fresno area express Archives

Categories : Clovis Fresno TransitTags : FAX fresno area express manchester center mtc new route service change6 Comments

FAX Route 28 Starts New Route and Manchester Transit Center Reopens

On August 3, 2020August 3, 2020 By jamesinclair

Starting today, August 3rd 2020, FAX Route 28 has been modified to no longer server Fresno State. Instead the line will now continue along Dakota and end at Peach Avenue. And no, the website has not been updated to reflect this.

This change to Route 28 was proposed earlier this year, along with changes to many other bus lines. However, the other proposed changes won’t happen until 2021. Unfortunately, this is a big loss to those taking the bus to Fresno State. While Route 9 will continue to serve Shaw Avenue, there will simply be half as many buses going to the campus.

The schedule itself is mostly the same. IE, the southbound buses hit the MTC at x:10, x:30, and x:50. However, the overall route is shorter, so the buses will start their trip 9 minutes later. To that end, I don’t understand why they couldn’t have made the route longer to use the same amount of time, such as going up Peach to Ashlan. The schedule can be found in the big booklet, which has a nice new cover photo featuring one of the new bus stops. Click to read more!

Categories : Amtrak Fresno TransitTags : air amtrak bus coronavirus covid-19 FAX fresno area express pandemic rail service cuts service reductionLeave a comment

COVID-19 Impacts to Fresno Area Transportation as of May 17, 2020

On May 17, 2020May 17, 2020 By jamesinclair

I can’t believe it’s been over a month since my last roundup of how COVID-19 (coronavirus) has affected transportation providers in Fresno and the surrounding areas. Time is really moving in strange ways these days. At this point, it’s clear we’ve reached the bottom in terms of service cuts, short of an airline declaring bankruptcy (cough, AA, cough). How quickly service is restored is an open question. Some transit agencies have already said they don’t expect to return to full service until the end of the year. Agencies that rely heavily on rush-hour commuters are going to be the most affected, as some jobs (such as Twitter) may remain remote forever. It will be interesting to see if those agencies restore more off-peak service than peak-service, which would create a flatter utilization of their fleet, and that may end up being a good thing in the long run. Click to read more!

Categories : Fresno TransitTags : ADA bench bus stop construction update crosswalk FAX fresno area express photo tour shelters upgradeLeave a comment

A look at Fresno’s improved bus stops

On April 28, 2020April 28, 2020 By jamesinclair

Last November, I reported that Fresno Area Express (FAX) received funds to update various bus stops. The upgrades include making them ADA accessible, so they can be used by those in wheelchairs, and adding new amenities like seating and shelters. Unlike the three-plus year odyssey that has been the reconstruction of the Manchester Transit Center, FAX has moved very quickly with these updates, and they’re almost all done.

For reference, here was the render they shared:

And here is what they look like in real life. Remember, they were previously just a sign planted on dirt.

You can see the new crosswalk and accessible ramps from the sidewalk to the island. Click to read more!

Categories : Fresno TransitTags : FAX fresno area express ridership service expansion4 Comments

Fresno’s Bus Ridership Was Going up Before COVID-19

On April 26, 2020April 26, 2020 By jamesinclair

A transit agency can lose ridership extremely quickly and it can take years to build it back up again. When a bus route is cut, or service is decreased, riders are immediately affected and have to change how they get around. In some cases, that might mean getting a car and never looking back. But when service is added or increased, it can take people months or years to notice. Ask yourself, how often do you look up the schedule for buses you don’t normally ride?

In July 2015, I posted about how Fresno Area Express (FAX) had seen seven full years of ridership declines. Those declines weren’t unexpected, as the city kept cutting routes and service. In March 2018, I followed up by looking at twelve years of data, and the results weren’t pretty. Fortunately, Fresno started adding back some service. Three buses routes received more frequent (15-minute) service. “Night” buses were launched (until 10pm). Service on weekends was improved as well. In July 2018, it looked like these additions were helping FAX turn the corner. Click to read more!

Categories : Airlines Amtrak Bakersfield Clovis Fresno TransitTags : air amtrak bus coronavirus covid-19 FAX fresno area express pandemic rail service cuts service reduction2 Comments

COVID-19 Impacts to Fresno Area Transportation as of April 8, 2020

On April 8, 2020April 7, 2020 By jamesinclair

Ten days ago, I decided to make a record of how COVID-19 (coronavirus) has affected transportation providers in Fresno and the surrounding areas – including the Bay Area and LA region. This post is a follow-up, to chronicle what has changed since. I have also added a few agencies I missed last week. It is sort of lucky I waited until today to make this, instead of last Sunday, as a bunch of changes go into effect today!

Local Transit

Fresno Area Express (FAX)

Officially, no changes to the schedule, but the system has been struggling with drivers calling out, as seen in this tweet:

We had a great day today @FresnoFAX about 20 call outs but all service went out as scheduled. Thanks for trusting us to serve you
— @FresnoFAX (@FresnoFAX) April 5, 2020

This makes Fresno one of the only transit systems to continue running full service. Click to read more!

Categories : Airlines Amtrak Fresno TransitTags : air amtrak bus coronavirus covid-19 FAX fresno area express pandemic rail service cuts service reduction4 Comments

COVID-19 Impacts to Fresno Area Transportation as of March 29, 2020

On March 29, 2020March 29, 2020 By jamesinclair

If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent the last few weeks reading a LOT of news about COVID-19 (coronavirus). All the bad news has taken away most of my motivation to write blog articles, and not just because “regular” news is on pause, but because it’s been pretty exhausting. I also figured that because the news has been changing so quickly, there was little reason for me to write. This isn’t like a new trail, where posting two weeks late is still timely. By the time I get around to posting any news, it has likely changed.

That being said, I’m thinking there may be some value in having a static record looking backwards. Because of the volume of news, six months from now, it will be pretty difficult to do a Google search to find exactly what the transportation impacts were. So the goal of this post (and a probable follow up), is to have one place summarizing what the impacts of the virus were on Fresno-area transportation. Here is what the impacts looked like as of March 29, 2020. Click to read more!

Categories : Fresno TransitTags : changes FAX fresno area express herndon new service public outreach route 12 route 20 route 28 route 29 route 3 route 35 route 4510 Comments

FAX considering changes to several bus routes

On February 17, 2020February 17, 2020 By jamesinclair

For the first time in forever, Fresno Area Express (FAX) is seriously considering some pretty major changes to bus routes. This could include the much-needed Herndon route, and a bus line to the new Amazon and Ulta warehouses built in southwest Fresno. However, the new service comes at the expense of existing lines. In this post, I take a look at how FAX is getting the word out, and what those changes are.

Public Outreach

FAX has started holding public events and workshops on the proposed changed. This looks to be an extensive outreach effort, with the following pop-up events at bus stops throughout the system: Click to read more!

Categories : Fresno TransitTags : construction fail FAX fresno area express manchester center transit center8 Comments

It’s taken Fresno over 3 years to rebuild a bus stop

On February 4, 2020February 4, 2020 By jamesinclair

On January 9, 2017. the Manchester Transit Center closed for renovations. It has been over three years and it is still closed for remodeling.

The Manchester Transit Center is one of three spots in Fresno where multiple bus lines meet, allowing seamless transfers. Or at least that was the case, as those buses were rerouted for the “temporary” construction project.

It’s not a particularly challenging project. It’s a surface level bus stop with 6 spaces for buses to stop. There are benches. There is a light canopy. There’s a trashcan or two. The FAX office is there, which sells passes, but that was never touched, and looks hilariously outdated. Click to read more!

Categories : Fresno TransitTags : brt FAX fresno area express q route 18 Comments

Fresno Eliminates All-Door Boarding on “BRT” Route

On January 16, 2020January 16, 2020 By jamesinclair

A small announcement appeared on the FAX website last week: fareboxes are being added to buses on Route 1 (Q) and all-door boarding is being eliminated.

Fareboxes will soon be installed on Route 1 – BRT buses. Once installed, passengers must board through the front door and use the farebox to: Pay in cash, Validate ride cards, or Activate passes
FAX

On Twitter, I confirmed with the agency that all-door boarding will end, even for those who choose to pay at the machines.

Yes we are. Fareboxes are being added to all BRT buses currently. The system still has Traffic Signal Priority. Stations with bulb out which keep us in the lane & much more
— @FresnoFAX (@FresnoFAX) January 10, 2020

Pre-payment and all-door boarding was one of the only “BRT” features that hadn’t yet been eliminated. As a reminder: Click to read more!

Categories : Fresno TransitTags : ADA amenities ashlan bus stop cedar FAX fresno area express shelters2 Comments

Fresno gets $2.2m for bus stop ADA upgrades

On November 19, 2019November 18, 2019 By jamesinclair

FAX, Fresno’s transit system, received a $2.2 million grant to build ADA upgrades at several stops around town. According to FAX:

The funding will provide an accessible location to wait for the bus and an accessible pathway for passengers to get to and from the sidewalk to a median bus island bus stop. Improvements include: adding or enlarging concrete bus stop landings, construction curb cuts, and adding new bus stop amenities such as shelters, benches and trash receptacles.
Fresno Area Express

The agency created a hilariously basic render of what these improvements could look like, which you can see at the top of this post. Click to read more!