Roaring Fork Transportation Authority

RFTA New Flyer DE40I #602 operates on Route 11.
Founded 1983
Headquarters 0051 Service Center Drive, Aspen, Colorado 81611
Service type bus service, paratransit
Fleet 100 transit buses
20 shuttle vans and 40 Support Vehicles
Fuel type biodiesel, compressed natural gas, Unleaded Gasoline
Website rfta.com RFTA Bus Tracker

The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (pronounced "Rafta") was established in 1983, and is operated by a Rural Transportation Authority. RFTA provides bus service to Aspen, Snowmass Village, Pitkin County, Basalt, a portion of Eagle County, Carbondale, Glenwood Springs and their newest member New Castle. Regularly scheduled service reaches as far as Rifle.

Fleet

RFTA currently operates a fleet of around 100 vehicles and 10 shuttle vans.[1] RFTA uses biodiesel in all of its diesel power vehicles including hybrid buses and ethanol in gasoline vehicles. RFTA also has 22 compressed natural gas buses for the VelociRFTA BRT system.

VelociRFTA

RFTA's system offers express service throughout the Roaring Fork Valley from Glenwood Springs to Aspen since September 3, 2013. VelociRFTA is thought to be the first ever rural Bus Rapid Transit system in the U.S.[2][3] Ridership immediately rose 27.6% year over year with the new system.[4] These buses operate on CNG from the Glenwood Springs facility.[3]

The name is a pun on Velociraptor and the logo is a green Velociraptor[2]. To promote the new service, RFTA placed giant concrete and foam eggs at selected bus stops, and cast dinosaur footprints in nearby sidewalks.[5]

Route list

Valley Routes:

  • VelociRFTA - Express service from Glenwood Springs to Aspen with limited stops and travel time of one hour.
  • Roaring Fork Valley- Intercity service from Aspen to Glenwood Springs and the town in between.
  • Grand Hogback- Intercity service from Glenwood Springs to Rifle. This route has been extended west to Parachute while the Grand Avenue Bridge in Glenwood Springs is under construction.[6]

City of Aspen, Snowmass Village, Carbondale and Glenwood Springs Routes:

  • Burlingame- Free City of Aspen service from Rubey Park Transit Center to the Burlingame Ranch housing development via Highway 82 among all stops along Highway 82
  • Castle Maroon- Free City of Aspen service with access to West Main Street, Aspen Valley Hospital, the Aspen Chapel, The Senior Services Building, Aspen District Schools Campus, the James E. Moore Pool, and Aspen Highlands Ski Area. This route may also be used to access seasonal bus service to the popular Maroon Bells viewing site. RTFA operates the Maroon Bells shuttle under contract to the United States Forest Service.[7]
  • Cemetery Lane- Free City of Aspen service with access to Cemetery Lane, West Main Street and the Rio Grande Trail.
  • Hunter Creek- Free City of Aspen service with access to the Post Office, Clark's Market, the Rio Grande Trail, Hunter Creek and Centennial Condos, City Market and the Silver Queen Gondola.
  • Mt Valley/Dial-a-Ride: Free City of Aspen service includes the residential areas in Mountain Valley, north of Highway 82
  • Galena Street Shuttle- Free seasonal Aspen City downtown circulator
  • Woody Creek- Seasonal Aspen City service between Aspen and Woody Creek
  • Four Mountain Connector- Winter seasonal intercity ski service
  • Highlands- Aspen seasonal ski shuttle
  • Snowmass- Free service between Aspen and Snowmass Village
  • Carbondale Circulator: Circualtor service within the town of Carbondale, from the Carbondale Park & Ride to downtown Main Street

References

  1. ↑ "Roaring Fork Transportation Authority". Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  2. 1 2 "2013 #7: RFTA starts nation's first rural Bus Rapid Transit system". PostIndependent.com. Post Independent / Citizen Telegram. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  3. 1 2 Dorich, Alan. "Roaring Fork Transportation Authority". Transportation & Logistics International Magazine. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  4. ↑ http://www.dailycamera.com/boulder-county-news/ci_24537913/future-bus-rapid-transit-u-s-36-lessons
  5. ↑ Urquhart, Janet. "Roaring Fork Transportation Authority laying giant eggs". The Aspen Times. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  6. ↑ "Bus routes set for Grand Avenue bridge closure". PostIndependent.com. Post Independent / Citizen Telegram. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  7. ↑ Condon, Scott. "Forest Service says record numbers visiting Aspen's Maroon Bells". The Aspen Times. Retrieved 3 November 2017.


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