Metro happy with routes, monitoring ridership
“So far everything is going very well” with Mountain Metro Transit's new routes, according to Amy MacDonald, spokeswoman
for the regional bus service.
The new configuration, including four new or altered Westside routes, went into effect Nov. 3. “We've got some bugs to work out,” she said in a recent interview. “We're listening to riders, and trying to meet their needs as best we can.” An example recently was on the new Route 32 bus - a one-hour route that connects Silver Key and the Midland area with Uintah Gardens and Wal-Mart. Rider Antoinette Meade told driver Steve Flemate that she thought the stop on Moreno Avenue west of Eighth Street should be moved farther downhill; Flemate advised her to submit her suggestion to Mountain Metro because the company wants feedback on the changes. The phone is 385-7433. MacDonald said people are “very happy” with having Sunday service on some routes, including the Route 3 bus along Colorado Avenue between Manitou Springs and downtown. On Monday-Saturday, the 3 bus also runs every half-hour now, days and evenings. New routes, such as the 32 bus, have not all attracted large numbers of riders yet, but MacDonald said Metro wants to give them time to gain in popularity. “We'll let a little more time pass before we make some changes,” she said. “But we'll definitely look at it quarterly.” Other Westside routes are the new Route 13 bus from downtown to Holland Park Monday-Saturday evenings and Sundays, and the Route 14 bus from downtown through the near Westside, Mesa Springs and Holland Park Monday through Saturday days. The Mountain Metro (formerly Springs Transit) service upgrades were made possible this year through the transit share of Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (RTA) tax proceeds. Westside Pioneer article |