Manteca Transit is expanding its fixed route bus service starting Monday.

And at the same time to encourage new bus ridership, all fixed routes can be ridden free of charge from Monday, Jan. 20, through Saturday, Jan. 25.

The addition of a fourth route has allowed changes to the existing routes in a bid to make Manteca Transit more youth friendly to serve all four high schools — Manteca, East Union, Sierra, and BE.Tech — as well as various points that youth access on a fairly heavy basis including Woodward Park and the Bowlero bowling alley. Two bus routes will now serve the Boys & Girls Club. That is in addition to being able to access the Manteca Library as well as other places such as the AMC Showplace 16 movie complex.

The fourth route adds service on the Woodward Avenue corridor making it easier for those residing south of the 120 Bypass to also access the Stadium Retail Center, Kaiser Hospital, Manteca Adult School, and other locations. The new route will also serve the Juniper and Tesoro apartments on Atherton Drive.

The route reconfiguration also added service to the Diamond Oaks Park neighborhood off of Louise Avenue in east Manteca as well as the neighborhood surrounding Sequoia Park.

Manteca Transit has been marketing its service via programs at city high schools explaining how to ride the bus, fare options, and where it can take teens. They also rolled out an app that can allow parents to track the progress of the bus that their child is riding in real time and what time it will arrive at its destination

The revamped Manteca Transit service effectively helps fill a void created after Manteca Unified almost a decade ago stopped providing in town transportation to high school students due to budget concerns. That means there are a significant number of teens who cannot get rides due to family work schedules. As a result teens sometimes walk 2 to 3 miles in fog or adverse weather. They often need to cross overpasses and their approaches that have no sidewalk or fencing. There are also areas where roads are narrow with no shoulder to walk on.

Besides revamping and adding routes to have Manteca Transit provide an effective option for to and from school transportation, it was also designed as a good way for teens and children to be mobile after school, on weekends and during vacation.

Youth fares are 75 cents for those ages 2 to 18. It covers any transfers they need to make to switch buses to reach their destination. Transfer points are the Transit Center, the Civic Center at 1001 W. Center St., and Stadium Retail Center anchored by Kohl’s.

Monthly passes for youth ages 2 to 18 are $28. Ten-ride passes for ages 5 to 18 are $7.

Either passes or exact change is needed to ride a bus. Passes can be purchased at the Transit Center, 220 Moffat Blvd., or the Manteca Parks & Recreation Office, 252 Magnolia Ave.

Those who are 12 and older can ride the bus by themselves. Youth between 6 and 11 years of age must ride the bus accompanied by someone who is 12 years or older. Those under 6 are required to be with someone 18 years of age or older.

All Manteca Transit buses also have bicycle racks.

Information on Manteca Transit as well as printable rider guides to the fixed route system plus maps of the system are available by going to www.ci.manteca.ca.us/PublicWorks/MantecaTransit

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com