Fresno Area Express (FAX) is a public transportation operator in Fresno, California. The system had 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 bus operating on Route 3 in January 2022 | |||
| Parent | City of Fresno Department of Transportation | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1887 | ||
| Service area | Fresno and Clovis, California | ||
| Service type | Bus service, paratransit | ||
| Routes | 18 | ||
| Stops | 1,606 | ||
| Hubs | 2 (Downtown, Manchester) | ||
| Fleet | 124 buses | ||
| Daily ridership | 40,300 (weekdays, Q3 2024)[1] | ||
| Annual ridership | 8,973,000 (2023)[2] | ||
| Fuel type | CNG, battery-electric, hydrogen | ||
| Website | fresno.gov/fax | ||
| |||
FAX has paratransit operations called Handy Ride, operated by a private contractor. FAX offers free transfers as well as wheelchair lifts and bike racks on all buses.[4]
History
editThe 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 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
editAccurate as of August 14, 2023[update].[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,  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
|
| 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
|
| 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
editFresno 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
editAs of August 2024[update], Fresno Area Express has a fleet of 136 buses, with 110 needed for service on weekdays and 77 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.
| 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 |
| New Flyer C40LFR | 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 | ||||
| Gillig 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 | ||||
| 2403–2414 | 12 | 2024 | ||||
| Proterra ZX5 | 40' | 2101–2102 | 2 | 2021 | Battery electric | Out of service indefinitely due to a lack of parts attributed to Proterra's bankruptcy.[20] |
| 2201–2207 | 7 | 2022 |
| Model number | Length | Fleet number range |
Qty. | Year | Power type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Flyer XHE40 | 40' | 2401–2402 | 2 | 2024 | Hydrogen | In testing[21][22] |
References
edit- ^ "Transit Ridership Report Third Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
- ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ "FAX : System Map" (PDF). Fresno.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
- ^ [1] Archived April 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c "Fresno Area Express History". City of Fresno. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ Renovich, Steve (1960). "Fresno Traction". The Western Railroader. 23 (248). Francis A. Guido: 3–6.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Sheehan, Tim (January 7, 2017). "FAX to offer more frequent buses on routes to, from Fresno State". Fresno Bee. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ "Shaw-Cedar Bus Stop Improvement Project" (PDF). Fresno Area Express. May 2, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ "We're extending our reach and reducing your wait time". Fresno Area Express. August 14, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- ^ "Fresno Area Express "Q" Blackstone/Kings Canyon Bus Rapid Transit" (PDF). Federal Transit Administration. November 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Zero Emission Bus Rollout Plan" (PDF). California Air Resources Board. Fresno Area Express.
- ^ "Department of Transportation". City of Fresno. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
- ^ "FAX Newsletter" (PDF). City of Fresno. February 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
- ^ "FAX Offices – Hours and Services". City of Fresno. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
- ^ "Downtown Transit Center Map" (PDF). City of Fresno. January 13, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
- ^ "FAX Designated Bus Assignments" (PDF). February 8, 2024. p. 35. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
- ^ Taub, David (May 1, 2024). "Why Wheels on $10M Worth of Fresno Buses Don't Go Round and Round". GV Wire. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
- ^ "City of Fresno - File #: ID 23-653". fresno.legistar.com. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
- ^ Taub, David (May 3, 2024). "Fresno Approves Hydrogen Contract for New Buses. How Far is the Filling Station?". GV Wire. Retrieved June 21, 2024.