Mountain Metropolitan Transit (MMT) is the primary public transportation operator for the Colorado Springs metropolitan area. It provides bus service between Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, and Security-Widefield.Transit. City of Colorado Springs. Retrieved May 18, 2013. There are currently thirty-four local routes. In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of .
History
Springs Transit For the first hundred years of the city's existence, transportation services in Colorado Springs were provided solely by private companies.Early History. The Independence Center. Retrieved July 15, 2012. On September 16, 1972, the city bought out Colorado Springs Transit and began operating a public transportation system. Rebranded as Springs Transit, it operated buses with weekday services, Saturday service (implemented in 1989), & evening service (implemented in 1992). Springs Transit spanned the city between Chapel Hills in the north to Widefield in the south, Manitou Springs in the west to Peterson AFB to the east. In 1992, there were 10 routes.
In 2004 voters approved the creation of the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA). This intergovernmental partnership established a new sales tax across participating regions for the purpose of funding transportation projects.
Mountain Metropolitan Transit Perhaps reflecting the new regional funding, on November 2, 2005, Springs Transit was renamed Mountain Metropolitan Transit. It also introduced bus service on Sundays for the first time in Colorado Springs history. It also added evening service for Saturdays as well. Evening service was also expanded to include more routes. Sunday service was hourly and used the same routes that ran evening service.
By early 2006, the number of transfer stations increased from two (Downtown Terminal and Citadel Mall) to eleven stations throughout the city. This allowed more direct bus service and allowed more routes to be created that didn't have to go to the Downtown Terminal to transfer.
In 2007, seasonal bus service to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was added. It ran from Memorial Day to Labor day, but only on weekends. Also, a couple of new express routes were added. The first one (route E-4), serviced the north section of the Powers corridor and the Northgate area. The second one (route 94), provided service to Schriever AFB from Fountain & Security/Widefield.
Financial decline Colorado Springs was deeply affected by the budget crisis. In January 2009, the fare increased from $1.50 to $1.75.Fixed Route Study. City of Colorado Springs. Retrieved May 18, 2013. In April 2009, several routes were eliminated, including most express routes. At least six transfer stations were closed, and many routes saw cuts in service hours. The free downtown shuttle (DASH) was eliminated altogether due to lack of funding.
During this year, Mountain Metropolitan Transit received $8.8 million in ARRA funds. Transit Projects Funded by ARRA. City of Colorado Springs. Retrieved 2012-12-20 This money was used for many things, including allowing subcontractors to provide bus service, preventative maintenance, a new transit facility, 29 new paratransit vehicles (for Mountain Metro Mobility), three new service support vehicles, security cameras installation on the buses, and more improvements to the downtown terminal.
All evening and weekend bus services were terminated on January 1, 2010, along with the elimination of the Fort Carson and the Schriever AFB express routes due to the failure of 2C among voters. As a result, from January 1, 2010 to March 7, 2011, Colorado Springs was the largest city in the United States that had no public transit service on weekends.
Recovery It was announced that partial weekend service would return for 2011 due to the city's budget being higher than expected. On March 12, 2011, Saturday service was added to nine routes.
On October 31, 2011, the service for Ute Pass Express, which was an express service for the city of Woodland Park, Colorado, was cut due to the federal grant expiring & low ridership.
On April 2, 2012, route 31 was eliminated due to the city of Fountain, Colorado not contracting with Mountain Metropolitan Transit any longer since the City of Fountain began their own transit service. Along with these spring changes, its ADA paratransit (Metro Mobility) increased its fare from $0.36 a mile to $0.38 a mile.
Front Range Express (FREX) had its final service to and from Denver on August 31, 2012. The popular service was decommissioned due to the city of Colorado Springs pulling its funding for the service. One of the reasons FREX was eliminated was to help restore the local bus service.
On May 19, 2013, the restored free shuttle service began in Manitou Springs. The shuttle runs along Manitou Avenue and connect the Cog Railway and Manitou Incline along Ruxton Avenue.Manitou Springs Free Shuttle. City of Colorado Springs. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
On March 30, 2014, some major service changes took place, including the return of Sunday service. In addition, there is Sunday-level bus services for the spring and summer holidays (Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day). However, there is no bus service for the fall and winter holidays (Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day).
Metro introduced 15-minute service on Route 5, the first time the transit agency has ever done so on a non-shuttle route.
Recent history The COVID-19 pandemic greatly impactacted Mountain Metro's services. Ridership fell from over three million annual riders in 2019 to under two million. As of 2023, ridership had still not fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
Mountain Metro has recently taken measures to increase ease-of-use of their system. MMT started to provide real-time schedules on Google Maps and through their My New Bus webpage. In 2022, the mobile ticketing app RideMMT was released. Riders are now able to purchase tickets and passes from their smartphones. Additionally, riders can now purchase a Metro Card, which can be refilled at select retailers or through the RideMMT app.
As part of a push to make downtown more accessible, in 2022 Mountain Metro started running the Zeb: a free shuttle that goes between Colorado College and the south end of downtown. With headways ranging from seven to ten minutes, the Zeb is the most frequent MMT route.
In 2023, Mountain Metro participated in the statewide "Zero Fare for Better Air" initiative. This program provided grant money to public transportation systems across the state in order for them to provide free trips for the months of June, July and August. MMT saw 366,922 boardings in August: an all-time record for the agency.
Service Bus service Mountain Metropolitan Transit provides a variety of transportation services for the Pikes Peak region. They operate twenty-nine fixed-route bus lines, three free shuttles, and two deviated fixed-route bus lines. Riders on deviated routes can request service adjustments up to three-quarters of a mile from the regular bus route. Fares can be paid by cash, tap-to-pay, Metro Card, or through the mobile RideMMT app. Buses are equipped with bike racks, and MMT has secure bike storage lockers at selection locations across the city.
Paratransit Mountain Metro Mobility is MMT's ADA paratransit service. This service is for residents and visitors with disabilities who are unable to access the regular bus routes. Paratransit service is available within three-quarters of a mile of any existing fixed-route. Metro Mobility provided 116,858 passenger trips in 2023.
Metro rides For areas not serviced by bus routes, Mountain Metro Rides offers three alternative transportation services. Carpool matches drivers with similar commutes for the purpose of sharing rides. Schoolpool connects parents with children attending the same school. Vanpool matches long-distance commuters and provides the group with a dedicated van.
List of routes NameTerminal 1Terminal 2Ridership (2019)Peak frequencyNotes1 Hillside - Hancock PlazaDowntownDowntown TerminalSoutheast Hancock Plaza241,03915 minutes2 Centennial Blvd - Garden of the Gods Rd RockrimmonCitizens Service Center46,69960 minutes3 Colorado AvenueManitou SpringsMemorial Park218,44815 minutesFree for all riders4 8th StreetThe Broadmoor90,14530 minutes5 Boulder St - Citadel Citadel Citadel Mall Transfer Center384,91815 minutes6 Fillmore - CitadelRoswell Cascade & Taylor50,18160 minutes7 Pikes Peak Avenue - CitadelDowntown Downtown Terminal146,37130 minutes8 Cache La Poudre StColorado College Cache La Poudre St & Nevada Ave26,39060 minutes9 Nevada Ave. - UCCS DowntownDowntown TerminalUCCS Austin Bluffs & Meadow Lane148,59530 minutesInterlaced with route 19 to provide 15 minute frequency to UCCS10 Highway 115 - PPSCPPSC PPSC Centennial Campus169,88530 minutesInterlaced with route 11 to provide 15 minute frequency to PPSC11 World Arena - PPSC 262,50030 minutesInterlaced with route 10 to provide 15 minute frequency to PPSC12 Palmer Park BlvdColorado CollegeCache La Poudre St & Nevada Ave Cimarron HillsPalmer Park & Space Center31,91360 minutes14 Chestnut - Garden of the Gods RdDowntown Downtown TerminalRockrimmonCitizens Service Center75,34960 minutesInterlaced with route 2 to provide 30 minute frequency to the Citizens Service Center15 E Fountain – Cheyenne Mountain CenterDowntownNevada Ave & Rio Grande StCheyenne Mountain CenterVenetucci Blvd & Lake Ave26,10160 minutes16 Brookside St - Uintah GardensIvywildNevada Ave & Navajo StOld Colorado CityUintah Gardens30,14660 minutes17 19th St - FillmoreColorado CollegeCache La Poudre St & Nevada AveRoswellFillmore St & Cascade Ave26,10960 minutes18 Union Blvd – Montebello DrMemorial Park<br/ >1912 EastlakeMontebelloMontebello & Montebello Square10,77460 minutes19 Nevada - Eagle Rock (UCCS)DowntownDowntown TerminalUCCS Nevada Ave & Eagle Rock110,64230 minutesInterlaced with route 9 to provide 15 minute frequency to UCCS Last stop alternates between west UCCS campus and Nevada Ave & Eagle Rock22 Southborough via Murray BlvdCitadelCitadel Mall Transfer CenterHancock PlazaHandcock & Jetwing88,13230 minutes23 Barnes Rd - Tutt BlvdSprings RanchSouth Carefree & TuttMarketplace at Austin BluffsMorning Sun Ave99,24530 minutes24 Galley Rd - Tutt BlvdCitadelCitadel Mall Transfer CenterSprings RanchSouth Carefree & TuttNew route60 minutes25 N Academy Blvd - Voyager ParkwayChapel Hills MallVoyager Parkway320,61715 minutes27 S Academy Blvd - PPSCPPSCPPSC Centennial Campus 203,36215 minutes32 Security-WidefieldHancock Plaza Shopping CenterAcademy & AstrozonSecurity-WidefieldGrand Peak & Caballero36,14460 minutes33 Manitou Shuttle: Incline/COGManitou SpringsMemorial ParkManitou SpringsPikes Peak Cog Railway240,57510 minutes during peak seasonFree for all riders34 Garden of the Gods Rd - Austin Bluffs Pkwy RockrimmonCitizens Service CenterMarketplace at Austin BluffsMorning Sun Ave 51,39960 minutes35 Las Vegas - PPSC PPSCPPSC Centennial CampusSoutheast Colorado Springs4 Seasons Drive & Janitell19,17440 minutesNo Sunday service37 Hancock Plaza – Colorado Springs Airport Hancock PlazaAcademy & AstrozonColorado Springs AirportNew route40 minutes38 Montebello Dr. – Memorial North/Children’s Hospital MontebelloMontebello & Montebello SquareBriargateMemorial North/Children's Hospital 2,00645 minutesWeekday service onlyDeviated fixed route service39 Corporate Drive - Voyager Pkwy UCCSNevada & Eagle RockChapel Hills MallVoyager Parkway 29,00160 minutes40 PPSC Rampart to Voyager Pkwy Chapel Hills MallVoyager ParkwayNorthgatePPSC CHES Campus 8,03440 minutesDeviated fixed route serviceDoes not run during the summerThe Zeb Free Downtown ShuttleDowntownCascade & Rio GrandColorado CollegeCache La Poudre St & Nevada Ave New route7 minutesFree for all riders
Fixed Route Ridership
The ridership statistics shown here are of fixed route services only and do not include demand response.
See also