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FAX Q

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FAX Q
A stylized letter Q surrounded with blue, green and teal shapes
A teal blue bus stopped at a station, with another bus in the distance
Q BRT bus stopped at Van Ness station, with another bus stopped at the Downtown TC
Overview
SystemFresno Area Express (FAX)
VehicleGillig BRT Plus
Began serviceFebruary 19, 2018 (2018-02-19)
PredecessorsRoutes 28 and 30
Route
LocaleFresno, California
StartWoodward Station
Via
  • Blackstone Avenue
  • Ventura Avenue
  • Kings Canyon Road
EndClovis Station
Length15.7 mi (25.3 km)
Stations27
Service
FrequencyPeak: 10 minutes
Off-peak: 15 minutes
Nights: Hourly
Weekend frequency15 minutes
Journey time1 hour, 15 minutes
OperatesDaily, 6 am – Midnight
MapFAX Q map
Route map
Map FAX Q highlighted in cyan
Legend
 Woodward
El Paso (River Park)
Herndon
Sierra
Bullard
Barstow
Shaw
Gettysburg
Ashlan
Griffith
Manchester TC
Clinton
Weldon (Fresno City College)
Olive
Belmont
Divisidero
Fresno Downtown (City Hall)
Van Ness (Downtown TC)
M St (Convention Center)
1st St
6th St
Cedar
Maple
Chestnut
Willow
Peach
Clovis
Fancher Creek
(future)
Handicapped/disabled access All stations are accessible
This diagram:
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FAX Q is a transit bus route, with some bus rapid transit features, operated by Fresno Area Express (FAX) in Fresno, California, operated as Route 1. The line began service on February 19, 2018, running from Woodward station near Woodward Park to Clovis Station along Blackstone Avenue and Ventura Avenue/Kings Canyon Road. Between the termini there are a total of 25 stations, two of which are major regional transit centers.

History

[edit]

Adding bus rapid transit (BRT) in the city of Fresno was first studied in 2008, which ended with four corridors recommended for enhanced service: Blackstone Avenue, Shaw Avenue, Cedar Avenue and Kings Canyon Road/Ventura Avenue. These four had been identified as major transit corridors, worthy of additional investment, since the 1994 Transit Master Plan.[1]

In October 2009, the City selected a combination of the Blackstone Avenue and Kings Canyon Road/Ventura Avenue corridors for conversion into BRT, and applied for a Federal Transit Administration grant.[2] The city was awarded $39.5 million from the federal government in December 2010.[3]

As originally proposed by the city, the bus rapid transit features that would be used on the line would have included sections of bus lanes, queue jumps, bus bulbs, raised platforms level with the floor of the buses, off-board fare payment, custom built stations and 60-foot articulated buses. Members of the Fresno City Council rejected most of these features and in April 2014 the line was stripped down to only include bus bulbs, mass-produced stations, off-board fare payment and 40-foot buses.[4][5] Critics said that these changes meant the line no longer met the minimum standard to be called bus rapid transit.[6] Fresno Area Express also agreed to improve service on the two corridors not selected, Shaw Avenue and Cedar Avenue, to every 15 minutes on weekdays. Service every 15 minutes, branded FAX15, was introduced in January 2017[7] and bus stops along the line were improved in 2022 and 2023.[8]

After years of studying and fights over the features of the line, construction finally began in June 2016 with the line ready for operation in Fall 2017. The 15.7-mile (25.3 km)[9] corridor would ultimately cost US$56 million to build, with additional costs being covered by state and local sources, including Fresno’s Measure C transportation tax.[3] The line opened a few months behind schedule on February 19, 2018.[10]

In 2020, the city said the opening of the BRT line led to a 13% increase in ridership, and contributed to a nearly 3% rise in ridership system-wide.[11] In its first year of operation, the line had persistent issues with the off-board fare collection machines breaking down, which led up to 25 percent of riders boarding for free.[3] In response, the city added fareboxes back to the buses used on the BRT line and ended all-door boarding, eliminating one of the few remaining bus rapid transit features of the line.[11][12]

Stations

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Station Connections Notes
Woodward Serves Woodward Park
El Paso Bus transport FAX: 26, 32, 34, 38, 58, 58E Serves River Park
Herndon Bus transport FAX: 3
Sierra
Bullard
Barstow
Shaw Bus transport FAX: 9
Gettysburg
Ashlan Bus transport FAX: 45
Griffith
Manchester Bus transport FAX: 28, 41 Located at the Manchester Transit Center
Clinton Bus transport FAX: 20
Weldon Serves Fresno City College
Olive Bus transport FAX: 35
Belmont Bus transport FAX: 33
Divisidero Serves Community Regional Medical Center
Fresno Downtown Located at Fresno and N Streets
Serves Fresno City Hall, Fresno Police HQ, Central Library
Van Ness Bus transport FAX: 22, 26, 28, 32, 34, 38, Veterans Home Shuttle
Bus transport FCRTA: Coalinga, Orange Cove, Southeast, Westside
Bus transport Visalia Transit: V-LINE		 Located at the Downtown Transit Center
Serves Courthouse Park, Fulton Street
M St Serves Fresno Convention Center
1st St Bus transport FAX: 34
6th St
Cedar Bus transport FAX: 38
Maple Bus transport FAX: 33
Chestnut Bus transport FAX: 41
Willow
Peach Bus transport FAX: 26
Clovis Bus transport FAX: 22

References

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  1. ^ Bus Rapid Transit Master Plan (PDF) (Report). Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc., Fresno County Association of Governments. June 17, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 3, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  2. ^ "Council Resolution in support of a BRT Small Starts Grant application" (PDF). August 27, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 3, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Barker, Myles (February 8, 2019). "Has $56 Million BRT Investment Reversed Bus Free-Fall?". GV Wire. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  4. ^ "Fresno City Council approves revised rapid transit plan". ABC30 Action News (KFSN-TV). March 21, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  5. ^ Hostetter, George (May 29, 2015). "Fresno City Hall optimistic about FAX, Bus Rapid Transit". Fresno Bee.
  6. ^ Sinclair, James (April 21, 2014). "No one noticed, but Fresno killed its proposed BRT system". Stop and Move. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  7. ^ Sheehan, Tim (January 7, 2017). "FAX to offer more frequent buses on routes to, from Fresno State". Fresno Bee. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  8. ^ "Shaw-Cedar Bus Stop Improvement Project" (PDF). Fresno Area Express. May 2, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  9. ^ "Fresno Area Express "Q" Blackstone/Kings Canyon Bus Rapid Transit" (PDF). Federal Transit Administration. November 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ a b "Fresno bus rapid transit ridership on the rise". Fresno Business Journal. January 24, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  12. ^ Sinclair, James (January 16, 2020). "Fresno Eliminates All-Door Boarding on "BRT" Route". Stop and Move. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
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