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The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA; pronounced ) is an agency that operates
public transportation Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...
for the
Roaring Fork Valley The Roaring Fork Valley is a geographical region in western Colorado in the United States. The Roaring Fork Valley is one of the most affluent regions in Colorado and the U.S. as well as one of the most populous and economically vital areas of th ...
in
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
. RFTA's service area stretches from
Aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the '' Populus'' genus. Species These species are called aspens: *'' Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (Chin ...
to Rifle, serving major cities of
Basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...
, Snowmass Village, Carbondale, and Glenwood Springs in between. RFTA also operates seasonal ski shuttles, guided bus tours to
Maroon Bells The Maroon Bells are two peaks in the Elk Mountains, Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak, separated by about half a kilometer (0.3 miles). The mountains are on the border between Pitkin County and Gunnison County, Colorado, United States, about s ...
,
paratransit Paratransit is the term used in North America, also known by other names such as community transport ( UK) for transportation services that supplement fixed-route mass transit by providing individualized rides without fixed routes or timetables. ...
, and manages the Rio Grande Trail. RFTA is the second largest transit provider in Colorado (after
Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
) and the largest rural transit provider in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. In September 2013, RFTA became the first rural transit provider to construct and operate bus rapid transit in the United States.


History

Transportation in the Roaring Fork Valley dates back to the late-1880s, when the
Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...
ran their first train to Glenwood Springs on October 5, 1887. The railroad continued extending their line upvalley to Aspen, completing the Aspen Branch on October 27, 1887. Denver and Rio Grande's competitor,
Colorado Midland Railway The Colorado Midland Railway , Railway Equipment and Publication CompanyThe Official Railway Equipment Register June 1917, p. 786 incorporated in 1883, was the first standard gauge railroad built over the Continental Divide in Colorado. It ran ...
, reached Aspen the same year, and completed their connection downvalley to Glenwood Springs on December 9, 1887. The Colorado Midland Railway's route was later converted to
Colorado State Highway 82 State Highway 82 (SH 82) is an state highway in the U.S. state of Colorado. Its western half provides the principal transportation artery of the Roaring Fork Valley on the Colorado Western Slope, beginning at Interstate 70 (I-70) and U.S. Hi ...
(SH 82). In 1890, Aspen's economy boomed after the passing of the
Sherman Silver Purchase Act The Sherman Silver Purchase Act was a United States federal law enacted on July 14, 1890.Charles Ramsdell Lingley, ''Since the Civil War'', first edition: New York, The Century Co., 1920, ix–635 p., . Re-issued: Plain Label Books, unknown date, ...
, becoming the largest silver producer in the United States. In June, the Aspen City Railway opened a
narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
horsecar A horsecar, horse-drawn tram, horse-drawn streetcar (U.S.), or horse-drawn railway (historical), is an animal-powered (usually horse) tram or streetcar. Summary The horse-drawn tram (horsecar) was an early form of public rail transport, w ...
line that zigzagged through the city. The system was the smallest in the state, owning only two cars and five horses. The repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act in 1983, Aspen's economy collapsed, and it is assumed operations were abandoned sometime afterwards. Due to early abandonment, the Aspen City Railway never converted to electric streetcars as was common during that time. RFTA's origins dates back to the mid-1970s when the City of Aspen and Piktin County implemented separate free transit services for the area, Aspen Free Shuttle and Pitkin County Bus, respectively. Aspen Free Shuttle operated fixed routes within the city and to Aspen Skiing Company mountains, while Pitkin County bus operated on the SH 82 corridor to El Jebel. In 1983 the Roaring Fork Transit Agency (RFTA) was formed by merging the two systems, funded by a 1¢ sales tax. Service was extended to Carbondale in 1989. From 1984 to 1989, yearly ridership increased 36% from 1.4 million to 1.8 million. Between 1990 and 1995, RFTA experienced incredible growth of 85% from 1.9 million to 3.5 million annual rides. Ridership increases were contributed to service extension to Glenwood Springs, a free downtown circulator in Glenwood Springs, frequency increases, and the introduction of paid parking in Aspen. Also during this time period, the Environmental Protection Agency designated Aspen as a PM non-attainment area, resulting in RFTA increasing services to reduce air pollution and
vehicle miles traveled The units of measurement in transportation describes the unit of measurement used to express various transportation quantities, as used in statistics, planning, and their related applications. Transportation quantity The currently popular units ...
, particularly along the SH 82 corridor. In 1994 the Roaring Fork Railroad Holding Authority (RFRHA) was created as a public entity to purchase the former Denver and Rio Grande Aspen Branch between Glenwood Springs and Woody Creek. The corridor was purchased in 1996 at a cost of $8.5 million. The corridor was converted to a rail trail and railbanked for a future mass transit line to reduce congestion on SH 82. In 2000, the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority was created by seven members in the Roaring Fork Valley, creating the state's first Rural Transportation Agency and taking over the responsibilities of the Roaring Fork Transit Agency. As a result of the vote, RFRHA merged with the RFTA in 2001. In 2004 the Town of New Castle voted to become the newest member of RFTA. Rifle and
Silt Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay and composed mostly of broken grains of quartz. Silt may occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as sediment mixed in suspension with water. Silt usually has a floury feel ...
, west of New Castle along the
I-70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the c ...
/
US 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast from Bishop, California, to ...
corridor, are not members but still receive RFTA service on the Grand Hogback route. Service was temporarily extended to Parachute during a 95-day replacement of the Grand Avenue bridge in Glenwood Springs from August 14 to November 22, 2017. It's estimated that the free service resulted in an additional 300,000 annual rides during 2017. The Town of Parachute began negotiations with RFTA to extend service there, but was shelved for being too expensive. In September 2020, Parachute Area Transit System (PATS) began service to Battlement Mesa and Rifle, connecting with RFTA at the latter. While RFTA does not operate the service, they assisted in developing routes, fares, and schedules.


Fleet

As of June 2020, RFTA operates a fleet of 136
transit bus Transit may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Transit'' (1979 film), a 1979 Israeli film * ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countries in the world * ''Transit'' (2006 film), a 2006 ...
es and 10 cutaway vans, nine of which are used for paratransit service. All buses are fully
accessible Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i. ...
and use alternative fuels to enhance environmental sustainability in the Valley. All diesel buses use
biodiesel Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel derived from plants or animals and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made by chemically reacting lipids such as animal fat ( tallow), soybean oil, or some other vegetable oil ...
and all gasoline-powered cutaway and service vehicles use ethanol. Twenty-two
compressed natural gas Compressed natural gas (CNG) is a fuel gas mainly composed of methane (CH4), compressed to less than 1% of the volume it occupies at standard atmospheric pressure. It is stored and distributed in hard containers at a pressure of , usually in cy ...
(CNG) buses with free on-board
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wav ...
were introduced with the VelociRFTA bus rapid transit line. On December 3, 2019, the first of eight
battery electric bus A battery electric bus is an electric bus that is driven by an electric motor and obtains energy from on-board batteries. Many trolleybuses use batteries as an auxiliary or emergency power source. In 2018, the National Renewable Energy Laborator ...
es were placed into service on City of Aspen routes at the cost of $9.2 million. It is the beginning of an initiative to convert 30% of RFTA's bus fleet to electric over the next 20 years. CNG buses operate out of the Glenwood Springs Maintenance Facility and battery electric buses operate out of the Aspen Maintenance Facility. Beginning in the late 1970s, RFTA's predecessors were one of the first transit agencies in the United States to allow buses to carry bikes using custom built bike racks. All buses are equipped with bike racks from mid-spring to late-fall. Racks on most buses are capable of hauling four bikes at a time, although racks on VelociRFTA buses are only capable of carrying two bikes. During winter ski season, the bike racks are removed and replaced with ski racks. Bikes are not allowed on buses after nightfall due to driver visibility issues.


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. Ridership immediately rose 27.6% year over year with the new system. These buses operate on CNG from the Glenwood Springs facility. The name is a pun on
Velociraptor ''Velociraptor'' (; ) is a genus of small dromaeosaurid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous epoch, about 75 million to 71 million years ago. Two species are currently recognized, although others have been assigned in the p ...
and the logo is a green
Velociraptor ''Velociraptor'' (; ) is a genus of small dromaeosaurid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous epoch, about 75 million to 71 million years ago. Two species are currently recognized, although others have been assigned in the p ...
. To promote the new service, RFTA placed giant concrete and foam eggs at selected bus stops, and cast dinosaur footprints in nearby sidewalks.


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. 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 The Maroon Bells are two peaks in the Elk Mountains, Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak, separated by about half a kilometer (0.3 miles). The mountains are on the border between Pitkin County and Gunnison County, Colorado, United States, about s ...
viewing site. RTFA operates the Maroon Bells shuttle under contract to the
United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...
. *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


Fares

RFTA uses fare zones to determine fares based on the length of a trip. Ticket vending machines at all 9 bus rapid transit stations Stored value cards, seasonal and 30 day zone passes are available from ticket vending machines at all 9 VelociRFTA stations and select retail outlets and offer a 26% discount. Discount fares are also available for veterans and persons with disabilities. Children under 5 and seniors 65 and over ride for free. Service is free within and between Aspen, Snowmass Village, and Woody Creek, partially subsidized by the Elected Officials Transportation Committee. No-fare service is also offered on the Carbondale Circulator. Because of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, fares were not being collected on RFTA buses until August 1, 2020. Cash is not being accepted on buses and riders are required to pay beforehand.


Awards

RFTA has received numerous awards for its service: *''Best Large Transit Agency of the Year'' (2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2018) - Colorado Association of Transit Agencies *''Innovation Award'' (2008) - Colorado Association of Transit Agencies *''Marketing Program of the Year'' (2003, 2009, 2013) - Colorado Association of Transit Agencies *''Outstanding Community Tourism Initiative Award'' (2008) - Colorado Governor's Tourism Conference *''Outstanding Public Service Award'' (2014) - Federal Transit Administrator *''Distinguished Budget Presentation Award'' (2007-2012) - Government Finance Officers Association *''Best Mass Transit System of North America'' (1996) - Mass Transit Magazine *''Sustainability Award'' (2014) - SHIFT *''Transportation Innovator Award'' (2012) - White House Champions of Change


References


External links


RFTA Official Website
{{USBRT Bus transportation in Colorado Government agencies established in 1983 Transportation in Eagle County, Colorado Transportation in Pitkin County, Colorado Transit agencies in Colorado