Madera County Connection

Madera County Connection (MCC) is the primary bus agency providing intercity services within Madera County, California. It is operated by the County Department of Public Works and offers four fixed routes connecting the cities of Chowchilla and Madera with Valley Children's Hospital and smaller unincorporated communities in the county. All four routes meet at the same intermodal terminal in downtown Madera, where riders may transfer to Madera Metro intracity buses or Greyhound Lines intercity buses. Passengers may take Madera Metro to the train station and transfer to the Amtrak San Joaquins intercity service connecting the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles.

Madera County Connection
ParentMadera County Department of Public Works
Founded1997
Headquarters201 W Almond Ave
LocaleMadera, CA
Service typeBus service, Dial-a-Ride
Routes4
DestinationsChowchilla; Coarsegold; Eastin-Arcola; Fairmead; La Vina; Madera; Oakhurst; Ripperdan
HubsDowntown Madera Intermodal Center
Annual ridership18,598 (2021)[1]
WebsiteOfficial website

Madera County also is responsible for operating dial-a-ride point-to-point services in the unincorporated areas surrounding Madera and Chowchilla (MCC Madera and Chowchilla Dial-A-Ride, respectively), a demand-responsive bus for seniors in the rural eastern part of the county (Eastern Madera County Senior Bus), and a medical escort program (Eastern Madera County Medical Escort Service).

History
System map (2022)

Madera County Connection started in 2001 as a demonstration service, providing transportation for children and their families to and from Children's Hospital Central California.[2]: 1–4 

Madera County let a five-year contract to the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission (EOC) in 2019 to operate county bus services, including MCC.[3] Prior to that, separate contracts were held by Merced Transportation Company for MCC and the Community Action Partnership of Madera County for the Senior Bus and Escort Program.[4]

Services

MCC operates its fixed routes on weekdays, with no service provided on specific holidays (New Year's Day, Memorial Day, July 4, Laabor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas).[5]

Fixed routes

All fixed routes originate and terminate at the Madera Intermodal Center in downtown Madera, at the intersection of E Yosemite Avenue and N E Street.[6]

Madera County Connection fixed routes[6]
No. Route name Destinations served Days Trips/day Notes / Refs.
1 College / Children's Hospital Madera Community College, Madera Ranchos Market, Valley Children's Hospital Mon–Fri 5 With the exception of the first and last trips, operates as an extension of Route 4 (Eastern Madera). Route takes approximately 90 minutes roundtrip.
2 Eastin Arcola - Ripperdan - La Vina Eastin Arcola, Ripperdan, La Vina Mon, Wed, Fri 2 Serves communities west of California State Route 99 and south of Madera; typical round-trip time is 60 minutes.
3 Chowchilla - Fairmead Fairmead, Countrywood Shopping Center, Chowchilla Mon–Fri 5 Largely follows SR 99; typical round-trip time is 90 minutes.
4 Eastern Madera County Yosemite Lakes, Coarsegold, Oakhurst, Bass Lake, North Fork, South Fork Mon–Fri 5 With the exception of the last two trips, continues as Route 1 (College / Children's Hospital). Largely follows SR 145 and SR 41; typical round-trip time is 240 minutes.

Fares

One-way fares are $2 per passenger; children under 5 ride free with a paid adult fare.[7]

Transfers

Riders may transfer to Fresno Area Express at Valley Children's Hospital for free,[7] or to Madera Metro or Greyhound Lines at the Madera Intermodal Center. In addition, riders on the Eastern County route may transfer to Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System, which offers seasonal service to Yosemite National Park at stops along California State Route 41 in Coarsegold and Oakhurst.[4] The Madera Amtrak station is approximately 5 mi (8.0 km) north of the Intermodal Center and requires a transfer to Madera Metro.

Fleet & facilities

Madera County has thirteen vehicles used for its transit services, of which nine are used by MCC; all nine are lift-equipped Starcraft Allstar 25 van cutaway buses with seating capacity of 15 passengers + 2 wheelchair users.[8]: 24 

Before 2019, the administrative office for MCC was at 1200 Maple Street; Madera County renovated an office space at the County Road Yard in Madera at 201 W. Almond Avenue and the contracted operator moved operations and maintenance activities to that location.[4]

References
  1. "Madera County 2021 Annual Agency Profile" (PDF). Federal Transit Administration. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  2. Madera County 2011 Regional Transportation Plan (PDF) (Report). Madera County Transportation Commission. July 21, 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  3. "Madera County contracts with Fresno EOC for transit services". The Business Journal. July 12, 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  4. Request for Proposals for operations and maintenance of transit services (Report). County of Madera, California. March 4, 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  5. "MCC Holiday Service". County of Madera, California. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  6. "Madera County Connection System Map" (PDF). County of Madera, California. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  7. "Fares & Passes". Madera County Connection. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  8. Short Range Transit Plan, FY 2022/23 to 2026/27 (PDF) (Report). Madera County Transportation Commission. March 23, 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
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