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Fresno Area Express

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Fresno Area Express
FAX bus operating on Route 3 in January 2022
ParentCity of Fresno Department of Transportation
Founded1887
Service areaFresno and Clovis, California
Service typeBus service, paratransit
Routes18
Stops1,606
Hubs2 (Downtown, Manchester)
Fleet126 buses
Daily ridership40,300 (weekdays, Q3 2024)[1]
Annual ridership8,973,000 (2023)[2]
Fuel typeCNG, Battery-electric
Websitefresno.gov/fax
System map (August 2023)

Fresno Area Express (FAX), is a public transportation operator in Fresno, California. The system has over 100 buses, 1,606 bus stops, and 18 routes as of August 2022. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 8,973,000, or about 40,300 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024. FAX fixed routes run as far south as Malaga to Valley Children's Hospital in the north. Lines also run as far east as Fowler Avenue in Clovis, and as far west as Hayes Avenue near Highway 99 in western Fresno.[3]

FAX has paratransit operations called Handy Ride. Handy Ride is operated by a private contractor. FAX offers free transfers as well as wheelchair lifts and bike racks on all buses.[4]

History

The public transportation system in Fresno started in January 1889 with horse-drawn streetcars. By 1901, lines had been established on Fulton, Fresno, and Mariposa Streets, which merged together into the Fresno City Railway Company. The company was renamed the Fresno Traction Company in 1903 as employees began the process of converting the lines to electric streetcars. These electric streetcars operated on approximately 42 miles of track by the mid-1920s.[5]

In 1939, the streetcar system was purchased by National City Lines, known for its role in the General Motors streetcar conspiracy. The company renamed the system Fresno City Lines, and like the other lines it purchased around the nation, National City Lines started to replace Fresno's rail system with buses and all streetcar operations ended on May 20, 1939.[5][6]

The city of Fresno took control of Fresno City Lines in 1961, renaming it Fresno Municipal Lines. The system would be renamed Fresno Transit in 1969 and received its current name, Fresno Area Express or FAX, in 1989.[5]

In 2001, FAX started the process of converting its fleet to be fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG), a process that was expected to take about 10 years.[7]

In January 2017, the agency introduced FAX15, a frequent bus service, on the Shaw Avenue and Cedar Avenue corridors.[8] On these lines, buses arrive every 15 minutes on weekdays between 6 am and 6 pm. Bus stops along the FAX15 lines were improved in 2022 and 2023.[9] A third FAX15 route along the 1st Street corridor was added in August 2023.[10]

FAX Q, a frequent bus service that the agency brands as bus rapid transit, opened on February 19, 2018. The 15.7-mile (25.3 km)[11] line operates on the Blackstone and Ventura/Kings Canyon transit corridors and cost US$56 million to build.[12]

The agency started the process of converting to a zero tailpipe emission fleet in 2021, with the introduction of two battery-electric buses in late 2021.[13] The agency also plans to purchase hydrogen fuel cell buses. FAX expects to purchase its last CNG-fueled buses in 2027, and retire them by 2040.[14]

Routes

Accurate as of August 14, 2023.[15][16]

Route Service type North or West Terminal Destinations Served South or East Terminal
1 – Q Bus Rapid Transit Q BRT Woodward Park
(Fresno & Friant)		 River Park, Manchester Transit Center, Fresno City College, Downtown Transit Center, Fresno Fairgrounds Sunnyside
(Kings Canyon & Clovis)
3 – Herndon Regular Marketplace at El Paseo
(Herndon & Riverside)		 Sierra Sky Park Airport, Saint Agnes Medical Center, Clovis North Educational Center Clovis Community College
(Willow & International)
9 – Shaw FAX 15 Shaw & Brawley Fig Garden Shopping Center, Fashion Fair, Fresno State, Sierra Vista Mall Shaw & Cole
Shaw & Willow (short turn)
12 – Brawley Regular Shaw & Brawley Central High School East Campus, Inspiration Park, Forestiere Underground Gardens Brawley & Shields
20 – Hughes/McKinley Regular Marketplace at El Paseo
(Herndon & Riverside)		 Fresno High School, Fresno City College VA Medical Center
(Fresno Street & Clinton)
22 – West Ave/Tulare Regular West & Bullard Fig Garden Library, Downtown Transit Center, Amtrak Santa Fe Passenger Depot Clovis & Kings Canyon
Burgan & Butler (peak hours)
26 – Palm/Butler Regular Nees & Blackstone Bullard High School, Fresno High School, Tower District, Downtown Transit Center, Fresno Fairgrounds, Mosqueda Community Center, Fresno Pacific University Fresno Yosemite International Airport Fresno Yosemite International Airport
28 – DSS/Manchester Center/West Fresno Regular County of Fresno Clovis Campus
(Dakota & Peach)		 Manchester Transit Center, Fresno City College, Fresno High School, Fresno Chandler Executive Airport Crystal & Kearney
32 – Fresno St Regular River Park
(El Paso & Blackstone)
Downtown Transit Center (late nights)		 Kaiser Hospital, VA Medical Center, Community Regional Medical Center, Downtown Transit Center North & Elm
33 – Belmont Regular Belmont & Delno Roeding Park, Fresno Chaffee Zoo Maple & Butler
34 – 1st St FAX 15 River Park
(El Paso & Blackstone)		 River Park, Saint Agnes Medical Center, Politi Library, Hoover High School, Fashion Fair, Downtown Transit Center North Pointe Business Park
35 – Olive Regular Brawley & Shields Roeding Park, Tower District Olive & Peach
38 – Cedar FAX 15 River Park
(El Paso & Blackstone)		 River Park, Fresno State University, Duncan Polytechnical High School, McLane High School, Roosevelt High School Downtown Transit Center
39 – FYI/Clinton Regular Shields & Brawley VA Medical Center, McLane High School Fresno Yosemite International Airport Fresno Yosemite International Airport
41 – Malaga/Shields/Chestnut Regular Marks & Shaw Manchester Transit Center, Fresno Pacific University Grand & Harding
45 – Ashlan Regular Justin Garza High School Central High School East Campus Shields & Stanford
58 – NE Fresno Regular River Park
(El Paso & Blackstone)		 Clovis West High School, Woodward Park Regional Library Champlain & Perrin
58E – Children's Hospital Express Valley Children's Hospital (no stops; connects to Madera County Connection at Valley Children's Hospital) River Park
(El Paso & Blackstone)

Transit Centers

Fresno Area Express has two primary transit centers, hubs where passengers can transfer between several routes. The Manchester Transit Center is located on the west side of Blackstone Avenue and is served by routes 1, 28 and 41, additionally, it is the location of the FAX Customer Service Center.[17] The Downtown Transit Center is located at Courthouse Park and is served by routes 1, 22, 26, 28, 32, 34 and 38, along with the Fresno County Rural Transit Agency's Coalinga, Orange Cove, Southeast and Westside routes, along with Visalia Transit's V-LINE service.[18]

Fleet

As of June 29, 2022, Fresno Area Express has a fleet of 126 buses, with 100 needed for service on weekdays and 73 on weekends. The buses in the spare fleet are used when necessary to cover for buses that need to be taken out of service for maintenance.[19]

The fleet primarily consists of 40-foot buses powered by CNG-fueled engines, but there are also three 29-foot buses for use on low-ridership routes and nine battery electric buses as the agency begins its transition to a zero tailpipe emissions fleet.

Manufacturer Model Number Length Fleet
Number Range 		Qty. Year Power type Notes
New Flyer C40LF 40' 0508–0510 3 2005 CNG Spare fleet, 0501–0507 retired
C40LFR 40' 0601–0615 14 2006 Spare fleet, 0607 retired
0901–0916 16 2009
Gillig Low Floor BRT 40' 1101–1109 9 2011 CNG
29' 1201–1203 3 2012
40' 1401–1410 10 2014
1612–1617 6 2016
Low Floor BRT Plus 40' 1601–1611 11 2016 CNG Used on FAX15 routes.
1701–1726 26 2017 1701–1708 used on FAX15 routes.
1709–1726 used on FAX Q route.
1801 1 2018
1905–1906 2 2019
2001–2008 8 2020
2103–2108 6 2021
Proterra ZX5 40' 2101–2102 2 2021 Battery electric
2201–2207 7 2022

References

  1. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Third Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  2. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  3. ^ "FAX : System Map" (PDF). Fresno.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  4. ^ [1] Archived April 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ a b c "Fresno Area Express History". City of Fresno. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  6. ^ Renovich, Steve (1960). "Fresno Traction". The Western Railroader. 23 (248). Francis A. Guido: 3–6.
  7. ^ McEwen, Bill; Wasserman, Jim (January 31, 2001). "Fresno Buses to run on Natural Gas". The Fresno Bee. pp. B1, B4. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Sheehan, Tim (January 7, 2017). "FAX to offer more frequent buses on routes to, from Fresno State". Fresno Bee. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  9. ^ "Shaw-Cedar Bus Stop Improvement Project" (PDF). Fresno Area Express. May 2, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  10. ^ "We're extending our reach and reducing your wait time". Fresno Area Express. August 14, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  11. ^ "Fresno Area Express "Q" Blackstone/Kings Canyon Bus Rapid Transit" (PDF). Federal Transit Administration. November 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  12. ^ Johnson, Jessica (February 20, 2018). "Fresno's new transit system offers faster service, plush seats and bright blue buses". Fresno Bee. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  13. ^ Fresno Area Express [@FresnoFAX] (August 5, 2021). "We are on our way to becoming electric! We plan on releasing two zero-emission buses to our fleet, beginning around November 1st, 2021, with seven additional electric buses by mid-2022. This will be a positive change for our city and our riders" (Tweet). Retrieved August 6, 2021 – via Twitter.
  14. ^ "Zero Emission Bus Rollout Plan" (PDF). California Air Resources Board. Fresno Area Express.
  15. ^ "Department of Transportation". City of Fresno. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  16. ^ "FAX Newsletter" (PDF). City of Fresno. February 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  17. ^ "FAX Offices – Hours and Services". City of Fresno. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  18. ^ "Downtown Transit Center Map" (PDF). City of Fresno. January 13, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  19. ^ "FAX Designated Bus Assignments" (PDF). June 29, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
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