The Manteca Transit is offering free rides on all of its fixed routes next week to mark the debut of the new 35-foot gas powered by compressed natural gas.

The bus will be available for a free public inspection today from noon to 2 p.m. at

Manteca Transit Center at Moffat Boulevard and Main Street.

Free rides will be offered Monday, March 14, through Saturday, March 19, on the new bus being deployed on Route 2. The free rides are being offered on other fixed routes as well in an effort to encourage residents to check out the transit system to see if it can serve their needs.

In addition, Manteca Transit is offering free rides for Manteca Unified high school students through May 28. Students can board any Manteca Transit Fixed Route bus, show their student ID to the driver, then ride for free. This promotion is funded by Caltrans in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve mobility.

John Portillo, who oversees the city’s Manteca Transit system, said the new 31-passenger bus is the direct result of the city reaching out to the community to find out what their needs are as well as their perceptions.

He noted many believed the city was operating the smaller buses  only for Dial-a-Ride or paratransit which is not the case.

That was partially behind the city’s decision to use state and federal grants to acquire the new 35-foot bus produced by Gillig in Livermore.

The larger new bus is being used on Route 2. It generally hits the apartments on the eastern end of Atherton Drive, Woodward Park, Orchard Valley, Big League Dreams/Costco, Sierra High, the Civic Center, Walmart, and the downtown transit center.

It is the second heaviest traveled route behind Route 1 that primarily runs down Yosemite Avenue hitting Target, Doctors Hospital, the downtown transit center, the Civic Center, Sierra High, BLD/Costco and Kaiser Hospital.
The bus was tested on Route 1 but due to its larger size it wasn’t able to cover the route in the usual hour.

Manteca Transit, though, is looking at ways of stepping up service on its more popular route. Based on the availability of drivers, they are tentatively looking to run buses every half hour instead of an hourly basis starting perhaps as early as July 1. More frequent bus service often leads to increased ridership.

Detailed information on bus routes and how to ride the bus can be found on the city’s website at www.ci.manteca.ca.us/CommunityDevelopment/MantecaTransit/Pages/FixedRouteService.aspx. Once there you can download a route map with how-to-ride tips and fare information.

You can also call (209) 456-8888 for additional information.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com