Ute Pass Express Bus To End In October

Although the Colorado Springs City Council has yet to vote on the matter, the vote will be merely a formality. In October the city plans to end the Ute Pass Express, a bus route that provided round-trip service to Teller County.

The bus took riders from Divide and Woodland Park into El Paso County. Included were stops in Cascade, Green Mountain Falls, Manitou Springs and downtown Colorado Springs.

The express began in October 2008 and was paid for with a grant from the federal office of Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality. The grant funding ends in four months and the participating communities did not want to pay the annual $560,000 cost of providing the service.

Low ridership ultimately doomed the express. The route averaged 50 riders daily, fewer than the 60 to 100 riders expected by community leaders.

The five buses used for the express will be switched to less-traveled city bus routes. Some City Council members on Monday asked about other uses for the buses thar could benefit civic groups. However, a transit official said the buses have limited uses because four are owned by the federal government.

Transit officials said they will begin a public process on June 29 to inform residents about why the express is ending.

The fares for riding the express were $4 for a one-way ticket and $2 for seniors, children, students and the disabled. Extended passes ranged from $20 to $120.