 | |||
| Parent | Fresno Council of Governments | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | September 27, 1979; 46 years ago (1979-09-27) | ||
| Headquarters | 2035 Tulare Street, Ste 201 Fresno, California | ||
| Service area | Fresno County, California | ||
| Service type | Bus service,Dial-a-Ride | ||
| Destinations | |||
| Annual ridership | 266,621 (2020)[1] | ||
| Website | ruraltransit.org | ||
| |||
Fresno County Rural Transit Agency (FCRTA) is the primary bus agency providing intra- and inter-city routes for smaller cities and unincorporated rural communities inFresno County, California since 1979, includingCoalinga,Firebaugh,Fowler,Huron,Kerman,Kingsburg,Mendota,Orange Cove,Reedley,Sanger,San Joaquin, andSelma. FCRTA riders may transfer toFresno Area Express service within the county seat ofFresno, and FCRTA has additional transfer points connecting to neighboring agencies in Fresno,Kings, andTulare counties, includingClovis Transit Stageline,Kings Area Regional Transit, andDinuba Connection.
Fresno County adopted a Regional Transportation Plan in March 1975, which provided a goal of establishing public transit service throughout the county by 1995, includingdemand responsive service in the small incorporated cities and four inter-city fixed routes:[2]: I-1
The Fresno County Rural Transit Agency was formed under ajoint powers authority agreement signed on September 27, 1979, by the rural incorporated cities in Fresno County (Coalinga, Firebaugh, Fowler, Huron, Kerman, Kingsburg, Mendota, Orange Cove, Reedley, Sanger, San Joaquin, and Selma) and the County of Fresno.[2]: III-1 While FCRTA is the overall operator which is responsible for funding and planning the system, day-to-day operations are delegated to local agencies or their contracted providers.[2]: III-1
FCRTA's local operations are carried out by the following sub-system operators:
| Sub-system | Scope of operations | Operator | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intra-city | Inter-city | Inter-community | ||
| Auberry Transit |  |  [a] DR[b] | DR[b] | MV Transportation |
| Coalinga Transit | DR[b] | [c] FRD[d] | | |
| Del Rey Transit | [e] DR[b] | | | |
| Dinuba Transit | | | [f] FR[g] | |
| Firebaugh Transit | DR[b] | [h][i] FRD[d] | | |
| Fowler Transit | DR[b] | [j] FRD[d] | | |
| Huron Transit | DR[b] | [c][k] FRD[d] | | |
| Kerman Transit | DR[b] | [i] FRD[d] | | |
| Kingsburg Transit | DR[b] | [l][j] FRD[d] | | |
| Laton Transit | | [m][n] FR[g] | | |
| Mendota Transit | DR[b] | [h][i] FRD[d] | | |
| Orange Cove Transit | DR[b] | [o] FRD[d] | | |
| Parlier Transit | DR[b] | [o] FRD[d] | | |
| Reedley Transit | DR[b] | [l][o] FRD[d] | | |
| Rural Transit | | | DR[b] | |
| Sanger Transit | DR[b] | [o][p] FRD[d] | | |
| San Joaquin Transit | [q] DR[b] | [i] FRD[d] | | |
| Selma Transit | DR[b] | [j] FRD[d] | | |
| Shuttle Transit | [r] | | | |
| Southeast Transit | | [j] FRD[d] | | |
| Westside Transit | | [i] FRD[d] | | |
FCRTA is governed by a board of directors drawn from elected officials in the cities it serves, in addition to one member of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors.
Virtually all intra-city services are operated on weekdays only as demand responsive services. A few locations offer Saturday intra-city services, including Del Rey, Kingsburg, Reedley, Sanger, and Selma.[2]: III-5 to III-7 Most inter-city and inter-community services operate as deviated fixed routes.[2]: III-5 to III-7
| Route name | Terminus | via (Destinations) | Terminus | Trips | Notes / Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coalinga | Coalinga Courthouse | SR 269, Mount Whitney,SR 41 (Huron,Five Points,Lanare,Riverdale,Caruthers,Raisin City,Easton,Fresno Courthouse Park /FAX) | Fresno Yosemite International Airport | 1 RT Mon–Fri | Traditional commute: service to Fresno in AM, returns to Coalinga in PM.[4] |
| Huron | West American Bank (Huron) | SR 269,SR 198 (Harris Ranch,I-5/SR 198, Coalinga Hospital,West Hills College) | Kmart (Coalinga) | 3 RT Mon–Fri | [5] |
| Kingsburg-Reedley | Coffee Pot Bus Shelter (Kingsburg) | SR 99, Manning (Selma,Fowler, Children's Hospital,Parlier) | Reedley College | 3 RT Mon–Fri | [6] |
| Orange Cove (Express) | Los Amigo Market / Eaton Park (Orange Cove) | Manning, Academy, and Jensen (Reedley,Reedley College,Parlier,Sanger, Sanger Hospital,Fresno Amtrak/Greyhound) | Fresno Courthouse Park /FAX | 2(+1) RT Mon–Fri | (+1) Express service with limited stops for traditional commute (to Fresno in AM, return to Orange Cove in PM)[7][8] |
| Sanger Express | Sanger Community Center | Goodfellow & Reed | Reedley College | 6 RT Mon–Fri | [9] |
| Southeast | Coffee Pot Bus Shelter (Kingsburg) | SR 99 (Selma,Fowler, Children's Hospital,Fresno Courthouse Park) | Fresno Amtrak/Greyhound | 3 RT Mon–Fri | [10] |
| Westside | Firebaugh Senior Center | SR 33, Whitesbridge (Mendota,Kerman,Fresno Courthouse Park) | Fresno Amtrak/Greyhound | 2 RT Mon–Fri | [11] |
Fares vary depending on the type of service and distance traveled. Intra-city fares range from free (for qualified individuals) to $0.75, one-way. Inter-city fares range from $0.75 to $6.00, one-way, depending on distance. Some sub-systems offer discounted monthly passes.[12]
FCRTA connects toFresno Area Express on certain inter-city routes at stops in downtown Fresno. Many of the same routes also stop at theFresno Santa Fe train station, which is a stop for bothAmtrakGold Runner trains andGreyhound Lines bus service.
The transit fleet used primarily cutaway passenger vans powered by unleaded gasoline and CNG; in addition, there are several larger (21 to 33 passengers) battery-electric buses fromProterra andBYD.[2]: III-10
