Visalia Transit
Visalia Transit is the primary bus agency serving residents and visitors to Visalia, California, the largest city and county seat of Tulare County, California. It is operated by the city through its contractor RATP Dev and offers both fixed routes and dial-a-ride local service within Visalia. In, the system had a ridership of, or about per weekday as of.
Most routes operate out of the central transit center in Downtown Visalia. There are three secondary hubs located on the city's north, west, and south sides. Buses connecting Visalia's central transit hub to nearby census-designated places are handled by the Tulare County Regional Transit Agency including services to Dinuba and Woodlake ; Route C40 connects the southern hub in Visalia with Tulare and Porterville.
History
Public transportation in Visalia was initially provided by the Visalia Electric Railroad, which operated streetcars between 1904 and 1924. Local transit operations were taken over by the city of Visalia in 1981, spurred by growth in the city's size and population. The first routes were spokes radiating from a downtown hub; service expansion since then has included newer developments south and west of the original urban core, and routes to outlying communities such as Exeter, Farmersville, and Goshen.The Visalia Towne Trolley service, operating a circulation route in downtown Visalia, started in November 1998. The Towne Trolley was discontinued in September 2017 due to low ridership and were made available for charter service, but low use led the City Council to sell four of the five trolleys in January 2019.
Services
Visalia Transit operates seven days a week, with no service on specific holidays and limited service on other holidays. The agency serves a population of approximately 138,207 in its service area.In addition to its fixed-route and dial-a-ride transportation services within Visalia, the city operates two special long-distance routes, a free intracity shuttle for at-risk youths, and maintains The Greenline, where callers may request information about Visalia Transit and other local agencies within Tulare County. The Greenline call center is staffed Monday through Saturday.
Fixed routes
Most fixed routes connect to the Visalia Transit Center near downtown Visalia; many of these routes connect to secondary hubs on the west, south, or north.| No. | Route name | Terminus | via | Terminus | Typical headway | Notes / Refs. |
| 1A/1B | Mooney | Visalia Transit Center | Mooney Blvd | Government Plaza | 15 20 | |
| 2A/2B | Caldwell/Court | Visalia Transit Center | Court and Caldwell | Visalia Medical Clinic | 30 | |
| 4A/4B | Tulare | Visalia Transit Center | Tulare | Visalia Medical Clinic | 30 | |
| 5A/5B | Walnut | Visalia Transit Center | Walnut | Visalia Medical Clinic | 30–45 30 | |
| 6A/6B | Murray | Visalia Transit Center | Houston & Goshen | Visalia Medical Clinic | 60 | |
| 7A/7B | Ferguson | Visalia Medical Clinic | Goshen & Ferguson | Target | 60 | |
| 8A/8B | Northeast | Visalia Transit Center | Noble, Lovers Lane, & McAuliff | Target | 30-45 | |
| 9A/9B | Exeter – Farmersville | Visalia Transit Center | Ben Maddox, McAuliff, & Walnut | Farmersville & Exeter | 45 90 | |
| 11X | Tulare Express | Visalia Transit Center | SR 198 & 99 | Tulare Transit Center | 30 | Jointly operated with TCRTA. |
| 12A/12B | Mooney Orchard | Sequoia Mall | Caldwell & Visalia Pkwy | Farmersville | 60 | |
| 15A/15B | Goshen – Mineral King | Visalia Transit Center | Mineral King/Noble | Goshen Elementary | 45 | |
| 16A/16B | Demaree | Sequoia Mall | Demaree & Riggin | North Target | 30 | |
| 17A/17B | Plaza | Visalia Medical Clinic | Shirk, Riggin, & Plaza | San Joaquin Valley College | 30 |
;Notes
Fares
Although exact cash fare is required, passes may be purchased at the farebox; change will be provided in the form of a change card, which is valid for one year after it was issued. Visalia offers the Rider Rewards reloadable smart card, available for purchase from the Visalia Transit Center; value may be added to the Rider Rewards card online. Monthly pass users with a Rider Rewards card qualify for discounts from certain local merchants.Fare collection was temporarily suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic, but has resumed as of February 1, 2021.
| Regular | Veterans, Seniors, Disabled, and Medicare | Children | |
| Single Ride | $1.75 | $0.85 | First two free, additional $1.75 each |
| All-Day Pass | $3.50 | $2.50 | First two free, additional $1.75 each |
| 7-Day Pass | $14 | $7.50 | First two free, additional $1.75 each |
| Monthly Pass | $50 | $30 | First two free, additional $1.75 each |
| Regional T-Pass | $55 | — | First two free, additional $1.75 each |
;Notes
Transfers
Although Visalia Transit connects with Tulare InterModal Express, Tulare County Area Transit, Greyhound, and Kings Area Regional Transit, transfers are accepted without charge from TCaT connections onto VT Route 1 only.V-LINE
Visalia Transit operates the V-LINE commuter service, connecting Visalia with Fresno.V-LINE buses depart from the Visalia Transit Center and make stops at the Visalia Municipal Airport, Fresno Yosemite International Airport, California State University, Fresno, and Courthouse Park in downtown Fresno, where riders can transfer to Fresno Area Express, Amtrak, and Greyhound Lines, before returning to Visalia. Typical headways on V-LINE range from 120 to 240 minutes. V-LINE is operated seven days a week with the exception of certain holidays. V-LINE passengers may park for free at the Visalia Airport for up to ten days. The route charges a premium fare., a one-way ride is $10 for the general public and $9 for qualified riders ; multiple-ride "punch passes" are available, bringing per-ride costs down to $7 and $6, respectively.
Sequoia Shuttle
Visalia Transit operates the seasonal Sequoia Shuttle service, connecting Visalia with Sequoia National Park via Exeter, Three Rivers, and Lemon Cove.The Sequoia Shuttle takes passengers to the Foothills Visitor Center and Giant Forest Monument in Sequoia National Park, where they may transfer to the park's internal shuttles. Due to the narrow roads to the park, Sequoia Shuttle buses are limited to 16 passengers, and reservations must be booked no later than 5 AM the day of travel as a result. The fare for Sequoia Shuttle is $20 for a round-trip, as approved by the Visalia City Council in 2019; it was the first fare increase since it was raised to $15 in 2008. The shuttles were canceled for the 2020 and 2021 seasons because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in California.