Mountain Metropolitan Transit
Encyclopedia
Mountain Metropolitan Transit is the public transportation operator for the metro area of Colorado Springs, Colorado
. In addition to 18 local routes, commuter bus service (FREX) to the city of Denver, and Woodland Park (Ute Pass Express) is also provided.
Prior to November 2, 2005, this transit system was called Springs Transit. The week of November 2, 2005 would also introduce bus service on Sundays for the first time. A lack of Sunday bus service was a common complaint among riders.
By early 2006, the number of transfer stations increased from two (Downtown Terminal and Citadel Mall) to eleven stations throughout the city (UCCS, Chapel Hills Mall, Hancock Plaza, PPCC Centennial Campus, etc.). This allowed more direct bus service and allowed more routes to be created that don't have to go to the downtown terminal to transfer. For example, there were two routes running on Academy Blvd, one on the north part of Academy and another on the south part. That was reduced to just one route running the length of Academy Blvd, which was much easier for riders.
Frequency on weekdays for the most popular routes was 35 minutes. Medium ridership routes ran every 35 minutes during the peak hours. Frequency for medium ridership routes during the off-peak hours and lower ridership routes was every 70 minutes. Frequency on evenings and Sundays was 60 minutes. Frequency on Saturdays was 30 minutes for the higher ridership routes and 60 minutes for the other routes. Evening service ran Monday through Saturday. All routes were changed to run on the current 30 and 60 minute headways in the fall of 2008 after the debut of the Ute Pass Express.
Colorado Springs was deeply affected by the budget crisis. In January 2009, the fare increased from $1.50 to $1.75. Several routes were eliminated in April 2009, including most of the low-ridership routes, five express routes, eight transfer stations, and the free downtown shuttle (DASH). In addition, a few of the remaining routes had their frequency reduced from 30 minutes to 60 minutes. Due to the elimination of route 13, routes 9 and 14 began running evenings and Sundays.
All evening and weekend bus service was terminated on January 1, 2010, along with the elimination of routes 30, 92, 93, and 95 due to the failure of 2C. As a result, from January 1, 2010 to March 7, 2011, Colorado Springs was the largest city in the United States that had no public transit service on weekends.
Mountain Metropolitan Transit recently received 8.8 million dollars in ARRA funds. This money is being used for many things such as allowing subcontractors to provide bus service, preventative maintenance, a new transit facility, 29 new paratransit vehicles, 3 new buses, security cameras installed on the buses, and improvements to the downtown terminal.
It was announced that partial weekend service will return for 2011 due to the city's budget being higher than expected. On March 12, 2011, limited Saturday service returned, with routes 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14, and 25 running at hourly intervals.
s and Gillig BRT's
. Mountain Metro Transit also has two Gillig Low Floor
s, purchased in 2002.
Buses manufactured prior to 2005 are painted white and sport a large purple "metro" logo (as seen in the photograph). All buses purchased from 2005-onwards are painted in a variety of colors (blue, green, purple, lavender, gold, maroon, aqua, teal, silver, orange, black)and have a purple interior scheme.
Most of the 1999 Phantom fleet (except for 9908, 9909, and 9917) was retired and sold in October 2009 due to the April 2009 service cuts. The rest of the 1999 fleet was sold in April 2010.
The 2001 Gillig Phantoms are mainly used as backup buses due to the January 2010 service cuts. These buses still occasionally run routes, but not as often as they did back in 2009.
The NovaBus RTS's were bought to be used on express routes going to Monument. In 2004, they began running on the newly-introduced FrontRange Express (FREX). When the FREX received 19 Gillig BRT's in 2007, the RTS's were painted in a new livery and ran on various express routes. As of 2010, these buses have been retired from active service because the last three express routes were eliminated.
The following chart lists all buses bought from 1975 up to the present day.
F0701-F0719 were bought to be used on the Front Range Express (FREX)
to replace older buses that were prone to breaking down.
The Champion Defender buses were bought to be used on the Ute Pass Express. However, the Ute Pass Express was eliminated in late-October of 2011. It is currently unknown if the buses are going to be used on existing fixed-route service or be retired altogether.
Most of the Eldorado buses were retired and sold after only one to two years of service due to the 2009 and 2010 service cuts. At least one, possibly two remain in service running only on route 31.
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
. In addition to 18 local routes, commuter bus service (FREX) to the city of Denver, and Woodland Park (Ute Pass Express) is also provided.
Prior to November 2, 2005, this transit system was called Springs Transit. The week of November 2, 2005 would also introduce bus service on Sundays for the first time. A lack of Sunday bus service was a common complaint among riders.
By early 2006, the number of transfer stations increased from two (Downtown Terminal and Citadel Mall) to eleven stations throughout the city (UCCS, Chapel Hills Mall, Hancock Plaza, PPCC Centennial Campus, etc.). This allowed more direct bus service and allowed more routes to be created that don't have to go to the downtown terminal to transfer. For example, there were two routes running on Academy Blvd, one on the north part of Academy and another on the south part. That was reduced to just one route running the length of Academy Blvd, which was much easier for riders.
Frequency on weekdays for the most popular routes was 35 minutes. Medium ridership routes ran every 35 minutes during the peak hours. Frequency for medium ridership routes during the off-peak hours and lower ridership routes was every 70 minutes. Frequency on evenings and Sundays was 60 minutes. Frequency on Saturdays was 30 minutes for the higher ridership routes and 60 minutes for the other routes. Evening service ran Monday through Saturday. All routes were changed to run on the current 30 and 60 minute headways in the fall of 2008 after the debut of the Ute Pass Express.
Colorado Springs was deeply affected by the budget crisis. In January 2009, the fare increased from $1.50 to $1.75. Several routes were eliminated in April 2009, including most of the low-ridership routes, five express routes, eight transfer stations, and the free downtown shuttle (DASH). In addition, a few of the remaining routes had their frequency reduced from 30 minutes to 60 minutes. Due to the elimination of route 13, routes 9 and 14 began running evenings and Sundays.
All evening and weekend bus service was terminated on January 1, 2010, along with the elimination of routes 30, 92, 93, and 95 due to the failure of 2C. As a result, from January 1, 2010 to March 7, 2011, Colorado Springs was the largest city in the United States that had no public transit service on weekends.
Mountain Metropolitan Transit recently received 8.8 million dollars in ARRA funds. This money is being used for many things such as allowing subcontractors to provide bus service, preventative maintenance, a new transit facility, 29 new paratransit vehicles, 3 new buses, security cameras installed on the buses, and improvements to the downtown terminal.
It was announced that partial weekend service will return for 2011 due to the city's budget being higher than expected. On March 12, 2011, limited Saturday service returned, with routes 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14, and 25 running at hourly intervals.
Bus Fleet
The current bus fleet consists primarily of Gillig PhantomGillig Phantom
The Gillig Phantom was a transit bus produced by the Gillig Corporation in Hayward, California. The Phantom was first introduced in late 1980 and, with the exception of a small number of buses built in a three-year-long joint venture with Neoplan from 1977 to 1979, was Gillig's first transit bus...
s and Gillig BRT's
Gillig Low Floor
The Gillig Low Floor is a transit bus manufactured by the Gillig Corporation in Hayward, CA. The Low Floor was introduced in 1996. They are available in 29', 35' and 40' lengths. A diesel-electric hybrid version was introduced in 2004. Frameless side windows are an option. The Gillig Low Floor is...
. Mountain Metro Transit also has two Gillig Low Floor
Gillig Low Floor
The Gillig Low Floor is a transit bus manufactured by the Gillig Corporation in Hayward, CA. The Low Floor was introduced in 1996. They are available in 29', 35' and 40' lengths. A diesel-electric hybrid version was introduced in 2004. Frameless side windows are an option. The Gillig Low Floor is...
s, purchased in 2002.
Buses manufactured prior to 2005 are painted white and sport a large purple "metro" logo (as seen in the photograph). All buses purchased from 2005-onwards are painted in a variety of colors (blue, green, purple, lavender, gold, maroon, aqua, teal, silver, orange, black)and have a purple interior scheme.
Most of the 1999 Phantom fleet (except for 9908, 9909, and 9917) was retired and sold in October 2009 due to the April 2009 service cuts. The rest of the 1999 fleet was sold in April 2010.
The 2001 Gillig Phantoms are mainly used as backup buses due to the January 2010 service cuts. These buses still occasionally run routes, but not as often as they did back in 2009.
The NovaBus RTS's were bought to be used on express routes going to Monument. In 2004, they began running on the newly-introduced FrontRange Express (FREX). When the FREX received 19 Gillig BRT's in 2007, the RTS's were painted in a new livery and ran on various express routes. As of 2010, these buses have been retired from active service because the last three express routes were eliminated.
The following chart lists all buses bought from 1975 up to the present day.
| Fleet # | Quantity | Year | Manufacturer | Model | Size | Seating Capacity | Engine | Transmission | Retired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1629–1642 | 13 | 1975 | GM | New Look T6H-4523A | 35 ft. | 45 | Detroit Diesel 6V71 | Allison VS-2 | 1994? |
| 1643–1645 | 3 | 1976 | GM | New Look T6H-4523A | 35 ft. | 45 | Detroit Diesel 6V71 | Allison VS-2 | 1999 |
| 1646–1650 | 5 | 1978 | Flxible | New Look 45096-6-1 | 35 ft. | 45 | Detroit Diesel 6V71 | Allison V730 | 1999 |
| 1651–1664 | 14 | 1979 | GMC | RTS-03 | 35 ft. | unknown | Detroit Diesel 8V71 | Allison V730 | 1999? |
| 1665–1668 | 4 | 1979 | GMC | RTS-03 | 40 ft. | unknown | Detroit Diesel 8V71 | Allison V730 | 1999? |
| 1669–1672 | 4 | 1983 | Gillig | Phantom | 35 ft. | 35 | Detroit Diesel 6V92TA | Allison HT-747 | 2004–2006 |
| 1673–1674 | 2 | 1983 | Gillig | Phantom | 40 ft. | 43 | Detroit Diesel 6V92TA | Allison HT-747 | 2004–2006 |
| 1675–1684 | 10 | 1991 | Gillig | Phantom | 35 ft. | 35 | Detroit Diesel 6V92TA | Allison HT-748 | 2006 |
| 1685–1694 | 10 | 1994 | Gillig | Phantom | 35 ft. | 37 | Detroit Diesel Series 50 | ZF Ecomat 4HP-590 | 2009 |
| 9701-9708 | 8 | 1997 | New Flyer | D30LF | 30 ft. | 25 | Detroit Diesel Series 40 | Allison B300R | 2008 |
| 9901-9921 | 21 | 1999 | Gillig | Phantom | 35 ft. | 37 | Detroit Diesel Series 50 | Allison B400R | 2009–2010 |
| 0401-? | ? | 1999 | Ebus | N/A | 22 ft. | 22 | Battery-electric motor | N/A | 2007–2008 |
| 0101-0105 | 5 | 2001 | Gillig | Phantom | 35 ft. | 37 | Detroit Diesel Series 50 EGR | Voith D863.3E | in service |
| 0108-0110, 0112, 0114-0118 | 9 | 2001 | ABI | TSV-30 | 30 ft. | 23 | Cummins ISB | Allison B300R | 2008 |
| 0210 | 1 | 2001 | Eldorado | Aerotech (Ford E-450 chassis) | 28 ft. | 12 | Power Stroke 7.3 liter turbodiesel | Ford 4-speed automatic | 2008 |
| 0201-0203 | 3 | 2002 | NovaBus | RTS-06 WFD | 40 ft. | 37 | Cummins ISM | ZF 6HP-592C? | 2010 |
| 0204-0205 | 2 | 2002 | Eldorado | Aerotech (Ford E-450 chassis) | 28 ft. | 12 | Power Stroke 7.3 liter turbodiesel | Ford 4-speed automatic | 2008 |
| 0206-0207 | 2 | 2002 | Gillig | Phantom | 35 ft. | 37 | Cummins ISC | Allison B400R | in service |
| 0208-0209 | 2 | 2002 | Gillig | Low Floor | 40 ft. | 40 | Cummins ISC | Allison B400R | in service |
| 0501-0504 | 4 | 2005 | Gillig | BRT | 35 ft. | 32 | Cummins ISL | Allison B400R | in service |
| 0505-0507 | 3 | 2005 | Gillig | BRT | 40 ft. | 40 | Cummins ISL | Allison B400R | in service |
| 0601-0612 | 12 | 2006 | Gillig | BRT | 40 ft. | 40 | Caterpillar C9 | Allison B400R | in service |
| 0700-0706 | 7 | 2007 | Gillig | BRT | 35 ft. | 32 | Caterpillar C9 | Voith D864.5 | in service |
| F0701-F0719 | 19 | 2007 | Gillig | BRT | 40 ft. | 40 | Cummins ISM | Voith D864.5 | in service (9 sold as of February 8, 2010) |
| 0800-0805 | 6 | 2008 | Gillig | BRT | 35 ft. | 32 | Caterpillar C9 | Voith D864.5 | in service |
| 5581-5585 | 5 | 2008 | Eldorado | Aerotech (Ford E-450 chassis) | unknown | 16 | 6.8 liter Triton V10 (gasoline) | 4-speed automatic | 2009–2010 (one or two remain in service) |
| ? | 5 | 2008 | Champion | Defender (Chevrolet chassis) | 33 ft. | 24 | Duramax Diesel 6.6 liter V8 | Allison 2000 | in service |
F0701-F0719 were bought to be used on the Front Range Express (FREX)
Front Range Express (FREX)
Front Range Express is a commuter bus service operating between the cities of Colorado Springs, Denver, Greenwood Village, Monument, and formerly Castle Rock in Colorado. FREX operates on Interstate 25 except when exiting to make stops at each city...
to replace older buses that were prone to breaking down.
The Champion Defender buses were bought to be used on the Ute Pass Express. However, the Ute Pass Express was eliminated in late-October of 2011. It is currently unknown if the buses are going to be used on existing fixed-route service or be retired altogether.
Most of the Eldorado buses were retired and sold after only one to two years of service due to the 2009 and 2010 service cuts. At least one, possibly two remain in service running only on route 31.
Route list
| Route # | Destinations | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hillside - Hancock Plaza | 30 minutes | |
| 3 | Colorado Ave - Manitou Springs | 30 minutes | |
| 4 | 8th Street - Broadmoor | 60 minutes | |
| 5 | Boulder - Citadel | 30 minutes | |
| 6 | Wahsatch - Citadel | 60 minutes | |
| 7 | Pikes Peak Ave - Citadel | 30 minutes | |
| 8 | Cache la Poudre St | 60 minutes | |
| 9 | Cascade - North Nevada Ave | 30 minutes | |
| 10 | Hwy 115 - Pikes Peak Community College | 60 minutes | |
| 11 | World Arena - Pikes Peak Community College | 60 minutes | |
| 12 | Palmer Park Blvd | 60 minutes | |
| 14 | Chestnut & Garden of the Gods Rd - Austin Bluffs & Academy | 60 minutes | Originally ran every 30 minutes. |
| 15 | E. Las Vegas St - Pikes Peak Community College | 60 minutes | |
| 16 | Brookside St - Uintah Gardens | 60 minutes | |
| 22 | Security - Widefield | 60 minutes | |
| 24 | Galley Rd - Petterson AFB | 60 minutes | |
| 25 | Academy Blvd | 30 minutes | |
| 31 | City of Fountain - Pikes Peak Community College | 60 minutes | Low-ridership route |
- Front Range Express (FREX)Front Range Express (FREX)Front Range Express is a commuter bus service operating between the cities of Colorado Springs, Denver, Greenwood Village, Monument, and formerly Castle Rock in Colorado. FREX operates on Interstate 25 except when exiting to make stops at each city...
- Ute Pass Express
Transfer Stations
| Transfer Station | Routes |
|---|---|
| Downtown Terminal | 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 |
| Citadel Mall | 5, 6, 7, 8, 22, 24, 25 |
| Pikes Peak Community College | 10, 11, 15, 25, 31 |
Fares
| Cash Fares | Price |
|---|---|
| Basic Fare | $1.75 |
| Economy Fare (child, disabled, senior, student) |
$0.85 |
| Zone Fare (applied to any travel within the City of Fountain) |
$1.00 |
| Transfer | Free |
| Discount Tickets | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 31-Day Ticket | $63.00 | |
| 31-Day Ticket with Zone Fare | $68.50 | |
| Adult 22-Ride Ticket | $35.00 | |
| Economy 22-Ride Ticket | $17.50 | |
| Summer Haul Pass (Ages 6–18) |
$20.00 | Unlimited rides from June 1 to August 31 |