Director’s Message

A Message from the Director of Transportation

Welcome to the Department of Transportation- Fresno Area Express webpage. On behalf of our 500 department employees, including bus operators, mechanics, supervisors, and support staff; we are pleased to say, “welcome aboard”.

Each day, we look forward to providing you with a clean and reliable transit experience to school, work, shopping, and other essential destinations. Our goals are to provide you with a smile, outstanding customer service, and getting you to your destination, safely and on time.

As your Director, it’s my pleasure to lead this great group of employees and the work they deploy on behalf of the 7 million riders we served last year who traveled more than 4.7 million miles making Fresno’s transit system more relevant every day. Our 18 routes and 120 buses operate 7 days a week, 363 days a year. Additionally, our paratransit demand response service, known as Handy Ride, with its 57 vehicles, provided over 130,000 trips last year for residents who are unable to utilize fixed-route service due to a qualifying condition under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). FAX has a total budget of over $134 million dollars with over $38 million in our capital budget that will bring better passenger amenities, like enhanced shelters, additional real time displays, and seven additional battery electric buses scheduled to hit the road this year.

I’m no stranger to public transportation. Growing up, I remember spending summers in Fresno, riding FAX from my grandmother’s house in the West Fresno neighborhood of Walnut and Jensen, to Downtown / Chinatown, the movies, and the local community pool to cool off. During the school year in the Bay Area, I rode AC Transit to school, and even today, you may see me on the bus from time to time. If you do see me, please don’t hesitate to say “hello” and let me know how we’re doing.

Again, Welcome Aboard and enjoy the ride!

Sincerely,

Gregory A. Barfield, M.A.
Director

Message from the Assistant Director of Transportation

Thank you for visiting the Department of Transportation page.

As an Assistant Director with the Department of Transportation/FAX I am responsible for the oversight of the Operations, Maintenance and Customer Experience divisions. I know how important our transit system is to our community. My goal, and the goal of my division managers, is to make sure you are provided with safe, reliable, and friendly service.

Our team works hard every day to provide our passengers with equipment that is safe, clean, and comfortable; professional, highly skilled drivers, who provide great customer service; and a customer experience team who are available to provide passengers with the information they need to have the best possible experience while using our system.

The Department of Transportation/FAX is here to serve you. We hope you find the information on our page helpful.

Thank You,

Joe Vargas
Assistant Director

Message from the Assistant Director of Transportation

Welcome to FAX! ¡Bienvenidos a FAX!

As an Assistant Director with the Department of Transportation/FAX, I oversee the Planning, Capital, and Information Services divisions. These three divisions plan for near-term service enhancements and long-term transit projects; coordinate the infrastructure investments necessary to carry out those projects; and fulfill our Department’s technology needs. Our transit system is essential for members of our community to access jobs, school, healthcare facilities, and recreational opportunities. As our city grows, we look into the future and plan for quality transit service, incorporating evolving technologies and Mobility as a Service.

As an undergraduate, I majored in sociology – the study of social relationships, cultures, groups, and institutions. I found this fascinating and inspiring, and thus sought a master’s in city planning. From a city planning perspective, every thriving city has a flourishing and growing transit system. Over the past few years, we have made significant improvements to our transit network, including extending routes to reach more areas of the City and increasing frequencies along many of our lines. We are currently working on a mobile fare ticketing and a comprehensive trip planning app to serve our riders in multiple languages.

I was born in Chile and am grateful to bring my Spanish-speaking skills to help serve our customers. I’ve been a bus rider throughout different points of my life both. In Santiago and then again in Los Angeles, I rode buses as an elementary and middle school student and then in college without a car. In my later years, I rode transit as a single mom trying to cut down on transportation costs. Here in Fresno, I ride the bus whenever I can to travel more sustainably. Our lived experiences help inform our work and motivate us to make FAX the best it can be.

FAX often conducts public outreach events and passenger surveys. If you see me at FAX events, please drop by to say hello. I love getting to know our passengers and their personal stories.

I’m proud to serve the community by working at FAX, and I’m honored to serve as Assistant Director.

Thank you,