Tulare County Regional Transit Agency
Transportation in California, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
RIDE Tulare County (RIDETC) formerly known as Tulare County Regional Transit Agency, is a joint powers agency formed by all the cities in Tulare County, California (except Visalia) alongside the county government on August 17, 2020. It operates the public transportation systems within and connecting the respective member agencies, including the legacy systems Dinuba Area Regional Transit (DART, in Dinuba), Tulare InterModal Express (TIME, in the City of Tulare), and Tulare County Area Transit (TCaT, intercity routes). It is the largest single public transit agency in Tulare County.
| |
| Parent | Tulare County Association of Governments (TCAG) |
|---|---|
| Founded | August 17, 2020 |
| Service area | Tulare County, California |
| Service type | Bus service, Dial-a-Ride |
| Routes | 27[1] |
| Destinations | Intercity and local routes in Tulare County |
| Hubs | Dinuba Transit Center, Porterville Transit Center, Tulare Transit Center, Visalia Transit Center |
| Website | ridetc |
History
The cities of Exeter, Farmersville, Lindsay, Porterville, Tulare, and Woodlake in partnership with the County of Tulare were the initial seven member agencies of RIDETC, which was formed by unanimously adopting the draft by-laws on August 17, 2020.[2] In September 2020, Dinuba joined RIDETC as the eighth member.[3]: 5–6 Collectively, these represent all the cities within Tulare County with the sole exception of Visalia, the largest city and county seat, which has chosen to retain its independent Visalia Transit agency. The consolidation is expected to result in uniform fares, more efficient routes, and easier intercity travel within Tulare County.[4]
Memoranda of understanding (MoU) were signed between RIDETC and the cities of Dinuba, Tulare, and Woodlake at the May 17, 2021 board meeting, transferring ownership, operation, and administration of public transportation systems in those cities to RIDETC.[5]: 27–44, 53–88 A similar MoU for Porterville signed at the same May meeting effectively allowed that city to provide transit operations and maintenance services for Woodlake.[5]: 45–52 The first legacy system to transition under RIDETC administration was the bus service in Woodlake, starting on July 1, 2021.[6] Porterville Transit loaned several minivans to Woodlake, replacing the minibuses that previously were operated by that city.[4]
Starting late April 2026, RIDETC began a systemwide branding transition from its original TCRTA identity to the unified RIDE Tulare County name, standardizing vehicle decals, rider materials, and digital route platforms under the RIDETC abbreviation. The rebrand also expanded emphasis on real-time route information and consolidated fare messaging across member systems, aligning legacy services under a single countywide identity.[7]
Services
Fixed routes
RIDETC has assumed operation of legacy fixed routes from Dinuba (DART), Porterville (Porterville Transit), the City of Tulare (TIME), and Tulare County (TCaT). Prefixes designate the legacy system from which the route was inherited.
| Route | Name | Legacy system | Terminus | Via | Terminus | Typical headway | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C10 | North County | TCaT | Visalia (Visalia Transit Center) | Seville, Cutler, East Orosi, Orosi, Sultana[8] | Dinuba (Dinuba Transit Center) | 60–120 minutes | |
| C20 | South County | TCaT | Tulare (Tulare Transit Center) | Matheny Tract, Tipton, Pixley, Teviston, Earlimart, Delano[9] | Richgrove | 60–150 minutes | |
| C30 | Northeast County | TCaT | Visalia (Visalia Transit Center) | Ivanhoe, Woodlake, Lemon Cove, Three Rivers[10] | Visalia (Visalia Transit Center) | 30–70 minutes | Some buses turn back at Woodlake Whitney Transit Center.[10] |
| C40 | Southeast County | TCaT | Visalia (Tulare County Government Plaza) | Tulare, Lindsay, Strathmore[11] | Porterville (Porterville Transit Center) | 60–172 minutes | |
| C70 | Porterville – Springville | TCaT | Porterville (Porterville Transit Center) | Springville, Highway 190 foothill corridor[12] | Porterville (Porterville Transit Center) | 90–120 minutes | Uses the same bus as C80 & C90 |
| C80 | Porterville–Terra Bella–Ducor | TCaT | Porterville (Porterville Transit Center) | Terra Bella, Ducor[13] | Porterville (Porterville Transit Center) | 90–120 minutes | Uses the same bus as C70 & C90 |
| C90 | Lindsay – Strathmore – Plainview – Woodville – Poplar – Porterville | TCaT | Lindsay | Strathmore, Plainview, Woodville, Poplar-Cotton Center, Poplar[14] | Porterville (Porterville Transit Center) | 90–120 minutes | Uses the same bus as C70 & C80 |
| TR | Tule River Indian Reservation | PT | Porterville (Porterville Transit Center) | Highway 190 Park-n-Ride, Old Casino, Old Mill, Tule River Indian Reservation[15] | Porterville (Porterville Transit Center) | ~120 minutes | Only five scheduled trips per day |
| 11X | Tulare–Visalia | TIME | Tulare Transit Center | State Route 99, State Route 198, Mooney Blvd corridor[16] | Visalia (Visalia Transit Center) | 30–60 minutes | Operated jointly with Visalia Transit. |
| DC | Dinuba Connection | DART | Dinuba Transit Center | Tulare WORKS, Reedley Shopping Center, Adventist Medical Center, Reedley College, Reedley Palm Village, Reedley DMV, Dinuba Walmart[17] | Dinuba Transit Center | 60 minutes | |
| DL | Dinuba Loop | N/A | Dinuba High School | Delgado Park, St. Michael’s, Saginaw & Viscaya Pkwy, Viscaya Gardens, Nebraska Dog Park, Northpark Apartments, Lincoln Elementary School, Washington Intermediate / JFK, Olive Way, Jefferson School, Rancho Vista, Wilson Elementary School[18] | Dinuba High School | >7 hours | Limited to two scheduled trips per day |
| D1 | Northeast Dinuba | DART | Dinuba Transit Center | Dinuba Walmart, Dollar Tree, St. Michael’s, Tulare WORKS, Parkside Village, Grace & Laughter, Saginaw & Viscaya Pkwy, Roosevelt Elementary School[19] | Dinuba Transit Center | 60 minutes | |
| D2 | Northwest Dinuba | DART | Dinuba Transit Center | Dinuba Senior Center, Lincoln Elementary School, Nebraska Dog Park, Northpark Apartments, Sierra Village, Washington / JFK Schools, Dinuba Downs[20] | Dinuba Transit Center | 60 minutes | |
| D3 | Southeast Dinuba | DART | Dinuba Transit Center | Olive Way, Jefferson School, Rancho Vista, Department of Public Works, Platinum Theaters, Rabobank[21] | Dinuba Transit Center | 60 minutes | |
| D4 | Central Dinuba | DART | Dinuba Transit Center | Dinuba Walmart, Gregory Park, Housing Authority, Wilson Elementary School, Delgado Park, O Street[22] | Dinuba Transit Center | 60 minutes | |
| T1 | North Tulare | TIME | Tulare Transit Center | Regional Medical Center, Sports Park, Pleasant School, Maple School[23] | Tulare Transit Center | 40–50 minutes | |
| T2 | Southeast Tulare | TIME | Tulare Transit Center | Martin Luther King Jr. Ave, Bardsley Ave, Cypress Elementary School, Blackstone St corridor[24] | Tulare Transit Center | 40–60 minutes | |
| T3 | West Tulare | TIME | Tulare Transit Center | Pleasant Ave, Valley Oak Apartments, Senior Center, Sacramento St, Pratt St[25] | Tulare Transit Center | 40–60 minutes | |
| T4 | Northeast Tulare | TIME | Tulare Transit Center | Prosperity Ave, Target, Walmart, Tulare Outlets, Merritt Ave[26] | Tulare Transit Center | 40–60 minutes | |
| T5 | Southwest Tulare | TIME | Tulare Transit Center | H Street, Parkwood Meadows Park, O’Neal Ave, Family HealthCare Network, Tulare City Hall[27] | Tulare Transit Center | 40–60 minutes | |
| T6 | East Tulare | TIME | Tulare Transit Center | Tulare Ave, Laspina St, Highway 137, College of the Sequoias, Kohn Elementary School[28] | Tulare Transit Center | 40–50 minutes | Formerly designated as route T7 |
Legacy systems
Dinuba
Under Dinuba Area Regional Transit (DART), Dinuba operated four routes, including one longer-distance route ("Dinuba Connection") connecting Dinuba to Reedley in Fresno County, two flexible routes ("North" and "South") allowing deviations to serve dial-a-ride passengers between nominal fixed route stops, and a fare-free single fixed route ("Jolly Trolley") serving popular businesses.[29]
Exeter
The City of Exeter began operating a dial-a-ride intracity on-demand transit service in 1991. Service to its larger neighbor Visalia is provided by Visalia Transit.[30] On July 1, 2017, Visalia Transit took over intracity dial-a-ride services within Exeter.[31] The steep fare increase, from $1 under Exeter to $2.25 under Visalia, resulted in citizens berating the City Council.[4]
Farmersville
The City of Farmersville also relied on Visalia Transit for public transportation connections to Visalia, with Farmersville compensating Visalia annually from its transportation funding allocation.[32]
Lindsay
Dial-a-ride services within Lindsay were provided under annual agreements with Tulare County.[33]: Res.19-13 TCaT also provided service for circulation within Lindsay (Route 60)[34] and connections to Porterville and the neighboring unincorporated communities of Plainview, Poplar-Cotton Center, Strathmore, and Woodville (Route 90).[35]
Porterville
Porterville Transit operates six fixed routes within Porterville; there were nine fixed routes prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, with one of the fixed routes providing service to the Tule River Indian Reservation. The service reopened sometime after the pandemic, now run under RIDETC administration.[15]
Tulare
The City of Tulare operated the Tulare InterModal Express (TIME) transit service, which provided six fixed routes within Tulare and one express route, jointly operated with Visalia Transit, that connected those two cities.[36][37] The six fixed routes within Tulare were named for their geographical coverage (#1 Northwest; #2 Southeast; #3 West; #4 Northeast; #5 Southwest; and #7 East); all routes, including Tulare–Visalia service (#11X) met at the central Tulare Transit Center (360 N. K St).[38] Sunday service was added in 2015.[39] The 7 number got switched to T6.[28]
Tulare County
Tulare County Area Transit (TCaT) provided mainly intercity routes, linking cities and communities within Tulare County.[40]
Woodlake
Woodlake operated a dial-a-ride service within the city limits and unincorporated areas of the county starting in 1999; fixed intercity routes serving Woodlake were previously operated by Orange Belt Stages and TCaT.[41]: 14
The Woodlake dial-a-ride service typically operated one of the city's three 16-passenger cutaway minibuses with the other two left in reserve.[41]: 17 The Woodlake city bus connected with TCaT Route 30 at the Whitney Transit Center, which opened in October 2013 at 201 E Lakeview in downtown Woodlake;[42] in total, there were four bus shelters: one at Whitney and the others at local schools (Woodlake High School, F.J. White Learning Center, and Castle Rock Elementary).[41]: 18–20
Structure
Each member agency appoints one elected official and one alternate representative to serve on the RIDETC Board of Directors. RIDETC holds one meeting per month, scheduled for the third Monday at 3 PM.[43]
Fleet and facilities
Facilities
The Tulare County Transit Operations and Maintenance Facility (TOMF) held a grand opening on September 23, 2021. The TOMF can accommodate up to 25 buses with a 26,000 ft2 (2,400 m2) building that includes administration, operations, dispatch, and maintenance facilities.[44] It is located near the county's Visalia Road Yard, at the intersection of Avenues 256 (Sierra) and 140 (South Lover's Lane).[45]