Stanislaus County’s Public Works Transit Division, which manages the Stanislaus Regional Transit (StaRT), has just implemented service changes on bus routes throughout Stanislaus County. The changes, which took effect Monday, Aug. 22, include a brand new 45-foot commuter bus that will transport riders from the western part of the county to the Dublin/Pleasanton BART Station. The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors approved these service changes along with approval of the Fiscal Year 2016-2017 annual Transportation Development Act Claims at a board meeting earlier this summer.
Featuring comfortable seats, free Wi-Fi, USB ports, and a sleek, modern design, the StaRT Commuter bus will pick up at the Turlock Regional Transit Center, then travel to Patterson and continue to the Dublin BART Station.
Other service changes being implemented are in response to customer input, suggestions, and feedback received at several events held throughout the County. Planned enhancements are intended to improve timeliness on existing routes and to better serve residents within StaRT’s service area. Other improvements include optimized connectivity to and from StaRT routes as well as other transit operators in Stanislaus County. Further changes consist of rerouting Route 60 to serve the Crossroads Shopping Center in the City of Riverbank. Slight modifications were also made to Route 15 to extend service along West Main Street in the City of Turlock.
To improve service offered on Route 45-East in the City of Patterson, StaRT adjusted the route to offer service to residences along Walnut Avenue and N. Hartley Street. Additional changes to be provided include a new fixed route service and Route 61, which will serve the communities of Waterford, Hickman, Hughson, Empire, Ceres, and Modesto. The new fixed route service has fixed stops in the communities mentioned.
In addition to the fixed route service, StaRT will implement a new shuttle service to replace the existing Waterford/Modesto Dial-A-Ride service. The Waterford/Modesto/Ceres shuttle will offer service to residents in the communities served which includes service to medical appointments, social activities and shopping.
StaRT also adheres to the ADA paratransit service required by the federal government, which mandates transit systems providing fixed route service in their service areas to also offer ADA paratransit service. Hours for the ADA paratransit service will mirror operating hours for StaRT’s fixed route service and will vary depending on the specific fixed route.
Overall, these improvements are intended to improve service efficiency and effectiveness as well as to enhance service quality. New bus stops will also be added along the new and existing routes. For more information, passengers may contact StaRT at 1-800-262-1516 or visit www.srt.org. The public may also contact StaRT at 1-844-699-9949 for more information about the ADA paratransit service.
