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Full Winter Service will begin early in the Town of Mammoth Lakes!  Red Line, Blue-Yellow Combo and the Winter Night Trolley are currently running. On December 7, 2019 the Blue-Yellow Combo will end and the Blue Line, Yellow Line and Green Line will begin.

All routes within the Town of Mammoth Lakes are Fare Free so come check it out!

Stuff a Bus Food Drive
HELP US STUFF-A-BUS!
The 13th annual Stuff-A-Bus Holiday Food Drive is here, which means it’s time again for the generous people of the Eastern Sierra to clear out their pantries and give a little to those in need this holiday season.
The Eastern Sierra Transit Authority in coordination with The Salvation Army, KIBS/KBOV Radio and Kmart will be accepting donations of non-perishable food items now thru December 6th.
Come out and visit the ESTA Team and bring your food donation to the KIBS/KBOV live remote in front of the Bishop Kmart on Saturday, November 23rd from 10:00am to 12 noon.
For any groups or businesses, who have group food collections, Eastern Sierra Transit will pick-up donations at no charge and deliver them to the Salvation Army. Call 872-1901 to schedule your donation pick-up.
THANK YOU for your generosity in this community event!

This past spring Eastern Sierra Transit and Mono County submitted a Low Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP) grant application for fare reduction on multi-ride 10-Punch passes on the Mammoth Express routes. ESTA learned in mid-June that the grant application had been awarded for the FY 2019/20 fare reduction project.

The (LCTOP) provides formula funding for approved operating and capital assistance for transit agencies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve mobility.

The approved LCTOP funds are to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by increasing use of public transportation by offering a significant fare reduction on multi-ride 10-Punch passes of ~50% on the Mammoth Express route.  The fare reduction on multi-ride 10-Punch passes would be available on all runs of the Mammoth Express route including: the north-bound 6:50am, 7:30am, 1:00pm and 6:10pm between Bishop and Mammoth Lakes; south-bound 7:50am, 2:05pm, 5:15pm and 7:00pm between Mammoth Lakes and Bishop.

The 10-Punch passes would have one rate for all passengers including adults, seniors, youth and disabled. The new fares will go into effect July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020.

The multi-ride 10-punch passes can be purchase from the driver and are also available for purchase online at https://www.estransit.com/product/mammoth-express/.

Per California Vehicle Code, ESTA requires child car seats be used on all buses that are equipped with seatbelts as required by law.

Riders will be required to supply the proper child safety seat at the time of pick up for all children under eight years old unless they are 4’ 9” or taller.

Dial-a-ride vehicles and buses providing regional service have seatbelts and require car seats as outlined in this post. Fixed route buses  and trolleys in Mammoth Lakes generally do not have seatbelts. Please call 760-872-1901 ext. 22 if you have questions about a specific route.

These are the laws regarding children:

Children Under Eight Years Old

California law requires that all children under the age of eight be secured:

• in an “appropriate” child passenger restraint system that meets federal standards
• in a seat that is not in the front next to the driver.

The appropriateness of a car seat usually depends on the age and size of the child. But generally, it’s going to be one of three types: rear-facing, forward-facing, or a booster seat. However, for children who are 4’ 9” or taller, the law requires only a seatbelt.  (Cal. Veh. Code §§ 27360(a), 27363(d) (2017).)

Children Under Two Years Old

California enacted a new child safety seat law that took effect on January 1, 2017. The legislation requires all children who are under two years old to be secured:

• in a rear-facing car seat that meets federal standards
• in the back seat, and
• in a manner that complies with the seat manufacturer’s height and weight specifications.

The rear-facing child seat requirement doesn’t apply for children weighing 40 pounds or more or who are 40 inches or taller. (Cal. Veh. Code § 27360(a) (2017).)

Children Between Eight and 16 Years Old

With children who are at least eight but less than 16 years old, drivers are responsible for ensuring the child is secured in an appropriate child seat or seatbelt. For many kids in this age range, a safety belt—rather than a car seat—is the appropriate type of restraint. (For more information on choosing the right car seat, go to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website.) (Cal. Veh. Code § 27360.5 (2017).)

Exceptions

A court can make an exception to any of the child safety restraint laws when application of the law would be impractical because of a child’s:

• physical unfitness
• medical condition, or size

And generally, a driver is excused from placing a child who is under eight years old in the back seat (see requirement above) when:

• there is no back seat
• the rear seats are side-facing jump seats
• the back seats are rear facing
• the child seat can’t be installed properly in the back seat
• all the rear seats are occupied by children under the age of eight, or
• medical reasons require that the child ride in a front seat.

A rear-facing car seat can’t, however, be put in the front seat when there are active front passenger airbags. (Cal. Veh. Code § 27363 (2017).)

Effective Monday, September 16, 2019, Eastern Sierra Transit’s Bishop Dial-a-Ride will no longer have a 2:30 pm Check Point at the Warren Street stop behind Joseph’s. All other Check Point places and times will remain in effect.

Check Point Schedule

MAMMOTH GRAN FONDO TRAFFIC & TRANSIT ADVISORY FOR SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2019

The Mammoth Gran Fondo road bike ride hosted by the Mammoth Mountain Community Foundation (MMCF) will take place this Saturday, September 7, 2019 with almost 2,000 cyclists expected to participate. The start and finish line of this road bike ride are located in The Village on Canyon Blvd. As a result, a section of Canyon Blvd between Lake Mary Rd and Hillside Drive will be closed between 5:00AM and 8:00PM.
During this time frame, the bus stops in The Village on Canyon Blvd will be inaccessible, which will impact several public transit routes.

Effective Monday, September 16, 2019, Eastern Sierra Transit will be updating stop times on the Lone Pine to Reno Route. More information can be found on the Lone Pine to Reno webpage: https://www.estransit.com/routes-schedule/395-routes/lone-pine-to-reno/

Beginning Monday, September 9th, the mandatory shuttle will end its daily service on the Reds Meadow Shuttle from the Adventure Center at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area to Devils Postpile.

Services will be provided as listed below:
Now through September 4th – Road closed to vehicles 7am to 7pm
Shuttles operate on the following frequencies:
7:30am until 10:00am, and 4:00pm until 7:00pm; every 45 minutes or less
10:00 am until 4:00pm; every 20 minutes or less.
The last bus out of the Valley departs Reds Meadow Resort at 7:45pm

September 5 through September 8 – Road closed to vehicles 8:30am to 6pm
Shuttles operate 9:00am until 6:30pm with an approximate 30-minute frequency.
The last bus out of the Valley departs Reds Meadow Resort at 5:45pm

Weekends Only: Saturday, September 14 through Sunday October 13:

Road open to vehicles unless parking capacity is exceeded in designated parking areas.
During the weekends, due to parking capacity, the Devils Postpile parking lot will be closed from 10am to 3:30pm and visitors will be directed to park at Reds Meadow Resort and take the bus to the Devils Postpile. The complimentary, mandatory shuttle will operate from the parking area at Reds Meadow Resort to the Devils Postpile National Monument from 10am to 3:30 pm.
If there is no parking available at Devils Postpile and the shuttle is not running, vehicles must park at other designated parking areas in the valley.

The extended shuttle service is provided by the Town of Mammoth Lakes to improve safety and reduce congestion at popular destinations in the Reds Meadow Valley while visitors enjoy the golden fall colors.