City leaders celebrate inaugural ride of the Q, Fresno's bus rapid transit system

Friday, February 23, 2018
City leaders celebrate inaugural ride of the Q, Fresno?s bus rapid transit system
People in the City of Fresno now have easier access and faster service from Fresno Area Express.

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- People in the City of Fresno now have easier access and faster service from Fresno Area Express.

Thursday morning city leaders celebrated the inaugural ride of the Q, Fresno's bus rapid transit system.

"Our new Q bus service will make daily transit service experience more appealing, attractive and accessible. It is a great addition to our city and our community," said Fresno Mayor Lee Brand.

The Q stands for quick and quality.

Riders will notice the brand new bus stops along Blackstone Avenue, Kings Canyon Road and in downtown Fresno.

City leaders say the new Q route is an investment in public safety each stop has surveillance cameras and lighting.

"There are 18 police officers now patrolling the streets of Fresno along this corridor and along the Ventura/Kings Canyon corridor who would not be here or would not be out on the streets today if it wasn't for this investment," said Interim Assistant City Manager Bruce Rudd.

Busses on the Q line will run every 10 minutes and each bus is equipped with technology that will give it a priority at traffic signals to help speed up the trip.

"We want to bring Fresno into the 21st century. We want our residents to be able to move through our commercial corridors and through our workforce corridors effectively and efficiently," said Fresno City Councilmember Oliver Baines.

Reuben Contreras

The Fresno Coin Gallery has two locations in Fresno and both are located right along the Q line. They hope this will attract new business and customers.

"We have a downtown location that just across from club one casino. So it is really close to the hub. So I hope it will be a lot more convenient for the customer to get here and there," said Stephanie Foster.