Mountain Metropolitan Transit

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Mountain Metropolitan Transit
Colorado Metro logo.png
Metro bus 507 with ad, Colorado Springs.jpg
Parent City of Colorado Springs
FoundedSeptember 16, 1972
Headquarters1015 Transit Drive
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Locale Colorado Springs
Manitou Springs
Security-Widefield
Service type Bus
Vanpool
Paratransit
Routes34
Stops979 (2024) [1]
Fleet143 (2022) [2]
Daily ridership12,100 (weekdays, Q3 2024) [3]
Annual ridership2,991,300 (2023) [4]
Fuel type Diesel, Electric [5]
Operator Transdev
Website mmtransit.com

Mountain Metropolitan Transit (MMT) is the primary public transportation operator for the Colorado Springs metropolitan area. It provides bus service between Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, and Security-Widefield. [6] There are currently thirty-four local routes. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 2,991,300, or about 12,100 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.

Contents

History

Springs Transit

For the first hundred years of the city's existence, transportation services in Colorado Springs were provided solely by private companies. [7] On September 16, 1972, the city bought out Colorado Springs Transit and began operating a public transportation system. Rebranded as Springs Transit, it operated buses with weekday services, Saturday service (implemented in 1989), & evening service (implemented in 1992). Springs Transit spanned the city between Chapel Hills in the north to Widefield in the south, Manitou Springs in the west to Peterson AFB to the east. In 1992, there were 10 routes.

In 2004 voters approved the creation of the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA). [8] This intergovernmental partnership established a new sales tax across participating regions for the purpose of funding transportation projects.

Mountain Metropolitan Transit

Perhaps reflecting the new regional funding, on November 2, 2005, Springs Transit was renamed Mountain Metropolitan Transit. It also introduced bus service on Sundays for the first time in Colorado Springs history. It also added evening service for Saturdays as well. Evening service was also expanded to include more routes. Sunday service was hourly and used the same routes that ran evening service.

By early 2006, the number of transfer stations increased from two (Downtown Terminal and Citadel Mall) to eleven stations throughout the city. This allowed more direct bus service and allowed more routes to be created that didn't have to go to the Downtown Terminal to transfer.

In 2007, seasonal bus service to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was added. It ran from Memorial Day to Labor day, but only on weekends. Also, a couple of new express routes were added. The first one (route E-4), serviced the north section of the Powers corridor and the Northgate area. The second one (route 94), provided service to Schriever AFB from Fountain & Security/Widefield.

Financial Decline

Colorado Springs was deeply affected by the budget crisis. In January 2009, the fare increased from $1.50 to $1.75. [9] In April 2009, several routes were eliminated, including most express routes. At least six transfer stations were closed, and many routes saw cuts in service hours. The free downtown shuttle (DASH) was eliminated altogether due to lack of funding.

During this year, Mountain Metropolitan Transit received $8.8 million in ARRA funds. [10] This money was used for many things, including allowing subcontractors to provide bus service, preventative maintenance, a new transit facility, 29 new paratransit vehicles (for Mountain Metro Mobility), three new service support vehicles, security cameras installation on the buses, and more improvements to the downtown terminal.

All evening and weekend bus services were terminated on January 1, 2010, along with the elimination of the Fort Carson and the Schriever AFB express routes due to the failure of 2C among voters.[ citation needed ] 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.

Recovery

It was announced that partial weekend service would return for 2011 due to the city's budget being higher than expected. On March 12, 2011, Saturday service was added to nine routes.

On October 31, 2011, the service for Ute Pass Express, which was an express service for the city of Woodland Park, Colorado, was cut due to the federal grant expiring & low ridership.

On April 2, 2012, route 31 was eliminated due to the city of Fountain, Colorado not contracting with Mountain Metropolitan Transit any longer since the City of Fountain began their own transit service. [11] Along with these spring changes, its ADA paratransit (Metro Mobility) increased its fare from $0.36 a mile to $0.38 a mile.

Front Range Express (FREX) had its final service to and from Denver on August 31, 2012. The popular service was decommissioned due to the city of Colorado Springs pulling its funding for the service. [12] One of the reasons FREX was eliminated was to help restore the local bus service. [13]

On May 19, 2013, the restored free shuttle service began in Manitou Springs. The shuttle runs along Manitou Avenue and connect the Cog Railway and Manitou Incline along Ruxton Avenue. [14]

On March 30, 2014, some major service changes took place, including the return of Sunday service. In addition, there is Sunday-level bus services for the spring and summer holidays (Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day). However, there is no bus service for the fall and winter holidays (Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day).

A Mountain Metropolitan Transit bus running on Route 3 MMT J1804 On Route 3.jpg
A Mountain Metropolitan Transit bus running on Route 3

Metro introduced 15-minute service on Route 5, the first time the transit agency has ever done so on a non-shuttle route. [15]

Recent History

The COVID-19 pandemic greatly impactacted Mountain Metro's services. Ridership fell from over three million annual riders in 2019 to under two million. [16] As of 2023, ridership had still not fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels.

Mountain Metro has recently taken measures to increase ease-of-use of their system. MMT started to provide real-time schedules on Google Maps and through their My New Bus webpage. In 2022, the mobile ticketing app RideMMT was released. [17] Riders are now able to purchase tickets and passes from their smartphones. Additionally, riders can now purchase a Metro Card, which can be refilled at select retailers or through the RideMMT app.

As part of a push to make downtown more accessible, in 2022 Mountain Metro started running the Zeb: a free shuttle that goes between Colorado College and the south end of downtown. [18] With headways ranging from seven to ten minutes, the Zeb is the most frequent MMT route.

In 2023, Mountain Metro participated in the statewide "Zero Fare for Better Air" initiative. [19] This program provided grant money to public transportation systems across the state in order for them to provide free trips for the months of July and August. MMT saw 366,922 boardings in August: an all-time record for the agency. [20]

Service

Bus Service

Mountain Metropolitan Transit provides a variety of transportation services for the Pikes Peak region. They operate twenty-nine fixed-route bus lines, three free shuttles, and two deviated fixed-route bus lines. Riders on deviated routes can request service adjustments up to three-quarters of a mile from the regular bus route. Fares can be paid by cash, tap-to-pay, Metro Card, or through the mobile RideMMT app. Buses are equipped with bike racks, and MMT has secure bike storage lockers at selection locations across the city.

Paratransit

Mountain Metro Mobility is MMT's ADA paratransit service. This service is for residents and visitors with disabilities who are unable to access the regular bus routes. Paratransit service is available within three-quarters of a mile of any existing fixed-route. Metro Mobility provided 116,858 passenger trips in 2023. [1]

Metro Rides

For areas not serviced by bus routes, Mountain Metro Rides offers three alternative transportation services. Carpool matches drivers with similar commutes for the purpose of sharing rides. Schoolpool connects parents with children attending the same school. Vanpool matches long-distance commuters and provides the group with a dedicated van.

List of Routes

Name [21] Terminal 1Terminal 2Ridership (2019) [22] Peak FrequencyNotes
1 Hillside - Hancock PlazaDowntown
Downtown Terminal
Southeast
Hancock Plaza
241,03915 minutes
2 Centennial Blvd - Garden of the Gods RdRockrimmon
Citizens Service Center
46,69960 minutes
3 Colorado Avenue Manitou Springs
Memorial Park
218,44830 minutes
4 8th Street The Broadmoor 90,14560 minutes
5 Boulder St - Citadel Citadel
Citadel Mall Transfer Center
384,91815 minutes
6 Fillmore - Citadel Roswell
Cascade & Taylor
50,18160 minutes
7 Pikes Peak Avenue - CitadelDowntown
Downtown Terminal
146,37130 minutes
8 Cache La Poudre St Colorado College
Cache La Poudre St & Nevada Ave
26,39060 minutes
9 Nevada Ave. - UCCSDowntown
Downtown Terminal
UCCS
Austin Bluffs & Meadow Lane
148,59530 minutesInterlaced with route 19 to provide 15 minute frequency to UCCS
10 Highway 115 - PPSC PPSC
PPSC Centennial Campus
169,88530 minutesInterlaced with route 11 to provide 15 minute frequency to PPSC
11 World Arena - PPSC262,50030 minutesInterlaced with route 10 to provide 15 minute frequency to PPSC
12 Palmer Park BlvdColorado College
Cache La Poudre St & Nevada Ave
Cimarron Hills
Palmer Park & Space Center
31,91360 minutes
14 Chestnut - Garden of the Gods RdDowntown Downtown TerminalRockrimmon
Citizens Service Center
75,34960 minutesInterlaced with route 2 to provide 30 minute frequency to the Citizens Service Center
15 E Fountain – Cheyenne Mountain CenterDowntown
Nevada Ave & Rio Grande St
Cheyenne Mountain Center
Venetucci Blvd & Lake Ave
26,10160 minutes
16 Brookside St - Uintah Gardens Ivywild
Nevada Ave & Navajo St
Old Colorado City
Uintah Gardens
30,14660 minutes
17 19th St - FillmoreColorado College
Cache La Poudre St & Nevada Ave
Roswell
Fillmore St & Cascade Ave
26,10960 minutes
18 Union Blvd – Montebello Dr Memorial Park
1912 Eastlake
Montebello
Montebello & Montebello Square
10,77460 minutes
19 Nevada - Eagle Rock (UCCS)Downtown
Downtown Terminal
UCCS Nevada Ave & Eagle Rock110,64230 minutesInterlaced with route 9 to provide 15 minute frequency to UCCS

Last stop alternates between west UCCS campus and Nevada Ave & Eagle Rock
20 Downtown - SouthgateSouthgate Shopping Center
Southgate & Nevada
New route30 minutesWeekend service only
22 Southborough via Murray BlvdCitadel
Citadel Mall Transfer Center
Hancock Plaza
Handcock & Jetwing
88,13230 minutes
23 Barnes Rd - Tutt BlvdSprings Ranch
South Carefree & Tutt
Marketplace at Austin Bluffs
Morning Sun Ave
99,24530 minutes
24 Galley Rd - Tutt BlvdCitadel
Citadel Mall Transfer Center
Springs Ranch
South Carefree & Tutt
New route60 minutes
25 N Academy Blvd - Voyager Parkway Chapel Hills Mall
Voyager Parkway
320,61715 minutes
27 S Academy Blvd - PPSCPPSC
PPSC Centennial Campus
203,36215 minutes
32 Security-WidefieldHancock Plaza Shopping Center
Academy & Astrozon
Security-Widefield
Grand Peak & Caballero
36,14460 minutes
33 Manitou Shuttle: Incline/COGManitou Springs
Memorial Park
Manitou Springs
Pikes Peak Cog Railway
240,57510 minutesFree for all riders
34 Garden of the Gods Rd - Austin Bluffs PkwyRockrimmon
Citizens Service Center
Marketplace at Austin Bluffs
Morning Sun Ave
51,39960 minutes
35 Las Vegas - PPSCPPSC
PPSC Centennial Campus
Southeast Colorado Springs
4 Seasons Drive & Janitell
19,17440 minutesNo Sunday service
36 Manitou Shuttle: Beckers Lane/Downtown Manitou AveManitou Springs
Fields Park
Manitou Springs
West Manitou Roundabout
21,27820 minutesFree for all riders

Runs only April through September
37 Hancock Plaza – Colorado Springs AirportHancock Plaza
Academy & Astrozon
Colorado Springs Airport New route40 minutes
38 Montebello Dr. – Memorial North/Children’s HospitalMontebello
Montebello & Montebello Square
Briargate
Memorial North/Children's Hospital
2,00645 minutesWeekday service only

Deviated fixed route service
39 Corporate Drive - Voyager PkwyUCCS
Nevada & Eagle Rock
Chapel Hills Mall
Voyager Parkway
29,00160 minutes
40 PPSC Rampart to Voyager PkwyChapel Hills Mall
Voyager Parkway
Northgate
PPSC CHES Campus
8,03440 minutesDeviated fixed route service

Does not run during the summer
The Zeb Free Downtown ShuttleDowntown
Cascade & Rio Grand
Colorado College
Cache La Poudre St & Nevada Ave
New route7 minutesFree for all riders

See also

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References

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  2. "2022 Annual Agency Profile - City of Colorado Springs dba Mountain Metropolitan Transit" (PDF). Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  3. "Transit Ridership Report Third Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  4. "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
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  7. Early History. Archived 2013-12-03 at the Wayback Machine The Independence Center. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
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  12. "Mayor Bach Decides To Terminate FREX Service" . Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  13. "Mayor will ask council to discontinue FREX" . Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  14. Manitou Springs Free Shuttle. City of Colorado Springs. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
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  18. "The Zeb: Free shuttle marks one year in Colorado Springs" . Retrieved 15 October 2024.
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