Transit Projects

(General information, January 2010)

An individual switching to public transit can reduce his or her carbon emissions by 20 pounds; more than 4,800 pounds per year! (source: American Public Transportation Association; www.APTA.com)

Rider Information:
719-385-RIDE (7433)
www.mmtransit.com or www.springsgov.com/transit
transitinfo@springsgov.com

Administration:
Mountain Metropolitan Transit
1015 Transit Drive, Colorado Springs, CO; 80903
719-385-7433 or 719-385-5974

General:
Mountain Metropolitan Transit (MMT) is the name for public transit operated as a division of the City of Colorado Springs in the Pikes Peak region. The City is the primary provider of public transportation services in the Pikes Peak region and is a designated recipient of Federal Transit Administration (FTA) program funds. MMT oversees, contracts, supervises, budgets, manages grants, and coordinates activities and operations of all transit and paratransit systems and rideshare programs, including the development and implementation of all short-and long-range transit plans. These plans enable the City to receive federal funds for area public transportation services. Local funding is provided by appropriations from the City’s annual general fund and separate Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA) tax district.

Primary Local Funding Entities:

City of Colorado Springs (annual city general fund)
PPRTA (one tenth of one percent area sales tax dedicated for transit)

Primary Governing Board:
City of Colorado Springs City Council

General Locale:
Colorado Springs, CO urbanized area

Primary Service Area:
• City of Colorado Springs
• City of Manitou Springs
• Town of Green Mountain Falls
• Nearby portions of unincorporated El Paso County

Key Destinations:
• Downtown Colorado Springs
• Citadel Mall
• Chapel Hills Mall
• Pikes Peak Community College (PPCC)
• University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS)
• City of Manitou Springs
• Peterson Air Force Base
• City of Woodland Park (Ute Pass Express)
• Downtown Denver (FREX)

Service Types:
• Local fixed-route bus service (Mountain Metro)
• ADA local paratransit service (Metro Mobility)
• Commuter bus service (FrontRange Express – FREX)
• Commuter bus service (Ute Pass Express)
• Vanpool, carpool, bike, TDM (Metro Rides)

Mountain Metro Fixed–Route Bus Service:

Scheduled fixed–route bus service is operated by MMT and available to the general public in much of the City of Colorado Springs and nearby areas of El Paso County. Local routes generally operate weekdays between 6am and 7pm at hourly intervals with certain key routes offering additional frequencies. Basic cash fare is $1.75 and discount multi-ride tickets are also available for purchase. Reduced rate fares and passes are available for eligible riders including children, seniors, students, and Medicare/disabled passengers.

For routes and schedules, click here.

Metro Mobility ADA Paratransit Service

Metro Mobility is a federally-mandated Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) complementary paratransit service which began in 1993 and provides demand-response service for individuals with mobility needs that prevent them from using the fixed-route bus system. Metro Mobility service is provided along a 1.5-mile corridor (3/4 mile on each side) of every local fixed-route during the same hours local fixed-route service is operating. Metro Mobility riders are required to be certified as ADA paratransit-eligible in order to receive curb-to-curb paratransit service. MMT also provides the required certification services to determine eligibility. Eligible individuals can use the fixed-route bus service at no charge, which allows the City to minimize the cost of paratransit services.

Ute Pass Express Service

Ute Pass Express is the first and only commuter service connecting Colorado Springs to the cities and towns along Highway 24.  Funded by a temporary Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) demonstration grant, Ute Pass Express is a public transportation alternative introduced to improve mobility options and reduce traffic congestion along Highway 24 each day.  Planning partners currently include the City of Woodland Park and Town of Green Mountain Falls.  Federal CMAQ funds for this project have been allocated through the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG).

Front Range Express (FREX) Service

FREX is the first and only intercity weekday commuter bus service connecting the Pikes Peak region with the Denver metropolitan area.  Introduced in 2004 as a Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) demonstration project, FREX has quickly become the most successful transportation project to date in the Pikes Peak region and continues to improve mobility options and air quality by reducing traffic congestion along the I-25 corridor each day.  Each distinctive black coach has high-back cushioned seats, luggage racks, individual reading lights, bike racks, and free wireless internet service.  Service operates between Downtown Colorado Springs and Downtown Denver with additional stops made at three convenient El Paso County park–n–rides.

Metro Rides (carpool, vanpool, bike, and TDM programs)

Metro Rides is a grant-funded program within MMT that began operation in 1979. The mission of the program is to promote and offer alternative transportation options to residents of the Pikes Peak region. The program is designed to preserve air quality, minimize traffic congestion and promote better health by discouraging the use of single occupancy vehicles and encouraging more people to use carpools, vanpools, or alternative means of commuting. These are collectively known as ‘Transportation Demand Management’ (TDM) programs. Metro Rides provides multimodal transportation options that include automated carpool matching, commuter vanpools, bicycling tips and resources, school pool matching (including bike and walk pools for children), and transit use through employers, media advertising, community activities, and promotional events. Approximately 2,500 calls are received annually, and Metro Rides maintains a database of approximately 1,500 clients. Federal CMAQ funding for Metro Rides is received through PPACG.

Mountain Metropolitan Transit System Ridership (2009)

Annual Revenue Service Hours (2009):

History:


Organized public transit began in Colorado Springs in the 1880’s with streetcars pulled by horses and mules. The streetcars were electrified in the 1890’s by the Colorado Springs and Manitou Street Railway. In the early 1900’s tourism was the primary area industry and the system was purchased by Winfield Scott Stratton, a storied local financier. Mr. Stratton invested extensively in the system, growing it to over 70 trolleys with frequent service. It was considered for a time one of the most extensive trolley systems in the country. By 1932, the private trolley system was losing ridership to increasing auto traffic and was completely replaced with buses. Due to financial constraints, the private bus system was purchased by the City in 1972 and operated by the City via private management contracts. Local ADA service was added 1993. Additional local funding and new bus routes were added with area residents’ adoption of the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority in 2004.  The City bus system name, Springs Transit, was retired in 2004 when the new operating name “Mountain Metropolitan Transit” was adopted to reflect the growing regional nature of the service.   

Planning for the Future:

Despite recent failure of a property tax increase in the City of Colorado Springs, the citizens of Colorado Springs and the region have been clear in their feedback to leaders, local government officials, and through grassroots initiatives such as ‘Dream City’ that transit is important to them. It is important to take advantage of planning grants while they are available so that future improvements can be implemented when the local and national economies recover and the local economy improves to be able to support the improvements. 

The following studies are underway during 2010 and making use of Federal Transit Administration planning grant monies that can only be used for long term transit planning projects and not for transit operations. More information on each of these studies will be available during 2010 via a link at: www.mmtransit.com.

• Regional Transit Governance Structure and Funding Study
• Streetcare Feasibility Study
• Academy Boulevard Corridor Great Streets Study

The existing adopted 2035 Regional Long Range Transit Plan is also available via a link at www.mmtransit.com.