The Freano Area Express (FAX) bus system seeks input from the community about how to better serve passengers. Many of The kNOw youth agree that improvements are needed, such as shorter wait times, better customer service, and extended hours on nights and weekends.
No Fun Riding The Bus
I ride the bus often to get where I need to go. But for the most part, riding the bus isn’t very fun. There are many improvements that need to happen. For example, the buses should run at more constant times. It gets annoying after standing there at the bus stop, and the one across the street has passed by twice already.
Also, on the weekend, it sucks that the buses run only until 6pm when obviously people have plans for the weekends and then need to plan around the bus schedule. But of everything the bus needs to improve is the discipline of passengers. It might be public transportation but drinking and smoking on the bus should never happen. Even though it’s not allowed, some people still do it, sometimes in front of the bus driver. Those are my suggestions.
-Gracie, 16
Cleaner Air, Better Economy
I believe the bus system in Fresno could be better. There are some hybrid buses out there but there should be more. As much as we want to reduce air pollution, we need to know that riding the bus also generates pollutants in the air. If the buses were all hybrid, then it would be great to promote the idea that riding the bus not only saves money, but keeps the air cleaner.
I also think the buses need to run more often, like every 15 minutes. Some bus drivers lag in their schedule and are behind. Also, having the bus run more hours will enable people to access places at anytime, and this could help the economy because people could then spend more money at stores or entertainment centers.
-Dasen, 17
Better Customer Service
I think buses should have nicer bus drivers who actually care about senior citizens. A lot of seniors have to stand up on a bus because someone younger does not want to give up his/her seat. I personally think the bus driver should tell the young person to get up and let the senior citizen sit down. What if an old woman has bad knees but she’s not obeying her doctor’s orders, and walks around all day, but needs to sit down?
The buses should also be on time. Some people really have to get to places on time. Also, the City should try harder to make the buses more cleaner because some buses really smell bad inside. And most of all, bus drivers should be nicer. I think some buses lose customers because they are not nice.
-Telena, 12
Don’t Pass People Up
The buses need to be more frequent, at least every 10-15 minutes. I know that the bus drivers are supposed to pass up a bus stop if no one is there, but if someone is running at full speed towards the bus stop and is like only ten steps away, I think they deserve to get on that bus. Also, I’ve seen bus drivers pass up senior citizens who are rushing to get to the stop. That’s not cool.
If FAX adds more buses to a route, please keep prices the same. Also, please try to make an environmentally friendly bus that doesn’t have carbon monoxide coming in through the back window of the bus, because that happens a lot. That stuff is hot, and it is worse in the summer. Lastly, I think the buses need to run later, to about midnight or 1am.
-Kevis, 18
Fix Fax Now!
The FAX bus system needs a lot of work. I’ve been riding the bus for 16 years now and not much has changed. To start, many of the drivers aren’t very compassionate. They are often rude to passengers and sometimes put them in danger by talking on their cell phones while driving. Sometimes they will even pass up people waiting at a stop, even after waving a bus down. This has happened to me even when the bus was nowhere near full. Drivers should receive training in sensitivity to other people’s needs and cultures.
One of the other things that concern me is the fact that buses don’t run for very long on weekends. Most buses run once an hour, only until about 6pm. I don’t understand how this idea was conjured, because in reality, most people go places on weekends. The buses should run until midnight or later. A lot of people get stranded because of this unreliable schedule. To add, I usually ride routes 41 and 39/26. These two buses almost always run too early or too late, leaving me to wait for long periods of time during the day.
It was a wonderful gesture to make it so popular for a few routes to run every 15 minutes, but what about the rest of the buses? All buses should be more efficient and run every 10-15 minutes. This would help ease the overcrowding on buses and make transportation easier. I hope FAX will take my suggestions along with others to help aide this somewhat faulty system.
-Jaleesa, 20
In 2006, over 25 youth began participating in weekly after-school writing workshops where they congregated in the hallway of a two-story building in West Fresno and learned the essentials of creating media and telling their stories. The group evolved over the next five years and is now proudly recognized as The kNOw Youth Media.
Through our program, we create opportunities for our youth participants, who in turn create long-term positive change in their communities. Our approach weaves youth development and youth media innovation to produce our biannual youth publication, multimedia projects, and community forums.
The kNOw began as a project of New America Media, which was the country’s first and largest national collaboration and advocate of 2000 ethnic news organizations. In 2018 The kNOw became a project of Youth Leadership Institute.
