Founded 1977 | Locale Fairbanks, Alaska | |
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Parent Fairbanks North Star Borough Headquarters 3175 Peger Road, Fairbanks AK 99709 (administration, operations)
501 Cushman Street, Fairbanks, AK 99701 (customer service, dispatch) Service area Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska Service type bus service
paratransit | ||
Metropolitan Area Commuter System (MACS) is a public transport agency in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska. The agency provides bus service for much of the urbanized Fairbanks Metropolitan Statistical Area, the northernmost such area in the US. MACS is part of the borough's transportation department.
Contents
History
Prior to the formation of MACS, the public transit needs of Fairbanks were served, if at all, mostly by private operators. The longest-lasting of these was University Bus Lines, operated by Paul Greimann, Sr. University Bus Lines primarily provided service to and from Fairbanks, the University of Alaska campus, and Ladd Air Force Base, now Fort Wainwright.
The Fairbanks North Star Borough began exploring the possibilities of offering public transit during the 1970s, when the population and economy of Fairbanks began exploding in conjunction with the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. Voters in the City of Fairbanks voted in 1976 to allow operation of transit buses by the FNSB over the streets of Fairbanks. The system began operating the following year.
A 1978 study recommended offering service to the outlying areas of the borough, including Ester, Chena Ridge Road, Farmers Loop Road and Goldstream Road. These routes were implemented briefly during the mid-1980s, when abundant oil revenues to state government were readily available to Alaskan communities. Another route, serving Chena Hot Springs Road, was started by a private contractor and lasted somewhat longer, but still fell to budget cuts along with the aforementioned routes.
Routes
As with University Bus Lines, the core of MACS service has always been between downtown Fairbanks and the UAF campus. In general, the service has largely focused upon the cities of Fairbanks and North Pole and adjacent urbanized areas.
MACS has six fixed routes identified by color. The red and blue routes provide loop service around urban Fairbanks in opposing directions, while the other routes connect to more outlying destinations. Only the Grey line does not connect to the Transit Center or overlap with other routes, requiring a transfer from either University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) or Fred Meyer East to connect to other routes.
Routes should not be confused with the same colored shuttle routes on the UAF campus, where blue and red routes of both systems stop.
Fares
Tokens are also available from machines located at transfer points and the downtown transit center, costing $5 for five tokens, offering a savings of $0.50 per ride off adult fares.
Rides are offered free to University of Alaska Fairbanks faculty, staff and students with a PolarExpress student ID card.
Van Tran
While all MACS vehicles are wheelchair accessible, the transit system also operates van service for patrons unable to use the standard bus services. Vans provide door to door service. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, service is prioritized by one's ADA status, not necessarily by need.
In 2011, an effort was initiated to privatize Van Tran. Spearheaded by conservative FNSB Assembly members Natalie Howard and Michael Dukes, the system's approximately $76 (US) per-ride cost was cited as justification. In the end, the system was left intact during budget deliberations, though this is expected to become a political issue in Fairbanks in the coming years.