.
1College / Children's Hospital Madera Community College, Madera Ranchos Market, Valley Children's Hospital Mon–Fri5With the exception of the first and last trips, operates as an extension of Route 4 (Eastern Madera). Route takes approximately 90 minutes roundtrip.
2Eastin Arcola - Ripperdan - La VinaEastin Arcola, Ripperdan, La Vina Mon, Wed, Fri2Serves communities west of California State Route 99 and south of Madera; typical round-trip time is 60 minutes.
3Chowchilla - Fairmead Fairmead, Countrywood Shopping Center, Chowchilla Mon–Fri5Largely follows SR 99; typical round-trip time is 90 minutes.
4Eastern Madera County Yosemite Lakes, Coarsegold, Oakhurst, Bass Lake, North Fork, South Fork Mon–Fri5With the exception of the last two trips, continues as Route 1 (College / Children's Hospital). Largely follows SR 145 and SR 41; typical round-trip time is 240 minutes.

Fares

One-way fares are $2 per passenger; children under 5 ride free with a paid adult fare. [7]

Transfers

Riders may transfer to Fresno Area Express at Valley Children's Hospital for free, [7] or to Madera Metro or Greyhound Lines at the Madera Intermodal Center. In addition, riders on the Eastern County route may transfer to Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System, which offers seasonal service to Yosemite National Park at stops along California State Route 41 in Coarsegold and Oakhurst. [4] The Madera Amtrak station is approximately 5 mi (8.0 km) north of the Intermodal Center and requires a transfer to Madera Metro.

Fleet & facilities

Madera County has thirteen vehicles used for its transit services, of which nine are used by MCC; all nine are lift-equipped Starcraft Allstar 25 van cutaway buses with seating capacity of 15 passengers + 2 wheelchair users. [8] :24

Before 2019, the administrative office for MCC was at 1200 Maple Street; Madera County renovated an office space at the County Road Yard in Madera at 201 W. Almond Avenue and the contracted operator moved operations and maintenance activities to that location. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madera County, California</span> County in California, United States

Madera County, officially the County of Madera, is located at the geographic center of the U.S. state of California. It features a varied landscape, encompassing the eastern San Joaquin Valley and the central Sierra Nevada, with Madera serving as the county seat. Established in 1893 from part of Fresno County, Madera County reported a population of 156,255 in the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chowchilla, California</span> City in Madera County, California, United States

Chowchilla is a city in Madera County, California, United States. The city's population was 19,039 at the 2020 census. Chowchilla is located 16 miles (26 km) northwest of Madera, at an elevation of 240 feet (73 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madera, California</span> City in Madera County, California, United States

Madera is a city and county seat of Madera County, California. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 66,224.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SamTrans</span> Public transit operator in San Mateo County, California

SamTrans is a public transport agency in and around San Mateo, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It provides bus service throughout San Mateo County and into portions of San Francisco and Palo Alto. SamTrans also operates commuter shuttles to BART stations and community shuttles. Service is largely concentrated on the east side of the Santa Cruz Mountains, and, in the central county, I-280, leaving coast-side service south of Pacifica spotty and intermittent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority</span> Cincinnati, Ohio area public transit operator

The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) is the public transport agency serving Cincinnati and its Ohio suburbs. SORTA operates Metro fixed-route buses, bus rapid transit, microtransit, and paratransit services. SORTA's headquarters are located at the Huntington Building in Cincinnati’s Central Business District. The agency is managed by CEO and General Manager Darryl Haley along with a 13-member board of trustees. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 9,664,000, or about 42,000 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.

Santa Maria Regional Transit (SMRT), formerly Santa Maria Area Transit (SMAT), is a bus service local to Santa Maria, California, providing both intracity service within Santa Maria and intercity service within Santa Barbara County, including routes to Lompoc, Buellton, and Solvang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Evansville Transit System</span>

Metropolitan Evansville Transit System (METS) is a public transit system consisting primarily of bus service in the city of Evansville, Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VCTC Intercity</span> Public bus service in Ventura County, California

VCTC Intercity is a public transit agency providing bus service in Ventura County, California. It provides an intercity bus service between the cities of Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Santa Paula, and Fillmore in Ventura County, and to communities in neighboring Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties. The agency is part of the Ventura County Transportation Commission, a governmental body that oversees transportation planning and funding in Ventura County. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 349,500, or about 1,400 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.

The Highway 17 Express is an Amtrak Thruway route provided by a consortium of entities that provides regional service between San Jose and Santa Cruz County in the South Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. The service is so called because it travels on California State Route 17. It is operated by the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Bend Transpo</span> Municipal bus system serving South Bend, Indiana

The South Bend Public Transportation Corporation is a municipal bus system that serves the cities of South Bend and Mishawaka, as well as the nearby suburbs of Notre Dame and Roseland, in the very north of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the most recent incarnation of the South Bend Railway Company, a street railway company that was founded on May 25, 1885. Transpo receives funding from local, state and federal taxes. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 1,145,500, or about 4,400 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System</span> Public transit bus service in California, US

The Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) is a public transit bus line based in Merced, California. YARTS provides scheduled fixed route service between Yosemite National Park and gateway communities. Service operates year-round on Highway 140, providing access to Merced and Mariposa counties. During the peak summer months, additional service is added along Highway 120 providing access to Tuolumne County, Highway 41 providing access to Fresno and Madera counties, and eastern Highway 120/US 395 providing access to Mono County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Portland Metro</span> Regional public transportation system in Southern Maine

The Greater Portland METRO is a regional public transportation system, established in 1966, in Southern Maine. Operated by the Greater Portland Transit District, a transit district comprising Portland, Westbrook, Falmouth, Yarmouth, Freeport, and Brunswick, the system also covers Gorham and The Maine Mall portion of South Portland.

Tulare County Area Transit (TCaT) was the county-operated bus agency providing service between cities and local community circulator routes in Tulare County, California; transit within the larger cities was provided by agencies operated by those communities, including Dinuba (DART), Porterville (Porterville Transit), Tulare (TIME), and Visalia (Visalia Transit); connections are provided to Delano (DART) in neighboring Kern County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visalia Transit</span> Transportation in California, United States

Visalia Transit is the primary bus agency serving residents and visitors to Visalia, California, the largest city and county seat of Tulare County, California. It is operated by the city through its contractor (Transdev) and offers both fixed routes and dial-a-ride local service within Visalia. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 605,200, or about 1,700 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tulare County Regional Transit Agency</span> Transportation in California, United States

The Tulare County Regional Transit Agency (TCRTA) is a joint powers agency formed by all the cities in Tulare County, California (except Visalia) alongside the county government on August 17, 2020. It operates the public transportation systems within and connecting the respective member agencies, including the legacy systems Dinuba Area Regional Transit (DART, in Dinuba), Porterville Transit (PT, Porterville), Tulare InterModal Express (TIME, in the City of Tulare), and Tulare County Area Transit (TCaT, intercity routes). It is the largest single public transit agency in Tulare County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kings Area Regional Transit</span> Public transit agency of Kings County, California

Kings Area Regional Transit is the primary bus service serving residents and visitors to the cities of Avenal, Hanford, and Lemoore in Kings County, California. KART is the branded service operated by the Kings County Area Public Transit Agency (KCAPTA) since June 1980; KCAPTA has contracted with MV Transportation to provide operations and maintenance for KART. It provides both intracity routes within and intercity routes between those three cities; in addition, it provides routes serving rural communities within Kings County as well as commuter routes connecting to Fresno Area Express in Fresno and Visalia Transit in Visalia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fresno County Rural Transit Agency</span> Transportation in Fresno County, California, United States

Fresno County Rural Transit Agency (FCRTA) is the primary bus agency providing intra- and inter-city routes for smaller cities and unincorporated rural communities in Fresno County, California since 1979, including Coalinga, Firebaugh, Fowler, Huron, Kerman, Kingsburg, Mendota, Orange Cove, Reedley, Sanger, San Joaquin, and Selma. FCRTA riders may transfer to Fresno Area Express service within the county seat of Fresno, and FCRTA has additional transfer points connecting to neighboring agencies in Fresno, Kings, and Tulare counties, including Clovis Transit Stageline, Kings Area Regional Transit, and Dinuba Connection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clovis Transit</span> Public transportation agency in Clovis, California, US

Clovis Transit is the public transportation agency which provides fixed intra-city routes and dial-a-ride service for Clovis, the second-largest city in Fresno County, California after the neighboring city and county seat, Fresno. Public transportation in Clovis was provided by Fresno Area Express (FAX) until 1979–80, when Clovis began developing its own transportation services. Stageline riders can transfer to FAX, which provides service connecting to Fresno.

Galesburg Transit is the primary provider of mass transportation in Knox County, Illinois with routes serving the Galesburg area. As of 2019, the system provided 160,712 rides over 23,487 annual vehicle revenue hours with 4 buses and 8 demand response vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madera Metro</span> Transportation in California, United States

Madera Metro, formerly Madera Area Express (MAX) is the primary bus agency providing intracity services within Madera, California. It is operated by the City of Madera and offers three fixed routes and dial-a-ride point-to-point services. Riders may transfer to Madera County Connection intercity bus routes within the county or Greyhound Lines long-haul intercity buses at the downtown Madera Intermodal Center. Madera Metro also connects to the train station north of the city limits, where riders may transfer to the Amtrak San Joaquins intercity service connecting the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles.

References

  1. "Madera County 2021 Annual Agency Profile" (PDF). Federal Transit Administration. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  2. Madera County 2011 Regional Transportation Plan (PDF) (Report). Madera County Transportation Commission. July 21, 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  3. "Madera County contracts with Fresno EOC for transit services". The Business Journal. July 12, 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 Request for Proposals for operations and maintenance of transit services (Report). County of Madera, California. March 4, 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  5. "MCC Holiday Service". County of Madera, California. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  6. 1 2 "Madera County Connection System Map" (PDF). County of Madera, California. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  7. 1 2 "Fares & Passes". Madera County Connection. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  8. Short Range Transit Plan, FY 2022/23 to 2026/27 (PDF) (Report). Madera County Transportation Commission. March 23, 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.