Fresno Area Express
The Fresno Area Express, is a public transportation operator in Fresno, California. The line has over 100 buses, 1,606 bus stations, and 16 fixed routes as of December 2013. FAX offers free transfers as well as wheelchair lifts and bike racks on all buses.
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.
FAX has paratransit operations called Handy Ride. Handy Ride is operated by a private contractor.
FAX operates a bus rapid transit system on the Blackstone and Ventura/Kings Canyon transit corridors.
History
The public transportation system in Fresno started in January 1889. This was a horse car line. By 1926 Fulton Street was the hub of Fresno's business section. It had replaced Fresno and Mariposa Streets for commercial buildings and in so doing eliminated Fresno's only Nob Hill, all four feet of it. The streetcar era, which began in May 1887, on J Street, was one of three streetcar lines in the young city. In 1901 the Fresno City Railway Company merged the three and in the spring of 1903 the Fresno Traction Company, then the owners, converted the lines to electricity. These electric streetcars operated on approximately 42 miles of track by the mid-twenties. The electric streetcars were used until 1939, when the transit company replaced them with buses.Timeline
- 1887-1901 Fresno City, Belmont & Yosemite Railroad
- 1901-1915 Fresno City Railway
- 1915-1939 Fresno Traction Co.
- 1939 sold to National City Lines/streetcars discontinued
- 1939-1946 Fresno City Lines
- 1946-1961 Fresno City Lines, Inc.
- 1961 City of Fresno Takes over Municipal Bus Service
- 1961-1969 Fresno Municipal Lines
- After 1969 Fresno Transit
- 1989 Name Changed to Fresno Area Express or FAX
Routes
Route | Service type | North or West Terminal | Destinations Served | South or East Terminal |
1 – Q Bus Rapid Transit | Q BRT | North Fresno | River Park, Manchester Transit Center, Fresno City College, Downtown Transit Center, Fresno Fairgrounds | Sunnyside |
9 – Shaw | FAX 15 | Brawley & Shaw | Fig Garden Shopping Center, Fashion Fair, Fresno State University | Shaw & Cole |
12 – Brawley | Regular | Brawley & Shields | Central High School East Campus, Inspiration Park, Forestiere Underground Gardens | Brawley & Shaw |
20 – Hughes/McKinley | Regular | Brawley & Shaw | Fresno High School, Fresno City College | Downtown Transit Center |
22 – West Ave/Tulare | Regular | West & Bullard | Fig Garden Library, Downtown Transit Center, Santa Fe Passenger Depot | Clovis & Kings Canyon |
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 – FSU/Manchester Center/West Fresno | Regular | Willow & Shaw | Fresno State University, Fashion Fair, Manchester Transit Center, Fresno City College, Fresno High School, FAX Offices, Fresno Chandler Executive Airport | Crystal & Kearney |
32 – Fresno St | Regular | El Paso & Blackstone | River Park, Kaiser Hospital, VA Medical Center, Community Regional Medical Center, Downtown Transit Center | North & Elm |
33 – Belmont | Regular | Belmont & Delno | Roeding Park, Chaffee Zoo | Maple & Butler |
34 – 1st St | Regular | El Paso & Blackstone | River Park, Politi Library, Hoover High School, Fashion Fair, Downtown Transit Center | Jensen & Cherry |
35 – Olive | Regular | Marks & Olive | Roeding Park, Tower District | Olive & Peach |
38 – Cedar | FAX 15 | 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, Cedar Clinton Library | Fresno Yosemite International Airport |
Regular | Marks & Shaw | Manchester Transit Center, Fresno Pacific University | Grand & Harding | |
45 – Herndon/Fruit/Ashlan | Regular | Herndon & Milburn | Manchester Transit Center, Fresno City College, Fresno High School, Bullard High School | Shields & Stanford |
58 – NE Fresno | Regular | El Paso & Blackstone | Kaiser Hospital, Clovis West High School, Woodward Park Regional Library | Champlain & Perrin |
58E – Children's Hospital | Express | Valley Children's Hospital | El Paso & Blackstone |