Fresno Area Express


Fresno Area Express is a public transportation operator in Fresno, California., the system had 19 routes, over 100 buses, and over 1,600 bus stops. In, the system had a ridership of, or about per weekday as of. 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 and as far west as Hayes Avenue near Highway 99 in western Fresno.
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.
WWW Official Site𝕏 FresnoFAXFB FresnoFax

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 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.
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.
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.
In 2001, FAX started the process of converting its fleet to be fueled by compressed natural gas, a process that was expected to take about 10 years.
In January 2017, the agency introduced FAX15, a frequent bus service, on the Shaw Avenue and Cedar Avenue corridors. 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. A third FAX15 route along the 1st Street corridor was added in August 2023.
FAX Q, a frequent bus service that the agency brands as bus rapid transit, opened on February 19, 2018. The line operates on the Blackstone and Ventura/Kings Canyon transit corridors and cost to build.
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. As of May 1, 2024, all nine battery-electric buses were out of service. 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.

Routes

, the Fresno Area Express system had 19 routes.
RouteService typeNorth or west terminalDestinations servedSouth or east terminal
1 – Q Bus Rapid TransitQ BRTWoodward Park
River Park, Manchester Transit Center, Fresno City College, Downtown Transit Center, Fresno FairgroundsSunnyside
– HerndonRegularMarketplace at El Paseo
Sierra Sky Park Airport, Saint Agnes Medical Center, Clovis North Educational CenterClovis Community College
– ShawFAX 15Shaw & BrawleyFig Garden Shopping Center, Fashion Fair, Fresno State, Sierra Vista MallShaw & Cole
Shaw & Willow
– BrawleyRegularShaw & BrawleyCentral High School East Campus, Inspiration Park, Forestiere Underground GardensBrawley & Shields
– Hughes/McKinleyRegularMarketplace at El Paseo
Fresno High School, Fresno City CollegeVA Medical Center
– West Ave/TulareRegularWest & BullardFig Garden Library, Downtown Transit Center, Santa Fe Passenger DepotClovis & Kings Canyon
Burgan & Butler
– Palm/ButlerRegularNees & BlackstoneBullard High School, Fresno High School, Tower District, Downtown Transit Center, Fresno Fairgrounds, Mosqueda Community Center, Fresno Pacific University Fresno Yosemite International Airport
– DSS/Manchester Center/West FresnoRegularCounty of Fresno Clovis Campus
Manchester Transit Center, Fresno City College, Fresno High School, Fresno Chandler Executive AirportCrystal & Kearney
– Church AveRegularHinton Center
West Fresno Branch Library, Edison High School, Fresno City College–West Fresno CenterSanger West High School
– Fresno StRegularRiver Park
Downtown Transit Center 		Kaiser Hospital, VA Medical Center, Community Regional Medical Center, Downtown Transit CenterNorth & Elm
– BelmontRegularBelmont & DelnoRoeding Park, Fresno Chaffee ZooMaple & Butler
– 1st StFAX 15River Park
River Park, Saint Agnes Medical Center, Politi Library, Hoover High School, Fashion Fair, Downtown Transit CenterNorth Pointe Business Park
– OliveRegularBrawley & ShieldsRoeding Park, Tower DistrictOlive & Peach
– CedarFAX 15River Park
River Park, Fresno State University, Duncan Polytechnical High School, McLane High School, Roosevelt High SchoolDowntown Transit Center
– FYI/ClintonRegularShields & BrawleyVA Medical Center, McLane High School Fresno Yosemite International Airport
– Malaga/Shields/ChestnutRegularMarks & ShawManchester Transit Center, Fresno Pacific UniversityGrand & Harding
– AshlanRegularJustin Garza High SchoolCentral High School East CampusShields & Stanford
– NE FresnoRegularRiver Park
Clovis West High School, Woodward Park Regional LibraryChamplain & Perrin
– Children's HospitalExpressValley Children's HospitalRiver Park

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. 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.

Fleet

, 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.
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.
ModelLengthYearPower typeNotes
New Flyer C40LFR40'0604–0615112006CNGSpare fleet, 0607 retired
New Flyer C40LFR40'0901–0916162009CNG
Gillig Low Floor BRT40'1101–110992011CNG
Gillig Low Floor BRT29'1201–120332012CNGUsed on Route 33 and 58 only
Gillig Low Floor BRT40'1401–1410102014CNG
Gillig Low Floor BRT40'1612–161762016CNG
Gillig Low Floor BRT Plus40'1601–1611112016CNGUsed on FAX15 routes.
Gillig Low Floor BRT Plus40'1701–1726262017CNG1701–1708 used on FAX15 routes.
1709–1726 used on FAX Q route.
Gillig Low Floor BRT Plus40'180112018CNG
Gillig Low Floor BRT Plus40'1905–190622019CNG
Gillig Low Floor BRT Plus40'2001–200882020CNG
Gillig Low Floor BRT Plus40'2103–210862021CNG
Gillig Low Floor BRT Plus40'2403–2414122024CNG
Proterra ZX540'2101–210222021Battery electric
Proterra ZX540'2201–220772022Battery electric

ModelLengthYearPower typeNotes
New Flyer XHE4040'2401–240222024Hydrogen
New Flyer XHE4040'2501–250442025Hydrogen
Gillig Low Floor BRT Plus40'2505–2515112025CNG
New Flyer C40LFR40'1301–1311112013CNGNewly acquired refurbished buses.