FAX Q

Last updated

FAX Q
FAX Q logo.png
Fresno Area Express Q BRT bus.jpg
Q BRT bus stopped at Van Ness station, with another bus stopped at the Downtown TC
Overview
System Fresno Area Express (FAX)
Vehicle Gillig BRT Plus
Began serviceFebruary 19, 2018 (2018-02-19)
PredecessorsRoutes 28 and 30
Route
Locale Fresno, 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
Map FAX Q map
Route map
FAX Q FAX Q highlighted in cyan
BSicon uKHSTa.svg
Woodward
BSicon uINT.svg
El Paso (River Park)
BSicon uHST.svg
Herndon
BSicon uHST.svg
Sierra
BSicon uHST.svg
Bullard
BSicon uHST.svg
Barstow
BSicon uHST.svg
Shaw
BSicon uHST.svg
Gettysburg
BSicon uHST.svg
Ashlan
BSicon uHST.svg
Griffith
BSicon uINT.svg
Manchester TC
BSicon uHST.svg
Clinton
BSicon uHST.svg
Weldon (Fresno City College)
BSicon uHST.svg
Olive
BSicon uHST.svg
Belmont
BSicon uHST.svg
Divisidero
BSicon uHST.svg
Fresno Downtown (City Hall)
BSicon uINT.svg
Van Ness (Downtown TC)
BSicon uHST.svg
M St (Convention Center)
BSicon uHST.svg
1st St
BSicon uHST.svg
6th St
BSicon uHST.svg
Cedar
BSicon uHST.svg
Maple
BSicon uHST.svg
Chestnut
BSicon uHST.svg
Willow
BSicon uHST.svg
Peach
BSicon uKHSTxe.svg
Clovis
BSicon uexKHSTe.svg
Fancher Creek
(future)

Wheelchair symbol.svg All stations are accessible
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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.

Contents

History

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

StationConnectionsNotes
WoodwardServes Woodward Park
El PasoAiga bus trans.svg FAX: 26, 32, 34, 38, 58, 58E Serves River Park
HerndonAiga bus trans.svg FAX: 3
Sierra
Bullard
Barstow
ShawAiga bus trans.svg FAX: 9
Gettysburg
AshlanAiga bus trans.svg FAX: 45
Griffith
ManchesterAiga bus trans.svg FAX: 28, 41 Located at the Manchester Transit Center
ClintonAiga bus trans.svg FAX: 20
WeldonServes Fresno City College
OliveAiga bus trans.svg FAX: 35
BelmontAiga bus trans.svg FAX: 33
DivisideroServes Community Regional Medical Center
Fresno DowntownLocated at Fresno and N Streets
Serves Fresno City Hall, Fresno Police HQ, Central Library
Van NessAiga bus trans.svg FAX: 22, 26, 28, 32, 34, 38, Veterans Home Shuttle
Aiga bus trans.svg FCRTA: Coalinga, Orange Cove, Southeast, Westside
Aiga bus trans.svg Visalia Transit: V-LINE
Located at the Downtown Transit Center
Serves Courthouse Park, Fulton Street
M StServes Fresno Convention Center
1st StAiga bus trans.svg FAX: 34
6th St
CedarAiga bus trans.svg FAX: 38
MapleAiga bus trans.svg FAX: 33
ChestnutAiga bus trans.svg FAX: 41
Willow
PeachAiga bus trans.svg FAX: 26
ClovisAiga bus trans.svg FAX: 22

References

  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. 1 2 3 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. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 30, 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. 1 2 "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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