The Fresno Area Express (FAX) has over 1,600 bus stops across Fresno with two on the Fresno City College campus, making it easily accessible for students in need of transportation. Students, however, show mixed feelings about using the bus as needs of getting around.

Although FAX offers free rides for FCC students who present student ID cards, it only offers stops within Fresno, making it a long journey for those who rely on the bus system.

Devon and Miracle, who only gave their first names, are both FCC students who use the bus nearly every day for years, but they say they wouldn’t if they didn’t need to.

“It’s like an hour on the bus because we take two buses, it’s a daily thing for them to be late at least on one of their stops,” Devon said.

Devon, who’s used Fresno’s bus system since he was 13, emphasized that riders need to be early to their stops due to inconsistencies within the bus schedule.

“If you need to get somewhere on the bus you gotta make sure you go an hour early, so, even if they are late you can still get there on time,” Devon said.

Delays and long travel time could be due to the lack of rural transit systems in the area. The Fresno County Rural Transit Agency  (FCRTA) is a bus system with only one departure and one arrival for each rural stop daily that travels into Fresno.

FCRTA offers connecting stops to FAX through 25 transit subsystems that travel through 13 rural cities including Coalinga, Fowler, Kerman, Selma, Easton and Riverdale.

With FCRTA being the only public transportation option for students who live in these areas, it would be easy to accidentally miss a stop or experience frequent delays, since FCRTA operates from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays only.

Another FCC student, Akyre, has used the FAX bus for two semesters, but rides four times a week since her stop is only about eight minutes away. She only rides for one stop and has had an overall good experience as a rider.

Other riders believe the bus is the quickest option as a student.

Carlos, an FCC student, said he uses the bus as often as he can but prefers his bike when the route is over 30 minutes.

“I wouldn’t say it’s much of a delay, it’s more just taking a scenic route or dealing with certain altercations that happen inside the bus that’s gonna happen from the day-to-day basis. So, that’s something you can’t avoid,” Carlos said.

While some students commented on the cleanliness of the buses, suggesting they should tidy up during breaks, others said the inclusion of hand sanitizers and air conditioning is “as clean as it can get,” according to Carlos.

For shorter rides the bus seems like a cheap, reliable and accessible form of transportation to wherever you need to go as a student. But if you live further away or have a routine schedule, it may be better to find another way around due to the frequent delays.

“If you’re a student it’s the cheapest thing you can get, if you can get a car, bike, something else, go for it,” Carlos said.