The Stanislaus Regional Transit Authority, branded as The S, is a public transportation bus system serving Modesto, California and surrounding Stanislaus County. It was formed in 2021 from the merger of the Modesto Area Express (MAX) and Stanislaus Regional Transit (StaRT) systems. Most routes connect at the downtown Modesto Transportation Center; the Vintage Faire Mall serves as a secondary hub.
History Modesto intracity service Originally, passengers in Modesto were served by streetcars over the short-line Modesto Interurban Railway from 1911 to 1917, operated intermittently first by the Tidewater Southern Railway; the Modesto and Empire Traction Company was founded on October 7, 1911, and began regularly scheduled passenger service between Modesto and Empire on November 1 of that year. Passenger service was discontinued in 1917 after freight became more important.
Public bus transportation service in Modesto started on September 19, 1927, when the City Transit Company (CTC), a private venture, began operations under a city franchise. CTC ran a single bus on a 30-minute schedule, but soon added two more buses to expand service throughout Modesto.
City Transit told the City Council they would renew its liability insurance in June 1932 as a condition to keep the franchise; however, struggling with profitability, the franchise was transferred to a new owner three months later in September 1932. The privately owned Modesto Motor Bus Service (MBS) took over and ran transit operations in Modesto through 1973, serving a peak of one million riders in 1945 due to wartime shortages of gasoline and automobiles. The 1955 map of four routes resembled a cloverleaf in shape; that year, MBS petitioned the California Public Utilities Commission to raise fares from 15 to 20 cents, with losses projected to be that year.
By 1968, the unreliability of the aging MBS fleet led the city to purchase four new GM "old-look" transit buses, which were then leased to MBS to improve its financial health. At the time, MBS was owned and operated by Willis M. Kleinenbroich, who was responsible for maintaining, driving, and dispatching the buses. By 1973, with the service continuing to lose money, Kleinenbroich attempted to sell the company but found no private buyers; instead, it was acquired by the city of Modesto in 1973 and renamed to Intracity Transit. The city would continue to purchase several GM New Look buses in 1973 and 1976. Modesto subsequently rebranded it as Modesto Area Express in 1990.
As the New Look fleet aged, Modesto replaced them with mid-size Rapid Transit Series (1980), Gillig Phantom, and Gillig Low Floor buses; for the longer suburban/commuter express routes, Modesto has used MCI D-Series highway coaches.
Stanislaus County intercity services Stanislaus Regional Transit was a division of the Stanislaus County Department of Public Works, which operated fixed intercity routes, mainly within the county; one route connected to neighboring Merced County.
Merger A 2019 Transit Efficiency and Innovations Study recommended the merger of MAX and StaRT and on January 26, 2021, the Modesto City Council and the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors each approved the merger, forming the new Stanislaus Regional Transit Authority.
Routes RouteNameLegacy systemTerminusvia (Destinations)TerminusTyp. headway (minutes) Notes / Refs. 10Modesto/TurlockStaRTModesto (Modesto Transportation Center)SR 99(CSUS)Turlock (Transit Center)60 21Downtown to Robertson RoadMAXModesto (Modesto Transportation Center)H, Sutter, Robertson, and Paradise(Modesto HS)Modesto (Modesto Transportation Center)15 (M-F)30 (Sa)60 (Su) 22Downtown to McHenry/Vintage Faire MallMAXModesto (Modesto Transportation Center)McHenry and Standiford(McHenry Village, Vintage Faire Mall)Modesto (Vintage Faire Mall)30 (M-Sa)60 (Su) 23Downtown to McHenryMAXModesto (Modesto Transportation Center)McHenryModesto (McKenry & Kiernan)30 (M-Sa)60 (Su) 24Downtown to Sylvan AvenueMAXModesto (Modesto Transportation Center)Scenic, Surrey, and Lakewood(Stanislaus County Health Services Agency, Enochs HS)Modesto (Roselle & Sylvan)60 (M-F) 25Downtown to Orangeburg/Vintage Faire MallMAXModesto (Modesto Transportation Center)Miller, Claus, Orangeburg & Sisk(Amtrak)Modesto (Vintage Faire Mall)30 (M-Sa)60 (Su) 26Downtown to Carpenter RoadMAXModesto (Modesto Transportation Center)Paradise, Carpenter & Maze(Central Catholic HS)Modesto (Modesto Transportation Center)30 (M-Sa)60 (Su) 28Downtown to Salida and MallMAXModesto (Vintage Faire Mall)Dale, Pirrone/Kiernan & Broadway(Gregori HS)Modesto (Bacon & Toomes)60 (M–F) 29Downtown to Crows Landing/JFK Training CenterMAXModesto (Modesto Transportation Center)9th, Nadine & HatchModesto (Modesto Transportation Center)30 (M-Sa)60 (Su) 29T (Former 15)Modesto, Ceres, Keyes, TurlockStaRTModesto (Modesto Transportation Center)SR 99(Ceres, Keyes, CSUS)Turlock (Transit Center)60 30Downtown to Modesto Junior College East Campus/Prescott Road/Vintage Faire MallMAXModesto (Modesto Transportation Center)College, Roseburg, Carver & Standiford(Modesto Junior College East)Modesto (Vintage Faire Mall)30 (M-Sa)60 (Su) 31Downtown to Modesto Junior College East/Tully/Pelandale Ave/Vintage Faire MallMAXModesto (Modesto Transportation Center)9th, Tully & Pelandale(Davis HS, Modesto Junior College East)Modesto (Vintage Faire Mall)30 (M-Sa)60 (Su) 32Downtown to Mable AvenueMAXModesto (Modesto Transportation Center)Scenic, Coffee, & Mable(Downey HS, Beyer HS)Modesto (Modesto Transportation Center)30 (M-F)60 (Sa,Su) 33Downtown to Poust Road/Modesto Junior College West CampusMAXModesto (Modesto Transportation Center)9th, Woodland, Carpenter, & California(Modesto Junior College East & West, Central Catholic HS, Modesto HS)Modesto (Modesto Transportation Center)30 (M-Sa)60 (Su) 35 Escalon Transit (eTrans)eTrans / MAXEscalonMcHenryModesto (Vintage Faire Mall)3 daily trips 36Downtown to Central Valley Plaza/Vintage Faire MallMAXModesto (Modesto Transportation Center)Rouse, Carpenter, & Sisk(Modesto Junior College West, Central Catholic HS)Modesto (Vintage Faire Mall)30 (M-F)60 (Sa,Su) 37Downtown to Rumble Road/Vintage Faire MallMAXModesto (Modesto Transportation Center)Yosemite, Oakdale, Sylvan, & Rumble(Beyer HS, Davis HS)Modesto (Vintage Faire Mall)30 (M-F)60 (Sa,Su) 38Airport neighborhood (Empire & Oregon) - Downtown ModestoMAXModesto (Modesto Transportation Center)9th, D, & Yosemite(Modesto City–County Airport)Modesto (Modesto Transportation Center)30 (M-Sa)60 (Su) 40Modesto, Grayson, Westley, PattersonStaRTModesto (Modesto Transportation Center)Crows Landing, Grayson, & SR 33(Ceres, Grayson, Westley, Patterson, Modesto Junior College East)Patterson (Veterans Memorial Park)105 (M–F) 41Downtown to Vintage Faire Mall ExpressMAXModesto (Modesto Transportation Center)SR 99(Vintage Faire Mall)Modesto (Modesto Transportation Center)30 (M-F)60 (Sa,Su) 42Downtown to Tucson Avenue/Community Services BuildingMAXModesto (Modesto Transportation Center)SR 99, Crows Landing, Whitmore, & Hatch(Community Services Agency)Modesto (Modesto Transportation Center)30 (M-Sa)60 (Su) 44 Formerly Ceres Area Transit – Blacker & Hackett to Herndon & HatchCeres Area Transit / MAXCeres (Herndon & Hatch)Hatch, Mitchell, & WhitmoreCeres (Blaker & Hackett) 60 45EPatterson to TurlockStaRTPatterson (Veterans Memorial Park)E. Las Palmas & West Main(CSUS)Turlock (Transit Center)8 round trips (M–F) 45WGustine, Newman, Crows Landing, PattersonStaRTGustine (City Park)SR 33(Newman, Crows Landing)Patterson (Veterans Memorial Park)9 round trips (M–F)5 round trips (Sa) 60Modesto, Riverbank, OakdaleStaRTModesto (Modesto Transportation Center)College, McHenry, Claribel, Oakdale, Patterson, & SR 108SR 99, Dale, & Kiernan (Sat)(Riverbank, Oakdale)Oakdale (Maag & F)Mon-Fri every hour (Saturday Sunday every hour) 61Modesto, Empire, Waterford, Hickman, Hughson, CeresStaRTModesto (Modesto Transportation Center)SR 132, Hickman, & Whitmore(Modesto City–County Airport, Empire, Waterford, Hickman, Hughson, Ceres)Waterford (Yosemite & Western)120 (M–Sa) 70 ACE Commuter Modesto, Vintage Faire Park & Ride, Lathrop ACE stationMAXModesto (Vintage Faire Mall; some routes originate from Modesto Transportation Center and stop at Vintage Faire)SR 120, Airport, & YosemiteLathrop (Lathrop/Manteca station)7 round trips (M–F) 90 BART Commuter - ModestoModesto, Vintage Faire Park & Ride, Dublin/Pleasanton BART stationMAXModesto (Modesto Transportation Center & Vintage Faire Mall)I-580Dublin (Dublin/Pleasanton BART station)3 round trips (M–F) saturday 6 round trip Sunday 3 round trips 100 BART Commuter - Turlock / PattersonTurlock, Patterson, Dublin/Pleasanton BART stationStaRTTurlock (Fall Transit Center) & Patterson (Walmart)West Main, I-5, & I-580Dublin (Dublin/Pleasanton BART station)1 round trip (M–F) 80 Stockton CommuterModesto, Vintage Faire Park & Ride, Manteca, StocktonMAXModesto (Modesto Transportation Center)SR 99(Vintage Faire Mall, Manteca)Stockton (Stockton Transit Center)3 round trips (M–F)
References
External links