RIDE THE GRAVY TRAIN
(or bus)
Local Transit and Rail Providers
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: traffic sucks. The best way to avoid it is to get off the road all together.
Using public transit may also make you eligible for tax incentives (on top of other dibs rewards).
San Joaquin and Merced Counties have a TON of transit agencies offering everything from intercity fixed route service to commuter buses and trains to dial-a-ride and paratransit. Check out all the options below:
Commuter Rail
The Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) is a commuter train that runs between Stockton and San Jose with stations in Stockton, Lathrop-Manteca, Tracy and various stops in the Bay Area.
Amtrak San Joaquins runs through the San Joaquin Valley with connections to places including Bakersfield, Fresno, Stockton, Sacramento, and Oakland. In addition to its train service, Amtrak San Joaquins also runs a thruway bus service that can connect you to destinations like Yosemite, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has trains running from Dublin-Pleasanton to various Bay Area locations. You can drive, carpool or vanpool, or take SJRTD or MAX commuter buses to BART.
San Joaquin County Transit Providers
San Joaquin Regional Transit District (SJRTD) operates 8 Commuter Routes to Lathrop, Manteca, Tracy, Livermore, Dublin/BART, Pleasanton, Sunnyvale, and Sacramento.
Manteca Transit offers two routes serving the Manteca Area.
The Lodi Grapeline serves the City of Lodi. Amtrak Lodi (LOD) station building with waiting room. 24 S Sacramento St., Lodi.
The Tracy Tracer provides fixed route, paratransit, and Dial-A-Ride services to the City of Tracy. In addition, San Joaquin RTD is offering a new route between Tracy and Mountain House.
The Blossom Express provides the City of Ripon a transit bus service to the general public, with four roundtrip loops from Ripon to Modesto.
ETrans provides The City of Escalon a door-to-door Dial-A-Ride service which operates within the City of Escalon and the surrounding unincorporated county areas.
The San Joaquin Council of Governments (SJCOG) and Masabi, the company bringing Fare Payments-as-a-Service (FPaaS) to public transit, is pleased to announce EZHub, a cashless mobile ticketing and fare payment system, available in the Vamos Mobility App from Kyyti.
Merced County Transit Providers
THE BUS public transportation for the County of Merced connecting cities with Commuter Express, Merced Shuttle and Intercity Express.
YARTS public transportation to Yosemite from Merced on Hwy 140 and Hwy 120 and Interstate 395 to Mammoth Lake.
Amtrak (MCD) Merced station building with enclosed waiting room. 324 W 24th St., Merced, CA 95340.
Greyhound Bus Merced bus station with baggage check and waiting room. 710 W 16th St.
Additional Transit Providers
Amador Transit connects Sutter Hill Transit Center to Jackson, Sutter Creek, Plymouth, Ione and Hwy 88 corridor through Pine Grove and Pioneer ending at Amador Station.
Stanislaus Regional Transit Authority (StanRTA) servex Stanislaus County with commuter services to ACE, Amtrak, and BART as well Fixed Route, Dial-A-Ride and Runabouts. Serves Turlock, Modesto, Waterford, Newman, Oakdale, Patterson, Waterford and Riverbank. Non-emergency transportation to Bay Area Medical Facilities is also available.
Bus Line Service of Turlock (BLAST) provides transit service to the City of Turlock and the surrounding unincorporated area. Dial-A-Ride is also available.
Ceres Area Transit (CAT) is a fixed route bus service that serves Ceres and the surrounding unincorporated area. Dial-A-Ride is also available.
Fresno Area Express (FAX) serving the greater Fresno Metropolitan area. Connecting Fresno and Clovis.
Pre-Tax Savings
Employers may provide up to $300 per month to commuting employees for transit, parking or vanpool fees. As an employer, you pay for the benefit and receive business income tax deductions in return. As an employee, you receive the benefit free of payroll and income taxes. It’s basically $ on top of your current salary. Win, win. Get the Employer’s Tax Guide to Fringe Benefits here.
FAQ
Enter your start and end points on the Vamos trip planning app and it’ll tell you the best ways to get to where you’re going, departure times and step-by-step directions included.
That depends what trains/buses/rail lines you’re taking and where you’re going. The Vamos trip planning app will give you all those details.
It can be. If you’ve ever driven into the Bay Area from Stockton on a busy weekday morning, you know rush hour is more like rush 3 hours. A train can potentially reduce that.
You could sit in stressful traffic, tiring out your foot by going from gas to break and back again in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Or you could get comfortable with a book, zone out to a podcast, or catch sleep on a train or bus. You do you.