The Bus beefs up security

Merced County’s The Bus has added a full-time security patrol to the Downtown Merced Transpo Center in an attempt to give riders peace of mind, county officials announced Tuesday.

The private security detail, which launched last month and is provided by Sacramento-based National Security Industries, is set to cost the county no more than $100,000 a year over the next three years, according to Stacie Dabbs, spokeswoman for the Merced County Association of Governments.

Dabbs said the Transit Joint Powers Authority for Merced County, which is made up of the same board members as the association, has recently made changes to give riders a greater feeling of security, the greatest concern of the roughly 2,800 daily riders.

In recent years, authorities also added surveillance cameras on every bus and a 24-hour video surveillance at the downtown center. The security detail is to be stationed at the downtown hub but can respond to any part of the countywide system, Dabbs said.

“The safety and security of our passengers is always our top priority and we believe this additional layer of protection was an important and necessary step to take,” transit Manager Rich Green said in a news release. “Luckily, we have not had any specific threats or faced any major concerns and we expect that to continue, but we made it a priority to put the additional security in place to help riders feel safe and to provide them with the best experience possible.”

The new security patrol coincides with The Bus’s hours of operation, which can be found at www.mercedthebus.com or by calling The Bus at 209-723-3100.

Real-time information on bus locations, services and arrival times can be found at www.thebuslive.com. All buses are equipped with bike racks and are wheelchair accessible.

This story was originally published August 2, 2016 at 5:52 PM with the headline "The Bus beefs up security."