CA: Clovis is doubling its free public transit service. Here’s what it will cost

Later this year, Clovis will launch a redesigned public transit system with eight bus lines, more than doubling service as well as the city’s bus operating costs.

The new transit system, which took five years to prepare and design, will replace the old loop routes with eight streamlined, color-coded routes along major roadways and destinations. North and south routes will run along key corridors such as Willow, Clovis, Sunnyside, and Temperance avenues. East and West routes will cover Herndon, Barstow, Shaw, and Ashlan avenues.

The new map is also designed to connect with nearly all Clovis Unified high schools, Clovis Community College, and Fresno State, according to the city.

The service changes also introduce three new micro-transit pick-up locations at Dry Creek Trailhead, the Harlan Ranch Community Recreation Center, and Pasa Tiempo Park. Passengers can request a ride by calling Clovis Transit Dispatch or via the Clovis Transit app. The vehicle will take passengers to the designated drop-off point so they can transfer to the nearest main line.

For over 25 years, riders in Clovis have been relying on two main lines — Route 10 and Route 50 — to travel the areas between Willow and Temperance, and Nees and Ashlan. Two additional school lines only operate on school days when Clovis Unified is in session. The city also provides paratransit service for disabled residents who might not be able to use the fixed-route loop lines.

The fixed-route lines operate from 6 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. Monday to Friday, with reduced hours on Saturdays. Buses run approximately every 30 minutes. The new transit system will extend the hours to 7 p.m. Passengers can expect the waiting time to be under 30 minutes, according to the city.

All transit services are free to riders. The current system is mainly supported by Measure C, Fresno County’s half-cent sales tax for county-wide transportation projects. The new system will be funded by multiple sources, including the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement program, the Transportation Development Act, the Federal Transit Administration, and Measure C, according to Bethany Berube, deputy director of general services for Clovis.

Data from the city’s transit department shows that an average of 15,035 riders used the fix-routes service each month during the 2024-25 fiscal year. Though it represents only a small fraction of Clovis’ total population of 130,000, it has doubled in three years. In the fiscal year of 2021-22, the average monthly ridership was 7,177.

The projected annual operating cost for the expanded eight-route system is $13.9 million, including both fixed routes and paratransit services, according to Berube.

The current operating cost for the two loops and two school lines is approximately $3.9 million annually.

Berube said the city is confident that the new routes will introduce more passengers.

The city projects a 9.5% increase in ridership in the first year with steady growth in the following years, Berube said.

“Our ridership has been steadily increasing on both fixed routes and paratransit, with paratransit showing particularly significant growth,” she said. “The new routes will provide transit-dependent riders with much faster and more efficient service, reaching corners of the city that were previously underserved or harder to access with existing routes.”

Purchasing new buses

Under the current transit system, Routes 10 and 50 each have three buses, and two additional buses serve the school lines. The new system is expected to require 13 to 17 total vehicles, according to city officials.

Earlier this month, an item appeared on the city council’s consent calendar requesting approval for a $2 million allocation to purchase 10 buses.

The budget will come from a Federal Transit Administration grant to support local governments in creating and enhancing public transportation.

The item was pulled by staff from the Aug. 4 agenda at the last minute.

“We unfortunately encountered unforeseen third-party delays related to the finalization of grant funding and purchasing contracts that were outside of our control,” said Nick Chin, the city’s transit manager. “But this item will come back before the council as soon as possible, and we do not anticipate any delay to the rollout of the new routes.”

The city launched its first new line, the Green Route, in July. The route is the first of the eight new routes to be put into service, and runs along Shaw Avenue from Fresno State to Clovis East High School, connecting the current two loop lines.

Chin said the city does not have an estimated timeline for the complete implementation of the eight new bus lines, but aims to roll out all routes by the end of 2025.