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 AmtrakSan Joaquins intercity service connecting the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles.
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, Labor 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]
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]
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]
