Fresno Area Express

Fresno Area Express

FAX bus operating on Route 3
Parent	City of Fresno Department of Transportation
Founded	1887
Service area	Fresno and Clovis, California
Service type	bus service, paratransit, bus rapid transit
Routes	16
Fleet	100+
Daily ridership	40,300 (weekdays, Q3 2024)
Annual ridership	8,973,000 (2023)
Fuel type	Battery-electric, CNG, diesel
Website	fresno.gov/fax
System map (January 2022)

Fresno Area Express (FAX), is a public transportation operator in Fresno, California. The line has over 100 buses, 1,606 bus stops, and 16 routes as of December 2013. 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.

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.

FAX operates a bus rapid transit system on the Blackstone and Ventura/Kings Canyon transit corridors.

History

A Fresno Area Express Q BRT bus stopped at a station

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

Accurate as of January 3, 2022.

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	Regular	River Park (El Paso & Blackstone)	River Park, Saint Agnes Medical Center, Politi Library, Hoover High School, Fashion Fair, Downtown Transit Center	Jensen & Cherry
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	Ashlan & Cornelia	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)	River Park (El Paso & Blackstone)

Roster

Current Fleet

Manufacturer	Model Number	Length	Fleet Number Range	Qty.	Year	Power type	Notes
New Flyer	C40LF	40'	0501-0510	10	2005	CNG
	C40LFR	40'	0601-0615	15	2006
			0901-0916	16	2009
	GE40LFR	40'	0917	1	2009	Gasoline–Electric Hybrid	Used as back up, not in regular service.
Gillig	BRT	29'	1201–1203	3	2012	CNG
		40'	1101–1109	9	2011–2012
			1401–1410	10	2014
			1612–1617	6	2016
	BRT Plus	40'	1601–1611	11	2016	CNG	Used on FAX15 routes.
			1701–1726	26	2017		1701–1709 are used on FAX15 routes. 1710–1726 are used on FAX Q BRT route.
			1801	1	2018		First bus to feature updated FAX livery.
			1905–1906	2	2019
			2001–2008	8	2020		Entered service in September 2020.
			2103–2108	6	2021
Proterra	ZX5	40'	2101–2102	2	2021	Battery electric	Entered service on November 1st, 2021.