Modesto Area Express (MAX) has placed a new 2012 model commuter coach into service on the Modesto BART Express route, replacing a similar 1999 coach that had accumulated over 750,000 miles in service. The new coach, manufactured by Motor Coach Industries, is built for long-distance commuting and provides a very smooth, quiet and comfortable ride. Seating up to 55 passengers in high-back reclining seats, the bus features individual reading lights and space to carry luggage and bicycles. This new bus was purchased using Federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grant funds.
Each weekday the Modesto BART Express route provides four round trips from the Downtown Transportation Center and the Sisk Road Orchard Supply Hardware parking lot to the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station. Two round trips are made in the morning and two more in the late afternoon/early evening.
At 13 years of age, the 1999 coach will now be used in a less demanding role on the ACE Express commuter route, a considerably shorter trip connecting Modesto and the Manteca/Lathrop Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) train station. It will replace a standard transit bus that makes one round trip each day on that route, freeing up the transit bus to operate routes within the Modesto urban area. This represents a significant improvement in comfort for ACE Express passengers riding that particular trip.
Additional information about these commuter express routes, including fares and schedules, is available by calling (209) 521-1274 or on the web at www.ModestoAreaExpress.com.
Bus exterior Bus interior