Over the years as the small town of Fresno grew into a city it is today the transit system has gone through many changes. In the years before Amalgamated Transit Union 1027 was organized in 1934 the transit system in Fresno has changed names and it's owners number of times.
1887-1901 - Fresno City, Belmont & Yosemite Railroad
1901-1915 - Fresno City Railway
1915-1939 - Fresno Traction Co.
1939 - sold to National City Lines/streetcars discontinued
1939-1946 - Fresno City Lines
1946-1961 - Fresno City Lines, Inc.
Publicly owned since 1961
1961-1969 - Fresno Municipal Lines
After 1969 - Fresno Transit
The public transportation system in Fresno started in January of 1889. This was a horsecar line. By 1926 Fulton Street was the hub of Fresno's business section. It had replaced Fresno and Mariposa Streets for commercial buildings and in so doing eliminated Fresno's only Nob Hill, all four feet of it. The streetcar era, which began in May 1887, on J Street, was one of three streetcar lines in the young city. In 1901 the Fresno City Railway Company merged the three and in the spring of 1903 the Fresno Traction Company, then the owners, converted the lines to electricity. These electric streetcars operated on approximately 42 miles of track by the mid-twenties. The electric streetcars were used until 1939, when the transit company replaced them with buses.
Since A.T.U. 1027 was organized in 1934, our first union members operated the electric streetcar system for about 5 years. In 1934 the transit system was called Fresno Traction and was owned by Southern Pacific. Those who organized this local had to have plenty of guts and determination to go up against the big railroad company and win the union.
The City of Fresno finally took over on November 1, 1961. Even with all the changes of this property, ATU members operated the system for the citizens of Fresno since 1934. Weather it was on streetcars or buses, Private of Municipal, ATU local 1027 was there.