Transit improvements on the horizon for Cheyenne

Apr. 26—CHEYENNE — Cheyenne Transit Program Director Renae Jording said she is excited to offer fixed-route bus services free of charge by this summer, but there are more improvements planned for the local transit system.

The Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization and local stakeholders finalized the 2023 Transit Development Plan at the end of March, and restoring the fixed-route services by combining it with microtransit services is only a part of the first two phases of implementation.

"It should take people less time to get where they want to go, because they'll have more options to get there," Jording said Wednesday regarding the new routes and zones.

She told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle residents will have an efficient, largely free and updated transit program at their disposal. She said there were many complaints that the old routes weren't efficient enough, and those issues have been addressed by taking public feedback into consideration for the new development plan.

According to the plan, Route A will operate from the transit facility downtown via Lincolnway and then to Frontier Mall using Warren and Central avenues. It will also serve as a line between the mall and the north Walmart using Dell Range Boulevard.

Route B will travel between the north Walmart, Pershing Boulevard, College Drive and Dell Range Boulevard.

There will be transfers, and each route has a round-trip time of one hour in each direction. Plus, there are four microtransit zones to provide extended coverage. This doesn't take away from the paratransit services and requests to go to a specific location, but requests off the routes will cost $1.50 for riders.

Phase two will also go into effect this summer, which adds two routes serving the areas near the east Walmart and south of Interstate 80.

Looking further into the future, phase three should extend services later in the evening and on Sundays. Other enhancements include adding buses to the fixed routes to increase the frequency of service to every 30 minutes on one or more, but this will be based on demand and available funding.

The capital projects recommended in the plan also require funding that the transit program hopes to secure in the coming years. Jording said they receive federal funding every year, but the difficult part is getting the local match from government bodies such as the Cheyenne City Council to use the federal dollars.

"We get some of our local match from the state, county and then, of course, from the city. No one's in a real hurry to give you more money, because they don't have more money," she said. "It's difficult in that sense. We're usually pretty good with what we've always gotten, but it's difficult to get more."

If they were to come into more funding, the plan laid out a slew of recommendations in addition to increasing the fleet and implementing the electrification of transit vehicles.

Consultants created a path for bus stop improvements, updating the downtown transfer point and building mobility hubs across the community that would feature parking, seating, planning information, taxi and ride-hailing loading zones and more. A new administrative hub was also added to the plan, after the former Union Pacific Railroad facility at 1800 Westland Road was purchased to meet space needs.

"There are no remaining purchase costs, but there will be move-in costs, design and remodel costs to add a public restroom and reconfigure the space, and technology costs to relocate radio and internet antennas," according to the 2023 transit plan. "The new facility will serve as an intermodal hub, providing opportunities for connections to intercity bus service, private transportation services, transportation network companies and personal automobiles."

Jording said these goals will likely be addressed in the next five to 10 years, and the city will have to be prepared to back the plan. She said it is still important for it to be included in the transit plan, so they know how to get there when the funding falls into place.

CO-WY Transit Feasibility Study

While it isn't in the purview of the Cheyenne Transit Program, there is another project that could be on the horizon for the Capital City.

Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization officials recently published the final report on the CO-WY Transit Feasibility Study that was done in partnership with the Colorado Department of Transportation and Wyoming Department of Transportation, and demonstrated that "a transit connection between northern Colorado and southern Wyoming is both desirable and feasible."

It also proposed that an extension north of the Northern Front Range region of Colorado should be considered when planning for a rail service on the Colorado Front Range.

MPO Director Tom Mason said there is significant support from residents in the region who would love to have the opportunity to take a different mode of transportation, and not drive themselves back and forth across state lines every day.

The study included a transit technology evaluation, and an express bus or enhanced bus was the most consistent with regional plans; matched stakeholder requests; was feasible for engineering and operating; and met the criteria for operating costs out of four options. It has amenities such as bike racks, restrooms, outlets and WiFi.

They selected the bus in order to plan routes between Cheyenne, Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley and surrounding areas. The best screening results were found for Cheyenne to Fort Collins in a more direct route, and the criteria they had to consider included connectivity, feasibility, stakeholder support, equity and environmental and health factors.

If state or local government officials took action, there could be 12 round trips between the two cities on the weekdays and eight on the weekend.

The next steps require finding funding, as well as finalizing the route, stop locations and service plan.

But Mason said they have to find a "champion" for the project, whether that be the Wyoming Department of Transportation or Laramie County government officials. This requires talking with companies that already exist in Colorado that provide transit services and asking them to add a run between Cheyenne and Fort Collins.

He said their agency works for a population that is too small to receive federal funds directly to implement the study's recommendations, and they are only able to plan projects for the community currently.

"It would take the local governments to take the bull by the horns, if you will, and find ways to make it happen," he said.

Jasmine Hall is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's state government reporter. She can be reached by email at jhall@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3167. Follow her on Twitter @jasminerhphotos and on Instagram @jhrose25.