Colo. BRT project controls growth, cultivates development
In addition to improving mobility in the region, Fort Collins, Colo.-based Transfort’s new BRT route, the MAX, will help manage growth and spur economic development.
Nicole Schlosser・Former Executive Editor
March 27, 2014
Kurt Ravenschlag, GM of Transfort, says that the new MAX BRT service, will operate with six North American Bus Industries vehicles.
2 min to read
Kurt Ravenschlag, GM of Transfort, says that the new MAX BRT service, will operate with six North American Bus Industries vehicles.
In addition to improving mobility in the region, Fort Collins, Colo.-based Transfort’s new BRT route, the MAX, will help manage growth and spur economic development.
Slated to open this May, the line is part of a strategy to increase transportation capacity to accommodate higher densities in key corridors, enabling the community to grow upward instead of outward. MAX covers that first corridor, a primary arterial through the community, Kurt Ravenschlag, GM, City of Fort Collins, Transfort, says.
Ad Loading...
Throughout the course of construction, MAX has already created hundreds of millions of dollars of economic activity in the region.
“We’re already seeing probably 20-plus projects occurring, [including] mixed-use development, residential and retail services and haven’t even begun operations yet,” Ravenschlag says.
Conceived in the mid-1990s, the project progressed after a few years to the development stage, securing FTA support, as well as gaining other project funding partners, including the state of Colorado and Colorado State University (CSU), Fort Collins.
The $87 million line is the single largest capital project in Fort Collins, according to Ravenschlag.
MAX will be operated by Transfort, the city’s bus system. Transfort runs about 22 routes and approximately 50 fixed-route, heavy-duty buses and complementary paratransit service.
This year the agency has an operating budget of $10.5 million. Next year, that will increase to $15 million due to increased funding from the City, as well as support from funding partners such as CSU; Transfort recently came to a nearly $1 million agreement to increase services to the CSU campus.
MAX is already generating demand from the public for more service frequency, hours of service and coverage because people want more ways to connect to it.
“We’re leveraging MAX to increase transit services in our entire community,” Ravenschlag says. “That’s why we have significant increases in funding from our city to increase services to complement MAX.”
Now, the biggest challenges facing Transfort are keeping up with requests for new services, such as more night service and Sunday service, which it hasn’t provided in the past, and having the rolling stock and staffing to meet the service demand.
Ad Loading...
“It’s a project that has been long in the works, and we’re very excited to [start operating],” Ravenschlag says.
SEPTA was awarded $43 million in competitive grant funding from the FTA's FY25 Low and No Emission and Bus and Bus Facilities grant programs to support this procurement.
In part 1 of a two-part conversation, AC Transit’s director of maintenance joins co-hosts Alex Roman and Mark Hollenbeck to discuss his journey from the U.S. Marines to public transit and the role mentorship plays in developing the next generation of industry leaders.
When construction is complete, battery-electric buses will operate from the Arborway facility on Day One, providing cleaner, quieter, and more reliable service for riders, the MBTA said. After completion, the old facility will be demolished, and the land will be made available for redevelopment.
Nadine S. Lee, who has served as president/CEO since July 2021, said the decision comes after careful reflection on the agency’s progress and its path forward.
In this conversation, TBC’s Executive Director Ed Redfern, President Corey Aldridge, and Washington Representative Joel Rubin outline the coalition’s key policy priorities, the challenges facing transit agencies, and how industry stakeholders can work together to strengthen the voice of bus transit at the federal level.
What truly drives the cost of a paratransit fleet? Beyond the purchase price, seven operational factors quietly determine maintenance frequency, downtime, and long-term service reliability. This whitepaper explores how these factors shape lifecycle cost and what agencies should evaluate when selecting paratransit vehicles.
In this conversation, TBC’s Executive Director Ed Redfern, President Corey Aldridge, and Washington Representative Joel Rubin outline the coalition’s key policy priorities, the challenges facing transit agencies, and how industry stakeholders can work together to strengthen the voice of bus transit at the federal level.
