More buses sought for summer shuttle plan on Pikes Peak Highway

On Wednesday, a day after announcing a plan to discourage driving to the summit of Pikes Peak in favor of shuttle buses, the highway manager said he may bring in more buses.

Manager Jack Glavan wants to increase the number from 33 to 43 when the free shuttle service begins May 31.

“We want to do that in July because it’s our busiest month,” he said. “Then we’ll go up or down as we need to.”
Despite some public concern that the number of buses and parking spaces are insufficient, Glavan said he’s confident they’re enough to make the plan work.

“We have nearly 600 spaces at the two shuttle stations, at the Glen Cove overflow lot and on the summit,” he said. “Drivers can make a round trip in 90 minutes at most, not counting time spent on the summit, because the shuttle stations are already 7 and 16 miles up the highway. Buses will leave every five to 10 minutes. Once we get everything started, I think it will work.”

Glavan said in planning the shuttle service he factored in a 50 percent increase in attendance.

“That covers what we’ll get because of the closure of the Cog Railway,” he said.

Extra attendants will be on duty at the main gate and the parking lots, Glavan said, to ensure a smooth operation.

“Our goal is no more than one minute per vehicle at the gate,” he said.

Glavan said attendants can handle a maximum of 2,200 vehicles daily, with each vehicle averaging three visitors.

“That’s 6,600 during the summer,” he said. “When you consider the number of buses we have, how often they’ll be running plus the expanded summer hours, that should be more than enough to get people on and off the summit quickly and safely.

Glavan said a local company is providing the shuttle drivers and is currently training them.