FAX: Fresno Area Express

In 1990, the federal government adopted the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This legislation required every state and local government to either:

• Demonstrate that their facilities that provide space for programs, services, and activities were fully compliant with existing federal and state access requirements, or
• Develop a plan to address barriers to access by preparing an ADA Self-evaluation and Transition Plan for physical facilities and the policies or practices that require revisions.

In 2015, the City of Fresno Department of Transportation (Fresno Area Express/FAX) hired SZS Engineering Access, Inc. to assess approximately 1700 bus stops in Fresno in order to develop an ADA Transition Plan for FAX facilities. The draft ADA Transition Plan, which is currently available for public review, identifies remediation of barriers to access for people with disabilities. Future updates will provide a prioritization schedule for remediation.

This draft plan is intended to ensure that FAX remains in compliance with the ADA by scheduling the remediation of barriers to access over time until a point at which remediation is completed. The Fresno City Council will be asked to adopt the plan in Summer/Fall 2021.

SZS Engineering provided a presentation of the draft plan at the following virtual meetings. Here is the written transcript of the presentation at the DAC Transportation Subcommittee, and the Audio and Visual Transcript.

Social Service Transportation Advisory Council (SSTAC):

April 20, 2021       1:30 – 3:00 p.m.

Disability Advisory Commission (DAC)
Transportation Subcommittee Meeting

April 28, 2021       2:00 – 3:30 p.m.

Should you have questions or comments specific to this transition plan, please email:

faxoutreach@fresno.gov.

We welcome your feedback!

None at this time.

Title VI states “No person in the United States of America shall, on the ground of race, color or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Fresno Area Express is committed to ensuring that no individual or organization is excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of its programs, activities or services, or subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin as afforded to them by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended. For more information please contact the Complaint Coordinator at 621-RIDE.

• FAX Title VI Program
• FAX Title VI Policy and Procedure
• Política del Título VI de Fresno Área Express
• FAX Title Vl Complaint Form/FAX Titulo VI Formulario de Quejas

In late 2019, FAX started considering changes to several bus routes to address changing needs. FAX conducted public outreach during February and March 2020 (described below), analyzed all of the input in April 2020, and presented a Title VI Service Equity Analysis on the proposed changes to the City Council on May 14, 2020. The City Council approved the Title VI Service Equity Analysis.

FAX has now implemented the following route changes:

Effective Monday, March 1, 2021, Route 3 along Herndon Avenue begins service, and Routes 20 and 45 are rerouted.

Route 3 – Herndon
The new Route 3 will provide service from the El Paseo Shopping Center at Herndon and Riverside to the Clovis Community College Herndon Campus at Herndon and Villa. Route 3 services medical centers, commercial areas, and housing developments along Herndon.  This new route will provide service every 45-minutes on weekdays and weekends.

Route 20 – Hughes/McKinley
Route 20 will travel further north to the El Paseo Shopping Center, connecting to the new Route 3, providing additional connections between northwest Fresno and the rest of the City.  Southbound service along Blackstone, south of McKinley, will be eliminated.  Instead, at McKinley and Blackstone, the route turns north on Blackstone, connecting to Fresno City College and the BRT, then east on Clinton, connecting to the VA Medical Center, then south on Fresno Street, returning to McKinley and heading back toward El Paseo. Route 20 will no longer connect to the L Shelter at Courthouse Park. Route 20 will operate every 45 minutes on weekdays and weekends.

Route 45 – Ashlan
Route 45 will operate across Ashlan Avenue with no changes to the eastern end of the route.  West of Blackstone, Route 45 will operate on Ashlan to Cornelia with a turnaround at Central High School East.  Route 45 will no longer service Herndon, Palm, Fruit, Blackstone, and Manchester Transit Center.  Like Routes 3 and 20, Route 45 will also operate every 45 minutes, weekdays and weekends.

Download the Flyer for the Routes 3, 20, and 45 changes in English
Download the Flyer for the Routes 3, 20, and 45 changes in Spanish

Effective Monday, January 4, 2021, Routes 12 and 35 will connect at Shields and Brawley. Route 12 will no longer operate on Clinton, Blythe, and Shields. See the new segment highlighted in yellow below.

Please check the January 4, 2021 Schedule Guide, the MyFAXBus app, or Google Transit for schedules.

Download the flyer for the 12-35 Connection in English
Download the flyer for the 12-35 Connection in Spanish

Effective Monday, August 3, 2020, the eastern segment of FAX Route 28 has been rerouted from its previous alignment along Shaw Avenue to travel along Dakota Avenue, providing service to Dakota and Peach, with transfer connections to Route 34 at First Street, Route 38 at Cedar Avenue, and Clovis Transit Route 50 at Peach Avenue. See the new segment highlighted in yellow below.

New Segment of Route 28 Service along Dakota Avenue

Service is provided at 20-minute headways on weekdays, transitioning to 30-minute headways after 8:00 p.m.  Saturday and Sunday service runs at 30-minute headways.

Download the flyer for Route 28 in English
Download the flyer for Route 28 in Spanish

Other service changes that were originally proposed in August 2020 have been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will be implemented over time.

Public Outreach Process

In order to gather public input on the proposed changes, FAX staff went directly to our passengers during February and March 2020. Our outreach program consisted of three main activities:

• FAX Rider Surveys
• Pop-Up Events
• Public Workshops

FAX Riders were encouraged to participate in our activities and entered to win a $100 gift card to Target or Walmart. In order to be eligible to win, riders must have fully completed the survey. The drawing was held the week of March 9, 2010. The six winners were featured in FAX newsletters and on social media.

Service Changes Originally-Proposed in 2019

As described in the table below, the proposed service changes would help create a grid-based transit network in the City of Fresno based on routes that connect across town, operate at greater service frequencies, and provide more transfer opportunities, enabling passengers to connect to multiple destinations across the city. The following table summarizes the originally-proposed service changes. The map further below shows the proposed route extensions in green and the proposed route deletions in red.

Summary of Proposed Service Changes

Map of Proposed Service Changes

Riders were encouraged to provide their input through our Rider Surveys, at the Pop-Up Events, and at the Public Workshops.

FAX Rider Surveys

Between February 3 and March 5, 2020, FAX staff administered the Rider Surveys in English and Spanish at heavily used bus stops and on the buses. FAX also provided an opportunity to fill out the surveys electronically via Survey Monkey.

Riders were asked to complete the survey by March 6, 2020, to enter to win a $100 gift card. The limit was one survey per passenger.

In general, passengers were supportive of the proposed changes. Here is a Summary of the Survey Results.

Pop-Up Events

FAX held “Pop-Up Events” throughout the City between February 10 and March 5, 2020. These events were advertised via flyers on the buses, at the FAX kiosks, on social media, on the FAX web page, on local TV stations, and by word of mouth. Passengers were encouraged to drop by and talk to FAX staff at the following locations:

• Monday, February 10; starting at 10 a.m. – Blackstone and El Paso
• Monday, February 10; starting at 1 p.m. – El Paseo Shopping Center
• Tuesday, February 11; starting at 1 p.m. – Shaw and Brawley
• Wednesday, February 12; starting at 8 a.m. – Blackstone and Shaw
• Wednesday, February 12; starting at 11 a.m. – Manchester Transit Center
• Thursday, February 13; starting at 1:30 p.m. – Fresno City College – Weldon BRT Station
• Wednesday, February 19; starting at 8 a.m. – Cedar and Shaw
• Thursday, February 20; starting at 9 a.m. – Courthouse Park, A, and B Shelters
• Thursday, February 20; starting at 10:30 a.m. – Courthouse Park, L Shelter, and Van Ness BRT Stations
• Monday, February 24; starting at 2 p.m. – Fresno Yosemite International Airport
• Thursday, February 27; starting at 11:30 a.m. – Fresno and Pottle
• Tuesday, March 3; starting at 10 a.m. – Kings Canyon and Cedar
• Wednesday, March 4; starting at 2:30 p.m. – Kings Canyon and Chestnut
• Thursday, March 5; starting at 1:30 p.m. – Kings Canyon and Clovis

Information was available about the proposed service changes at the Pop-Up Events. Passengers were encouraged to fill out the Rider Survey at the Pop-Up Events for an opportunity to participate in the drawing for a gift card.

Public Workshops

In addition, FAX held three public workshops – two in late February and one in early March 2020. The workshops were held in an “Open House” style, featuring displays, maps, comment cards, and other materials, as well as light refreshments.

The Rider Surveys were also available at the workshops. Riders that attended the workshops and filled out the surveys were entered into a drawing to win a gift card.

Workshops – English
Talleres – Español

Workshop #1
Fresno State University – Vintage Room
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
12 noon – 1 p.m., light lunch included
5241 N. Maple Avenue, Fresno, CA 93740
Accessible by Routes 9, 10, 28, and 38

Workshop #2
Central Learning Adult School
Saturday, February 29, 2020
10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
2698 N. Brawley Avenue, Fresno, CA 93722
Accessible by Routes 12 and 39

Workshop #3
Maxie L. Parks Community Center
Monday, March 2, 2020
5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
1802 E. California Avenue, Fresno, CA 93706
Accessible by Route 34

Comments

FAX welcomed Rider comments via e-mail at FaxOutreach@fresno.gov. Riders were also encouraged to fill out the comment form below, and mail it to FAX Administration, Attention Surveys, 2223 G Street, Fresno, CA 93706; scan and e-mail it to FaxOutreach@fresno.gov; or fax it to (559) 488-1065.

Comment Form
Forma de Comentarios

Drawings for Gift Cards

The drawing for the gift cards happened on March 9, 2020. See the video of the drawing here. The six winners were featured in several editions of the FAX newsletter, which is published once a month.

To view previous newsletter articles and to sign-up for future editions of the FAX newsletter.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 / Título VI de la Ley de los Derechos Civiles de 1964

FAX is committed to ensuring that no individual is excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under its programs or services, on the basis of race, color, or national origin, as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. FAX promotes full and fair participation in the transportation decision-making process and welcomes all ideas.

FAX se compromete a garantizar que ninguna persona quede excluida de participar, se le nieguen los beneficios o se le discrmine en virtud de sus programas o servicios, por motivos de raza, color u origen nacional, como lo exige el Título VI de la Ley de los Derechos Civiles de 1964. FAX promueve la participación plena y justa en el proceso de tomar decisiones relacionadas con el transporte y da la bienvenida a todas las ideas.

The Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) is a long-term blueprint of a region’s transportation system, in this case, Fresno County.  RTPs are usually conducted every five years and plans for thirty years into the future.

Responsibility for the development of the RTP for Fresno County is assigned to the Fresno Council of Governments (COG), the Regional Transportation Planning Agency (RTPA) for Fresno County.

Fresno COG’s 2018 Regional Transportation Plan charts the 25-year course of transportation to 2042 looking at such things as public transit, greenhouse gas emission reductions and mobility.  Fresno Area Express (FAX) along with many other transportation stakeholders were seated at the table to develop the 2018-2042 Fresno County Regional Transportation Plan.

Watch the video about Fresno COG’s 2018 Regional Transportation Plan

Read Fresno COG’s 2018 Regional Transportation Plan

Also developed by Fresno COG, the Fresno County Regional Long-Range Transit Plan (LRTP) will guide transit and multimodal investments and services in the Fresno region through the year 2050.  It builds upon the Fresno COG’s 2018 Regional Transportation Plan and prior transit planning studies and will inform the 2022 RTP.  More importantly, the LRTP will integrate appropriate and effective public transportation planning and projects into the fabric of the region’s overall circulation networks and systems.

The LRTP will:

• Integrate the efforts, projects, and future operations of the major transit providers serving Fresno County through the year 2050.
• Identify a preferred long-range vision for Fresno County’s public transit system
• Provide guidance for future investments, projects, and programs to enhance transit service
• Identify transit projects and alternatives that consider and improve sustainability, preservation, mobility, safety, innovation, economy, health and equity
• Integration of regional bicycle and pedestrian planning with public transit plans and projects.

Draft Final Fresno County Regional Long-Range Transit Plan

Every couple of years, FAX conducts a statistically reliable customer opinion and satisfaction survey among customers of the system.  The purpose of the survey is to provide current information and opinions concerning customer satisfaction and travel behavior regarding the FAX system and to compare the results of this 2018 study with results from prior studies, particularly the more recent 2011 and 2014 FAX customer satisfaction studies.

2018 FAX Customer Satisfaction Survey – SUMMARY

2018 Handy Ride Customer Satisfaction Survey – SUMMARY

2018 FAX Customer Satisfaction Survey

2018 Handy Ride Customer Satisfaction Survey

The Short-Range Transit Plan (SRTP) is the biennial update to the operating plan and the capital program for Fresno Area Express (FAX) and Clovis Transit.

• Final FCMA SRTP 2022-2026

As a follow-up to the recently completed FAX Fixed Route Restructuring Plan, we are pleased to announce the second part of the project, the FAX Fare Equity Analysis project.

A Fare Equity analysis is an assessment conducted by a transit provider, in this case, FAX to determine whether fare changes, including fare media types, increase or decrease fares, will result in a disparate impact upon Title VI-protected populations.

Such an analysis is required by the Federal Government for transit agencies receiving federal funding that are wanting to implement smart card technologies.

A smart card is a reusable card that is embedded with a “chip” that can be recharged with rides online, at the Ticket Vending Machine  (TVM).  Eventually, smart cards will be able to be recharged online as this functionality is forthcoming in a future release.

Cash and tokens will continue to be accepted at bus fare boxes and there are no plans to replace disposable fare media or passes in use today.

Complete the FAX Fare Equity Survey in English or Spanish
Print Copy of the FAX Fare Equity Survey in English or Spanish
FAX Fare Equity Bus Poster
FAX Fare Equity Fact Sheet
FAX Smart Card Title VI Fare Equity Report

Building upon the findings from the Fresno Clovis Metropolitan Area (FCMA) Public Transportation Strategic Service Evaluation Project from 2014, Fresno Area Express is considering implementing a significant number of service improvements developed during the FCMA effort.

The FAX Fixed-Route System Restructure Study took the initiatives from the FCMA before several large groups of transit stakeholders for their feedback and recommendations. The resulting findings are analyzed within the context of Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Title VI Requirements and Guidelines to produce a series of recommendations to improve service levels of the FAX fixed-route transit system.

The recommendations are slated to be introduced into the FAX fixed-route transit system in the coming months.

FAX Fixed-Route System Restructure Study – Final Draft Report
FAX Route Restructuring – Public Presentation and Workshop on 7/25/2018
FAX Title VI Service Equity Analysis

As a recipient of Federal funds, the Department of Transportation-Fresno Area Express (FAX) must comply with Federal statutes and regulations applicable to all third-party contracts. The contract clauses provided are a Federal requirement for all procurements made using Federal funds and must be adhered to by contractors providing materials and supplies between $3,500 and $135,000.

• Federal Procurement Contract Clause—Material and Supplies between $3,500 and $135,000
• Fresno Area Express Terms and Conditions Parts Only – Revised 4/9/2018

FAX ESTABLISHES GUIDELINES FOR SAFE TRANSPORTATION OF CARTS, CARGO, AND PACKAGES ON BUSES THIS POLICY IS EFFECTIVE MONDAY, MARCH 1, 2021

Policy
Pursuant to California Code of Regulations, Title 13, Section 1216(c):

“Drivers and motor carriers shall not permit any greater quantity of freight, express, or baggage in vehicles than can be safely and conveniently carried without causing discomfort or unreasonable annoyance to passengers. In no event shall aisles, doors, steps, or emergency exits be blocked.”

Definitions
As defined in this policy, cargo includes carts, strollers, packages, and other carrying devices including but not limited to:

Cargo does not include:

• • Wheelchairs, which are regulated by the Americans with Disabilities Act when used as mobility aids (i.e., a person must be able to sit in their wheelchair).  (Note:  If a person cannot sit in their wheelchair due to cargo, the wheelchair must be properly secured, and the cargo must abide by the restrictions listed in this policy.)

Procedure

A.        Passengers are limited to what they can carry in a single trip without assistance from other people.  Loads that require multiple trips or multiple people (loading or management) are prohibited.

B.        Drivers will be allowed to determine whether or not a passenger’s carry-on items are in compliance with the Department’s policy and will be expected to enforce it.

C.        Passengers must stay with their carts, strollers, or cargo during the entire trip and hold onto their belongings firmly, so they do not become projectiles in the event of an accident or a hard stop.

D.        Items will be limited in size to what passengers can reasonably carry on their laps when seated and/or stowed safely under or in front of their seats.

E.        Cargo that is wet, leaking, or hazardous will not be allowed on the bus under any circumstances.

F.        Baby carriages, strollers, and empty carts should be folded prior to boarding. Walkers and rollators in use should be properly folded and stored so as not to impede the free movement of passengers or the driver in the aisle, doors, step wells, or emergency exits, and must not present a potential hazard or danger to passengers. The wheel well may not be used for storage.

G.        If a grocery cart with packages cannot be folded, then it must be placed on the bus so that it does not impede the free movement of passengers or the driver in the aisle, doors, step wells, or emergency exits, and it must not present a potential hazard or danger to passengers.  Carts and cargo which could be hazardous if they become projectiles in the event of an accident or hard stop are not allowed.

H.        Carts, strollers, or other utility devices will not be allowed if they:

• Cannot easily/quickly negotiate vehicle door entrances and turns for any reason.
• Contain loads that exceed the capacity of the carrying device.
• Include items that are wet, leaking, or considered hazardous for any reason.

Download the FAX Carts and Cargo Public Notice.

For more information, please call FAX at (559) 621-7433

The productivity evaluation is conducted annually to assess the progress of transit operators who receive Transportation Development Act (TDA) funds and to recommend potential productivity improvements.  The California Public Utilities Code 99244 requires that “Each transportation planning agency shall annually identify, analyze, and recommend potential productivity improvements which could lower the operating costs of those operators who operate at least 50% of their vehicle service miles within the area under its jurisdiction.

The FY 2020 Productivity Evaluation covers the period of July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020 and assesses the following agencies:

1. Fresno Area Express (FAX) and Handy Ride
2. Clovis Stageline and Roundup
3. Fresno County Rural Transit Agency (FCRTA)
4. Consolidated Transportation Services Agencies (CTSA) for the Metropolitan and Rural Areas

2020 Transit Productivity Evaluation