Fresno City College launches free shuttle for Kerman students
The college will also provide a shuttle to take students to and from FCC's main campus to its West Fresno campus.
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- There are more ways for Fresno City College students to get to class for free this semester.
Studio Arts major Diego Guizar is in his second semester at Fresno City College.
He grew up and still lives in Kerman.
Getting to school last semester came with some planning.
"Last semester I always had to rely on my parents. My dad works here in Fresno so I would always get a trip with him." Guizar said.
He'd ride with his dad to work and then take the FAX bus to FCC.
This semester, he doesn't have to do that.
That's because FCC, in partnership with Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission, is offering a 20-passenger shuttle to transport students.
It picks up students in Kerman in the morning, drops them off at campus and returns them back to Kerman in the evening.
"It's really reliable, it's really -- really helpful." Guizar said.
The ride is free for students and has been a labor of love for Kerman Mayor Maria Pacheco.
"I worked on this for about three years. Knocking on doors, creating meetings." Pacheco said.
Pacheco says transportation to Fresno City College became a passion project for her years ago while her own daughter was attending FCC.
A previous transportation option ended, leaving multiple students without a ride, so Pacheco ended up driving them herself.
Pacheco says knowing students have a consistent, reliable form of transportation makes the hard work worth it.
"It's a big deal. It opens up a lot of opportunities and I'm so happy to see those kids on the bus." Pacheco said.
Vice President of Student Services Lataria Hall says the college put out a survey and identified transportation as an overall barrier for students to get their education.
"We recognize that access to reliable, and affordable transportation services is fundamental for our students to fully engage in our academic pursuits and campus life here." Hall said.
Through the partnership with Fresno E-O-C, the 20-passenger buses help remove that barrier for students from Kerman.
The college will also provide a shuttle to take students to and from FCC's main campus to its West Fresno campus.
Fresno City College students can also get a free ride on FAX buses in the city with a student ID.
IDs cost $5.
Mayor Pacheco hopes this changes the lives of students for years to come.
"Closing these equity gaps - it's important and I hope that people see how important it is and how much of an impact it makes." Pacheco said.
The shuttle is free for students this semester.
Organizers say as long as there's ridership, they hope to keep this going.
You can find more information about the shuttles by clicking here.
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