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You can get from Turlock to Sacramento, the Bay Area or Yosemite without driving the whole way. The trick is knowing which bus to take, where the train actually stops and how to get home. Roger K. Fall Transit Center is the starting point for many of those trips—and a useful place to ask someone to help you plan one.
Start with the right place
The Roger K. Fall Transit Center is at 1418 N. Golden State Boulevard, Turlock, near Hawkeye Avenue. Every Turlock Transit fixed route serves this hub. You can buy passes here and ask about routes and connections. For trip planning, call 209-668-5600.
The Amtrak train boards in Denair. Its station is called Turlock–Denair, code TRK, at 3800 Santa Fe Avenue, Denair. Booking a train does not automatically book a local ride there. Keep the bus center and train station separate in your plan.
The seven buses that connect Turlock
The local network has seven named routes: 1 Countryside, 2 Geer, 3 Olive, 4 Colorado, 5 Lander, 6 Soderquist, 7 Fransil. Choose by destination rather than assuming the street name describes the entire trip.
Countryside and Geer are useful for shopping around Monte Vista Crossings and reaching Stanislaus State. Olive serves destinations including Emanuel Medical Center; Colorado reaches the Turlock High and library area. Fransil brings the theater and west-side destinations into the network. The system map shows the stops and connections; our first-time Turlock Transit guide walks through the actual bus ride.
General service hours are 6 a.m.–9 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m.–7 p.m. Saturdays, with no Sunday local fixed-route service. Look up the last departure for your particular stop: the system’s closing time is not a promise that a bus will arrive there then.
An adult local day pass costs $2 and allows repeated rides; a 31-day pass is $30. Discount passes are available for people 55 and older, riders with disabilities and Medicare cardholders. Youth 18 and under and several qualifying student, education and military groups ride free with the required identification. Buy a day pass on the bus or at the center; Token Transit provides mobile passes.
A useful transfer: if you are continuing onto The S, ask your Turlock Transit driver for a free transfer when boarding your first bus. The reverse transfer from The S onto Turlock Transit costs 25 cents. This can make a regional trip cheaper than buying two unrelated fares.
Beyond town: which regional bus?
The S is Stanislaus County’s regional bus system. Its normal adult day pass is $2. Merced’s The Bus and the BART commuter service have their own fares. A familiar-looking bus stop does not mean your local pass covers every bus that uses it.
- Modesto: The S Route 10 connects Turlock and Modesto on weekdays and Saturdays. This is often the straightforward choice for a downtown Modesto errand or outing.
- Keyes and Ceres: Route 15 runs through Keyes to the Service Road and Mitchell Road area in Ceres, including Sunday service. Check the timetable for an onward connection if your destination is farther north.
- Patterson, Crows Landing and Newman: Route 45 crosses to the west side, with weekday and weekend schedules.
- Delhi, Livingston, Atwater and Merced: Merced’s Route T links these communities with Turlock. The adult fare is $3 per trip; qualifying seniors, veterans and other eligible riders travel free with identification.
- BART for a workday commute: Route 100 goes through Patterson to Tracy Hills, where riders transfer to Route 90 for Dublin/Pleasanton BART. It has a limited weekday outbound-and-return schedule, so plan around it. The commuter bus fare is $15 for a same-day round trip; BART rail travel costs extra.
Getting to Denair’s Amtrak station
Turlock Transit offers a reserved Amtrak shuttle for $2.50 each way. Request it at least one hour before the train’s arrival, using the Turlock Transit app or 209-668-5600. Ask for a drop-off timed at least 30 minutes before departure.
Book the ride back separately. Call before buying your train ticket to confirm that a shuttle is available for both ends of your trip, especially for evening or Sunday travel. An unreserved ride is not something to count on at the platform. The same On-Demand service also offers shared rides around Turlock and Denair, subject to availability.
If someone drives you, use the Denair station address rather than the transit center’s. Day and overnight parking are available at the station, including accessible spaces; allow time to park and reach the platform.
Where can the train take you?
The service once called Amtrak San Joaquins became Gold Runner in November 2025. You still book through Amtrak. Its trains and connecting motorcoaches create several possibilities from Denair:
- Sacramento: some northbound trains run directly to Sacramento Valley Station through Modesto, Stockton and Lodi. Other itineraries use a Stockton bus connection. Check the current schedule and the segments offered for your date.
- The East Bay: Oakland-bound trains serve Richmond, Emeryville and Oakland Jack London Square. At Richmond you can change to BART for more Bay Area destinations, with a separate fare.
- San Francisco: book the San Francisco destination to see Amtrak’s connecting bus from Emeryville. The Gold Runner route does not cross the Bay Bridge by train.
- Merced, Fresno and Bakersfield: these are southbound rail destinations, along with Madera, Hanford, Corcoran and Wasco. A visit or family trip becomes much easier to judge once you compare both directions.
- Los Angeles: travel by train to Bakersfield and then by connecting motorcoach to Los Angeles Union Station. Amtrak’s station code “LAX” means Union Station, not the airport.
- Yosemite Valley: take the train to Merced and connect with YARTS Highway 140 / Amtrak Route 15A. Reserve the dated connection and return journey. YARTS fares and park-entry charges are separate considerations; leave time for the transfer.
For Stockton connections, pay particular attention to the station code. Sacramento trains use Stockton–Cabral (SKT); Oakland trains use Stockton–San Joaquin Street (SKN). They are different places. Use the station printed on your itinerary when arranging another bus or a pickup.
A first outing can be modest: lunch and a walk in Sacramento, a Fresno family visit, or a Bay Area trip with one BART transfer. Compare the last return before choosing the outbound departure. For a downtown Modesto visit, the regional bus may save the extra ride to Denair and the ride from Modesto’s outlying train station.
Your first train trip, step by step
- Search from Turlock–Denair (TRK). Enter your final destination at Amtrak or call 1-800-872-7245. A train-and-bus itinerary is normal. Read each segment and buy before arriving.
- Arrange both local rides. Confirm how you will reach Denair and how you will leave it on your return. Your local bus pass, Amtrak ticket and any BART fare are separate purchases.
- Keep the ticket handy. The conductor scans your eTicket barcode. Save it on your phone or print it before leaving; a smartphone is not required.
- Arrive at least 30 minutes early. Check train status, then follow platform signs and the crew’s boarding directions. Give yourself more time if you need assistance.
The Denair station is unstaffed, with a sheltered outdoor waiting area. There is no ticket counter, ticket kiosk, indoor waiting room or restroom. Use the bathroom beforehand, bring what you need for the wait and carry bags you can manage yourself: checked baggage is unavailable here.
The platform has an accessible path and a wheelchair lift. Ask Amtrak about boarding assistance and accessible motorcoach connections when booking. You can also bring a bicycle on Gold Runner using available racks; bike spaces are first come, first served. Confirm any bus segment can take the bike too.
Long-distance buses have a separate stop
Greyhound lists a Turlock (Sinclair) stop at 1405 N. Golden State Boulevard, Turlock. It is a separate boarding location close to the transit center. When comparing longer trips, search your actual date and check whether the coach is direct or requires a transfer. Use the pickup address on your ticket rather than waiting in a city-bus bay.
Help if all this is unfamiliar
You do not have to learn the system alone. MOVE offers free travel training to Stanislaus County residents, including help with routes, fares, transfers and mobility devices. Call 209-672-1143; friends or a small group can learn together.
Turlock’s ADA paratransit is a separate option for people whose disability prevents them from using fixed-route service. Eligibility requires certification. Approved riders reserve ahead; the fare is $1 each way. General On-Demand rides are open to everyone and do not require that certification.
Who was Roger K. Fall?
Roger Kenneth Fall worked for Turlock from 1981 to 2011 as its transportation engineering supervisor. He helped establish the city’s first fixed-route bus system, administered transportation grants and moved the transfer point from Central Park to this location. The city named the center for him in 2018.
At the center’s dedication, his daughter recalled family drives spent spotting burned-out streetlights so he could get them replaced, according to the Turlock Journal’s account.
Choose your destination, check the return journey, then call Turlock Transit if you need help arranging the connection. Start with our first-time bus guide or explore the nearby towns guide.
