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.
Read more about this topic: Metropolitan Area Commuter System
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