Public transit in Madera County includes Madera Area Express, Dial-A-Ride, Madera County Connection, Chowchilla Area Transit Express, a number of smaller specialized social service transportation services, Greyhound bus, and taxi service.  Public transportation is provided by fixed-route and demand-response transit systems, as described below.

♦ City of Madera

The City operates Madera Area Express (MAX), a fixed-route system and Dial-A-Ride, a general public demand-response system. Both services are operated under contract with Laidlaw Transit. MAX  is available weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The service operates primarily within the City limits.  The system utilizes three lift-equipped vehicles and transports over 120,000 riders annually.

Dial-A-Ride is a general public system primarily serving the elderly and disabled. The service operates weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dial-A-Ride operations take place within the Madera urban area, covering a five-mile radius from the downtown area, and transporting approximately 70,000 riders annually. The service is operated with a fleet of seven vehicles. This service is funded jointly by the City of Madera and Madera County. www.cityofmadera.org/Grant/Transportation.asp

♦ City of Chowchilla

The City of Chowchilla operates Chowchilla Area Transit Express (CATX), a general public, demand-response service. CATX service was initiated in 1995 as an expansion of the existing senior bus program. The County of Madera funds CATX service for unincorporated portions of the service area.

The CATX service area encompasses the City and contiguous unincorporated areas, including Fairmead.  Inter-city service to the City of Madera’s Intermodal Facility is offered once a month based on demand. Service is provided with two vehicles on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and transports approximately 27,000 riders annually. www.ci.chowchilla.ca.us/parksrec/catx.htm

♦ County of Madera

The County of Madera operates the Madera County Connection (MCC), a general public, intercity fixed-route system. The MCC was initiated in 2001 as a demonstration service to provide transportation for children aged 0-5 and families to Children’s Hospital Central California.

MCC provides access to the communities of Madera, Chowchilla, Fairmead, La Vina, Ripperdan, Eastin Arcola, Madera Ranchos, Coarsegold, Oakhurst, and North Fork. The service operates 5 days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and transports approximately 2,500 riders annually.

♦ Social Service Transportation

There are a number of social service agencies providing transportation in Madera County (reference coordinated transportation plan).  These agencies largely provide service to their clients and to specific sites.

♦ Private Providers

A private taxicab operator provides service in Madera County seven days a week, 24 hours a day. This operator is based at the Downtown Intermodal Center.

Greyhound operates seven days a week from the City of Madera’s Downtown Intermodal Center on North “E” Street, providing intercity transportation.  www.greyhound.com

♦ Passenger Rail/Support Facilities

Madera County is served by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) and the Union Pacific (UP) Railroads. AMTRAK operates seven days a week with twelve daily stops in Madera along the BNSF Railroad alignment. The station is located on Avenue 15½ and Road 29, east of Madera. The San Joaquin route provides passenger rail service from Oakland to Bakersfield four times a day to Sacramento twice a day.  AMTRAK also provides thruway bus service to cities that are not directly accessible from the San Joaquins, such as Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco and San Jose. Planning is underway to move the AMTRAK station to Road 26, north of Madera, in order to improve access to Amtrak service.   www.amtrak.com

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