Coloradans planning to take Bustang buses between Front Range cities couldn’t be certain they’d reach their destinations this week as the state transportation agency’s contractor again canceled rides, inconveniencing travelers at a rate of roughly one in 13 scheduled buses.
Bustang service between Denver and Fort Collins has been canceled nearly every day since Sept. 11. Bus rides between Lamar and Colorado Springs also were canceled on Tuesday, according to the “alerts” that the Colorado Department of Transportation’s contractor, Ace Express Coaches, posts at ridebustang.com and on X, the social media site formerly called Twitter.
These followed delays and cancellations over the past month on multiple routes around Colorado. CDOT and contractor officials blamed the frequent delays on traffic and the cancellations on “driver unavailability,” particularly along the high-demand route that links Denver and Fort Collins.
The cancellation rate for the 692 bus trips scheduled from September 11 through September 24 was 7.4% — about 51 rides, according to state data provided to The Denver Post.
No solution is likely for another six weeks, CDOT spokesman Bob Wilson said. “This is a sign of the times with driver and general employee shortages across many industries. We expect increased hiring of operators and trainers by mid-November,” Wilson said.
Driver illnesses, driver family emergencies, and shortages of drivers forced many of the cancellations, he said. Drivers cannot cover extra day shifts to replace sick colleagues, under federal regulations, if they already are working maximum hours.
CDOT officials have directed Ace Express Coaches to alleviate the driver shortages by increasing advertising for a recruiting blitz and also by hiring additional trainers, who ensure new drivers are ready for their work, Wilson said.
Bustang has emerged, under CDOT sponsorship, as the state’s primary intercity public bus system with routes connecting Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Grand Junction, and the Denver Tech Center. Bustang “Outrider” routes link other cities including Alamosa, Craig, Crested Butte, Durango, Greeley, Gunnison, Lamar, Sterling, Telluride, and Trinidad.
State records show 261,609 passenger boardings between July 2022 and July 2023 on Bustang routes, up 46% from the previous year and equal to pre-pandemic highs. Of those passengers, 56,808 traveled the route between Denver and Fort Collins. More than 40,000 people rode the I-25 route between Denver and Colorado Springs.
“Drivers are foundational to transit,” Ace Express general manager Shawn Davis said. “Being staffed with well-trained and safe operators is critical to producing reliable services.”
Training a driver requires four weeks, Davis said. Ace Express Coaches pays Bustang drivers between $25 and $30 per hour.
“The job is difficult due to hours of operation, split shifts built around commuters, the safety of the operator, as well as the challenging driving environments such as I-70. Many Bustang drivers stay overnight in cities away from home, which is fairly unique for public transport,” he said.
When Bustang operators cancel a ride, they notify passengers who have paid in advance for tickets. They’re given the option of re-booking on another trip or receiving a full refund.
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