[Nfb-coloradosprings] Bustang Fact Sheet

[Everett Gavel]

BUSTANG FACT SHEET

INTERREGIONAL EXPRESS BUS SERVICE

The Colorado Department of Transportation is 
launching an
Interregional Express (IX) bus service to connect
commuters along the I-25 Front Range and I-70 
Mountain Corridors. By
linking major local transit systems together, the
Bustang service responds to demand from the 
traveling public to have a
reliable transit alternative along the highest
traveled corridors in the state.

When will the Bustang service launch?

The Bustang service will launch in Spring 2015.

Where will the Bustang station stops be located?

The Bustang service will operate along the I-25 
Front Range Corridor
and the I-70 Mountain Corridor. There are three
major service routes that will stop at the 
following locations:

North Line - Fort Collins to DUS (6 round 
trips/weekday):
Fort Collins Downtown Transit Center

I-25 / Harmony Road Park-and-Ride

I-25 / US 34 Loveland-Greeley Park-and-Ride

Denver Union Station
South Line - Colorado Springs to DUS (7 round 
trips/weekday):
I-25 / Tejon/Nevada Park-and-Ride

Colorado Springs Downtown Transit Terminal

I-25 / Woodmen Road Park-and-Ride

I-25 / Monument Park-and-Ride

I-25 / Colorado Station (RTD Light Rail)

Denver Union Station
West Line - Glenwood Springs to DUS (1 round 
trip/weekday):
South Glenwood BRT Station

West Glenwood Park-and-Ride

I-70 / Eagle Chambers Park-and-Ride

Vail Transportation Center

Frisco Transfer Center

Denver Federal Center

Denver Union Station




Who runs Bustang service?

Bustang is managed by the Colorado Department of 
Transportation
(CDOT), an agency of the State of Colorado.
CDOT will contract with Horizon Coach Lines to 
operate bus service for
all Bustang routes.

How many buses will be in operation?

The Bustang service will have 13 over-the-road 
coaches in rotation on
each route. Each coach has a 50-passenger
capacity, and will come equipped with restrooms, 
bike racks, free
WiFi, 110v outlets, USB outlets, and are
handicap accessible.

What is the fare structure?

Fare prices are based on the route and the 
park-and-ride location
where you board Bustang. Customers boarding
at a park-and-ride location further away from 
Denver Union Station
(DUS) will pay a higher fare. Bustang service will
offer multiple-trip packages at a discounted 
price. There will also be
a 25% discount on walk-up tickets for seniors
65+ and disabled. There will not be a discounted 
price for children. A
"trip" is one-way travel, and tickets do not
include transfer or round-trip fare.

 One Way Trip Fare
Ft. Collins *
DUS $10 / trip

 Loveland *
DUS $9 / trip

 Colorado Springs *
DUS $12 / trip

 Monument *
DUS $9 / trip

 Glenwood Springs *
DUS $28 / trip

 Eagle *
DUS $22 / trip

 Vail *
DUS $17 / trip

 Frisco *
DUS $12 / trip

Where can I buy tickets?

Single trip tickets will be sold on all buses from 
each park-and-ride.
Passengers are able to pay their fare when
boarding the bus using credit cards or cash. If 
paying with cash,
passengers without exact change will be issued
a fare credit to be used on Bustang fare only. No 
change will be
dispensed for onboard fare purchases. Advance
tickets and ticket packages can be purchased via 
the Bustang website
and Bustang mobile app. Passengers who
purchase a ticket online will receive an email 
receipt with a ticket
barcode, which they should print and present when
boarding the bus. Passengers purchasing through 
the Bustang mobile app
will have a ticket barcode in the app.
There will be no physical tickets issued.

Can I cancel my trip after ticket purchase?

Cancellations for refund will not be accepted for 
Bustang service.
Tickets will be valid for up to 1-year from 
purchase
date and can be used on any Bustang trip of the 
same cost within that
1-year period.




Can I transfer to Bustang service from my existing 
bus service provider?

There will be options to connect from select 
park-and-rides with the
following transit partner agencies: Roaring Fork
Transit Authority, Eagle County Transit, Vail 
Transportation, Summit
Stage, Mountain Metro, Transfort and RTD.
Separate fare purchases must be made for local 
transit agencies and
for Bustang service.

What if I missed the bus or my connection after 
hours? Will there be a
Guaranteed Ride home?

CDOT is teaming with the local transit partners 
who provide a
Guaranteed Ride Home including travelers in 
northern
Colorado and in the Denver metro area. Currently 
there is not a
guaranteed ride home in the Pikes Peak region but
discussions are in progress.

There might be times that essential services 
travelers might need
assistance going to hospitals in
Denver. How will that work?

CDOT is working with the Denver Regional Mobility 
and Access Council
(DRMAC) for guidance and assistance
to enable passengers to get to their destination.

Can I use Bustang service for travel within my 
Metro Area?

Passengers who are traveling within the Denver 
Metro Area, Colorado
Springs Metro Area, or the Fort Collins Metro
Area will not be accepted. Bustang service is 
intended for intercity
travel between major regional centers. Please
utilize your local transit provider for travel 
within your Metro Area.

I will be traveling with infants/small children. 
Are the seats
equipped to handle car seats? Is there
storage available on the bus for strollers?

The seats will have seatbelts that allow for car 
seats to be strapped
in. There are also storage bins on the outside
of bus that provide room for strollers and other 
necessary equipment
to be stored.

How do I download the Bustang mobile app? What 
kind of
services/information will it provide?

Once development is complete, the Bustang mobile 
app will be available
for download in the Apple and Android
stores. It will provide schedule and fare 
information, and allow for
in-app ticket purchases.

What amenities are provided on the Bustang buses?

Each Bustang coach is equipped with a restroom, 
bike racks, free
Wi-Fi, power outlets and USB ports. There is also
a wheelchair lift and two wheelchair tie-down 
areas on each coach.

Will the driver announce stops in advance, and 
will there be
simultaneous visual signage/notification?

Each bus will have automated stop notifications, 
which will include
both audio announcements and an LED screen
displaying the name of the next stop/station.

Is medical equipment allowed on buses for 
individuals with disabilities?

Per Part 37.167 (h) of the US Code Title 49, 
respirators or portable
oxygen equipment is permitted:

(h) The entity shall not prohibit an individual 
with a disability from
traveling with a respirator or portable oxygen 
supply,
consistent with applicable Department of 
Transportation rules on the
transportation of hazardous materials (49 CFR
subtitle B, chapter 1, subchapter C).
Why does the Bustang service not provide a 
comparable complementary
paratransit service?

Per Part 37.121 (c) of the US Code Title 49, 
requirements for
complementary paratransit do not apply since the
Bustang service is a commuter bus service.




Are service/guide dogs allowed on Bustang buses?

Per Part 37.167 (d) of the US Code Title 49 
Subpart G, public transit
providers are required to allow service
animals to accompany their handlers onto the 
transit vehicle, in this
case the Bustang buses:

(d) The entity shall permit service animals to 
accompany individuals
with disabilities in vehicles and facilities.
Part 37.3 defines a service animal as "any guide 
dog, signal dog, or
other animal individually trained to work or
perform tasks for an individual with a disability, 
including, but not
limited to, guiding individuals with impaired 
vision,
alerting individuals with impaired hearing to 
intruders or sounds,
providing minimal protection or rescue work, 
pulling
a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items."

Is there a fare charged for someone accompanying 
an individual with a
disability?

Fare guidance for companions and personal care 
attendants is under the
US Code Title 49 Subpart F paratransit
section, Part 37.129, even though Bustang is not a 
paratransit
service. Companions are charged the same fare as
the passenger with a disability they are 
accompanying. Personal care
attendants ride free. Please contact us
regarding providing us with personal care 
attendant qualifying information.

As per Part 37.123 of the US Code Title 49, to 
prevent potential
abuse, the rule provides that a companion (e.g.,
friend or family member) does not count as a 
personal care attendant
unless the eligible individual regularly makes
use of a personal care attendant and the companion 
is actually acting
in that capacity. As noted under §37.125,
a provider may require that, as part of the 
initial eligibility
certification process, an individual indicate 
whether he or
she travels with a personal care attendant. If 
someone does not
indicate the use of an attendant, then any 
individual
accompanying him or her would be regarded simply 
as a companion.

If the on-board restroom is not accessible for a 
passenger with a
disability, can unscheduled rest stops
be requested?

Per Part 37.3 of the US Code Title 49, a Bustang 
bus is defined as an
Over-the-Road Bus (OTRB) because the
passenger deck is located over a baggage 
compartment. So as per Part
37.201 (c) of the US Code Title 49,
unscheduled rest stops are not required for 
express runs under three
hours. For travel times exceeding 3 hours,
an effort will be made to accommodate unscheduled 
rest stop requests
for passengers with disabilities who are
unable to use the restroom. However, the stop is 
not required.

(c) If an OTRB equipped with an inaccessible 
restroom is making an
express run of three hours or more without a
rest stop, and a passenger with a disability who 
is unable to use the
inaccessible restroom requests an unscheduled
rest stop, the operator shall make a good faith 
effort to accommodate
the request. The operator is not required to
make the stop. However, if the operator does not 
make the stop, the
operator shall explain to the passenger making
the request the reason for its decision not to do 
so.
Per Part 37.201 (a) of the US Code Title 49, if an 
intermediate or
rest stop is made, a passenger with a disability,
including an individual using a wheelchair, shall 
be permitted to
leave and return to the bus on the same basis as
other passengers.






On 1/9/15, Everett Gavel via Colorado-talk 
<colorado-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> FYI --
> (From today's issue of CSBJ.com)
>
> "CDOT expects to launch 'Bustang' by spring...
> The Colorado Department of Transportation
> announced this week the anticipated launch of
> Bustang, Colorado's first state-owned
> and -operated bus system connecting Colorado
> Springs to Fort Collins and Denver to Glenwood
> Springs.
>