San Joaquin Regional Transit District


San Joaquin Regional Transit District, commonly known as San Joaquin RTD, or simply as RTD, is a transit district that provides bus service to the city of Stockton, California and the surrounding communities of Lodi, Ripon, Thornton, French Camp, Lathrop, Manteca, and Tracy. In, the system had a ridership of, or about per weekday as of.
San Joaquin RTD operates 26 local fixed routes to the Stockton metropolitan area, including five BRT Express routes, RTD’s Bus Rapid Transit service. San Joaquin RTD also operates seven Metro Hopper routes that provide fixed route and complimentary deviations for ADA certified passengers and five County Hopper routes that travel to neighboring cities in San Joaquin County. County Hoppers, like Metro Hoppers are fixed routes with complimentary deviations for ADA certified passengers. Finally, they operate Commuter services includes two routes that serve Sacramento and the East Bay, with subscription service available for commuters.

History

In 1963, legislative groundwork began for the establishment of a public transit special district in Stockton, and in 1965, the Stockton Metropolitan Transit District began providing service for the residents of Stockton. In late 1979, SMTD moved operations from Grant and Channel Streets to its current Lindsay Street facility. In 1985, SMTD adopted the nickname “SMART.” In 1990, SMART began providing fully accessible fixed route and Dial-A-Ride services for the elderly and persons with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
In 1994, enabling legislation expanded SMART’s service area to the San Joaquin County border, bringing with it a name change to reflect its expansion – San Joaquin Regional Transit District, or SJRTD for short. That same year, SJRTD expanded its Interregional Commuter service to offer additional routes to commuters traveling to the Bay Area and Sacramento. In 2004, SJRTD adopted “San Joaquin RTD” as its new corporate identity and developed a new logo. That same year, RTD introduced low-emission diesel-electric hybrid buses via its “Flower Bus,” with a full-wrap sunflower display designed to complement the slogan “A Breath of Fresh Air.” At the end of 2006, RTD opened the Downtown Transit Center for the public, with a floor for employee offices. In 2017, by converting its route 44 to electric buses, RTD became the first transit agency in the United States to operate a fully electric BRT route.

Access San Joaquin

A consolidated transportation agency that was formed by local transit agencies and the San Joaquin Council of Governments in San Joaquin County, RTD was designated to be the CTSA for San Joaquin County. The local agencies that make up the board of the CTSA are:

RTD's active rolling stock

YearManufacturerModelLength Fleet seriesQuantityFuelEngineTransmissionImage
2007GilligLow Floor296200s11Diesel hybridCummins ISLAllison EP40 Hybrid System
2006GilligLow Floor356300s10Diesel hybridCummins ISLAllison EP40 Hybrid System
2010GilligBRT401001-10066Diesel hybridCummins ISL9Allison EP40 Hybrid System
2011GilligBRT401007-10082Diesel hybridCummins ISL9Allison H 40 EP hybrid system
2012GilligBRT4012000s6Diesel hybridCummins ISL9Allison H 40 EP hybrid system
2013Nova BusLFS Artic6014600s6Diesel hybridCummins ISL9Allison H 50 EP hybrid system
2016ProterraCatalyst4016400s5Electric
2018ProterraCatalyst4018400s5Electric--

YearManufacturerModelLength Fleet seriesQuantityFuelEngineTransmissionImage
2004GilligLow Floor404001-40022Disel HybridCummins ISLAllison EP40 Hybrid System
2006GilligLow Floor406400s4Disel HybridCummins ISLAllison EP40 Hybrid System
2012GlavalTitan II low floors261700s22Gasoline
2020ARBOCSpirit of Mobility262026s4Gasoline

YearManufacturerModelLength Fleet seriesQuantityFuelEngineTransmissionImage
2016StarcraftTransit 350 HD211600s6Gasoline
2019Glaval BusTitan II LFs211900s14Gasoline

BRT Express

BRT Express is RTD's express bus service and uses uniquely branded, low-emission diesel–electric hybrid buses that arrive at their stops every 15 minutes during weekday peak hours and every 30 minutes on weeknights, weekends, and holidays. BRT Express passengers are required to have a valid RTD bus pass or ticket to ride. Fare vending machines, located at BRT Express stops and the Downtown Transit Center, are available for passengers to purchase single ride and all-day passes. BRT Express uses the same fare structure and passes as RTD’s regular fixed routes and passes issued by the Fare Vending Machines can be used on any of RTD's regular fixed routes that operates within the Stockton Metropolitan Area.

The Downtown Transit Center (DTC)

Completed December 2006, the DTC at 421 E. Weber St. has three off-street bus lanes, two passenger boarding platforms, and a two-story building. Nearly all RTD routes connect at the DTC, which has 20 sheltered, off-street bus stops as well as additional street side stops on the north and south sides. The DTC building incorporates the façades of three historic buildings on its front elevation. The first floor of the DTC has a waiting area, public restrooms, and a customer service center where riders can get maps and schedules, purchase fares, and make customer comments. RTD leases of retail space for a restaurant on the east end, and a police satellite station provides the DTC with two RTD-contracted police officers. A boardroom available for public meetings occupies the west end of the first floor and RTD administrative offices occupy the rest of the building.
On average, 6,000 people use the DTC each weekday.

All Electric Fleet arriving 2025

In 2018 RTD introduced their first all-electric bus route. The current fleet of all-electric buses as of today, are manufactured by Proterra Inc and Gillig. RTD will be receiving a hydrogen fuel bus from NFI Group in 2024 that they will be testing.

Route List

This is RTD's Active Route List as of Sunday, January 25th, 2026

County Hopper Service (Weekday Routes)

RouteDescription
90Stockton – Lathrop – Tracy
91Stockton – Manteca – Ripon
93Stockton – Lodi
95Stockton – Manteca – Escalon
97Tracy – Lathrop – Manteca