Innovating Public Transportation

The iconic red trolley trembling up and down main street is one of the most visible of Durango’s assets, but the service provided by Durango’s Transit extends much further than downtown. You’re watching the “Local News Network” brought to you by Express Employment Professionals and Closets Plus. I’m Hannah Robertson. Durango Transit received the 2021 Outstanding Innovation Award from the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies at its annual conference this past fall. The award recognized the city’s extension of Transit services to Three Springs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

That was for our work in connecting our riders to Mercy/Three Springs on the medical campus there during COVID-19 because prior to COVID-19 we did not have a route that frequently served Mercy and the vaccination sites out there and testing opportunities and then the medical campus in general. So we were awarded CARES Act funding for public transit during COVID and were able to really quickly launch the Mercy/Three Springs route using that funding and this award really belongs to the drivers and all the hard work that they’ve put in during the entire pandemic just every day coming to work as dedicated frontline staff, they never had a day off through the entire pandemic and did a really fantastic job rising to the occasion in connecting all of the Transit riders in Durango from downtown out to the Mercy/Three Springs campus.

The Three Springs route is one of three fixed routes that Durango Transit offers. In addition to servicing main street, the Transit also runs a route to Fort Lewis College and offers the Opportunity Bus which offers on-call, direct pickup and drop off services in the community.

I think Transit checks a lot of boxes in our community. It does help reduce congestion, it gets cars off the road helps eliminate carbon dioxide emissions, it provides equal access opportunity for everybody in our community regardless of their abilities or income level or anything, it’s an equalizer and connects people to important opportunities, education, jobs, socializing, shopping. So, I’d say, give it a shot, it’s really easy and we’re here to get you around Durango.

Durango Transit partners with a number of community partners to help keep services affordable and easy to access. To see what routes are closest to you or to plan a trip, Hill recommends downloading the Durango Transit app which can be found on all app stores. For more information about rates, route offerings, service days and more, visit Durango Transit on durangogov.org and search Transit. Thank you for watching this edition of the “Local News Network.” I’m Hannah Robertson.

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