Golden Empire Transit

Golden Empire Transit

A Hydrogen Fuel Bus at the CSUB Transit Center
Parent	Golden Empire Transit District
Founded	1973
Headquarters	1830 Golden State Avenue
Locale	Bakersfield, California
Service area	Greater Bakersfield
Service type	bus service
Routes	16
Stops	1,600
Hubs	Downtown Transit Center Southwest Transit Center Bakersfield College CSUB
Fleet	90 standard CNG buses 10 Hydrogen Buses 49 On-Demand vehicles
Daily ridership	11,800 (weekdays, Q2 2024)[1]
Annual ridership	3,531,400 (2023)[2]
Fuel type	CNG, Hydrogen fuel
Website	getbus.org

Golden Empire Transit is the operator of mass transportation in Bakersfield, California. There are 16 routes serving Greater Bakersfield, which includes both the City of Bakersfield and adjacent unincorporated communities. Since 2005, almost the entire bus fleet has been powered by compressed natural gas. In 2021, 5 hydrogen buses were added to the fleet, with an additional 5 planned for purchase in the future. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 3,531,400, or about 11,800 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.

The government agency is an independent transit agency and is not directly associated with either the City of Bakersfield or the County of Kern. However, it co-ordinates with both the city and county, as well as the Kern Council of Governments (which represents most local governments in the county). It is also the direct descendant of the Bakersfield and Kern Electric Railway, which originally provided streetcar service to the city.