In an effort to ease the dreaded I-70 congestion, the Colorado Department of Transportation will test out a dedicated bus service to select ski areas on some of the busiest days.
Traffic in Colorado sucks. All the climbing, skiing, mountain biking, camping, and more draw thousands into the Front Range and beyond every weekend. And because I-70 is about the only gig in town (and out of it), the Centennial State has a real traffic problem on its hands.
So last month, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) announced it would launch a full-season pilot bus service to Loveland and Arapahoe Basin beginning in December. Dubbed “SnowStang,” the service builds on CDOT’s 4-year-old regional Bustang service to destinations around Colorado.
SnowStang Ski Bus Service
SnowStang will run on weekends and major holidays, including Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, and President’s Day, according to The Denver Channel. What’s more, Bustang operations manager Mike Timlin told the Denver Post that Copper Mountain expressed “strong interest” in joining the service. A roundtrip ticket from Denver will cost $25.
A second new initiative launching this month will ferry visitors between Denver and Rocky Mountain National Park — another major source of weekend congestion. The Bustang Estes Park route takes riders to the Estes Park Visitor Center, and from there a shuttle will transport visitors into the park. That service will cost just $10 — but all riders will need an entrance pass.
CDOT first tested the SnowStang route in 2017 for 2 days. Starting this year, the service will run on 40 dates from December to April.
