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Index: Community Development / Subcategory: Transportation

Public Transportation

Date updated: 03/29/2012

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According to the 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, public transportation was used by 0.7% of Larimer County workers as a means of travel to work. This page measures the use of public transportation by ridership, determined by counting every person who rides on the bus each and every time they ride. In other words, ridership figures indicate the number of rides taken in a given time period, not how many people from the general population are using public transportation.

What this chart shows: Public Transit Ridership (per 1,000 Residents) in Fort Collins and Loveland, 2002-2011

Public Transit Ridership (per 1,000 Residents) in Fort Collins and Loveland, 2002-2011

Data Sources:

See data table

What the above data tell us:

Between 2002 and 2011, ridership on Transfort in Fort Collins has increased 31.5%, compared to 49.1% in Loveland. Beginning in 2007, ridership on Transfort increased nearly 9% in one year and has been steadily increasing ever since. The largest one-year increase occurred in 2008 (13.4%) when the price of gasoline exceeded $4.00/gallon (see data table).

FoxTrot was a regional transit service that provided connecting public transportation between Fort Collins and Loveland. In June 2010, FoxTrot was replaced by FLEX, a regional route operating between Fort Collins and Longmont. FLEX is a partnership between the Cities of Fort Collins, Loveland, and Longmont, as well as the Town of Berthoud and Larimer and Boulder Counties. In 2011, the first full year of operation, there were 168,609 passengers using FLEX.

What this chart shows: Percentage of Transfort Riders by Type - 2011

Percentage of Transfort Riders by Type - 2011

Data Source: City of Fort Collins Transportation Department (data not available online)

See data table

What this chart shows: Transfort Ridership by Type, 2002-2011

Transfort Ridership by Type, 2002-2011

Data Source: City of Fort Collins Transportation Department (data not available online)

See data table

What the above data tell us:

 From 2002 to 2011, ridership varied amongst the populations using Transfort. From 2004 to 2011, overall ridership increased 52%. During this period, the largest increase (117%) was seen in the number of disabled individuals riding public transit (see data table). The large increase in General Population riders (107%) is most likely due to the higher cost of gasoline beginning in 2008.

According to officials with Transfort, the reason for the decrease in Youth ridership (beginning in 2009) was a change in routing, due to safety concerns, which removed a stop from in front of Blevins Junior High School.

The large increase in ridership amongst the 'Disabled' population is likely due to changes made in the Dial-A-Ride program in 2007 to accommodate the minimum service requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Additionally, the City of Fort Collins made a concerted training effort for residents unfamiliar with public transportation during this time period.

What this chart shows: Paratransit Ridership in Larimer County, 2011

Paratransit Ridership in Larimer County, 2011

Data Sources:

See data table

What the above data tell us:

 Paratransit service for the elderly and disabled is provided by a variety of agencies in Larimer County. This service is considered 'on-demand' in that riders call in advance to schedule door-to-door rides. Four of the agencies providing paratransit service in 2011 were governmental agencies (BATS, COLT, Dial-A-Ride, and Larimer Lift) and two were nonprofit organizations (SAINT and Via, formerly Special Transit).

SAINT is the second largest provider of paratransit services in Larimer County (20,000 rides per year to approximately 500 individuals) operated primarily by volunteers using their own vehicles.

Larimer Lift, the paratransit system that provided service primarily to Wellington and Laporte residents, began operations in 2007 after the Transfort system in Fort Collins stopped providing Dial-A-Ride service to that area. Because of the high per-person-served cost for Larimer Lift, service was discontinued at the end of 2011.

Information about the individual services is available by contacting the agencies directly.

What this chart shows: Origin of Rides on Larimer County Rural Transportation, 2011

Origin of Rides on Larimer County Rural Transportation, 2011

Data Source: Larimer County Human Services (data not available online)

See data table

What the above data tell us:

 The Larimer County Northern Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization (NFRMPO) operates the Larimer County Rural Transportation Program, which provides area transportation to residents living outside urban Fort Collins and Loveland. In 2011, services were provided by Larimer Lift, City of Loveland Transit (COLT), and Berthoud Area Transportation Service (BATS). At the end of 2011, Larimer Lift ceased operating due to the high cost per person served.

Riders qualify to participate based on their residence and age or income group. To determine if you live in an area that is serviced by the Rural Transportation Program, see the NFRMPO's map of rural boundaries, [pdf] or contact the programs (COLT or BATS) directly.

Additional Information:

Related Information on COMPASS -

Other Resources -

Standards or Targets: N/A

Data Tables:

Public Transportation Ridership

COLT Fixed Route - Loveland

Transfort -
Fort Collins

Riders

Rate

Riders

Rate

2002

 70,357 1,253 1,471,911 11,701

2003

 53,598 934 1,504,683 11,833

2004

 59,934 1,012 1,418,102 10,980

2005

 74,856 1,239 1,481,472 11,400

2006

 99,874 1,608 1,479,717 11,235

2007

 103,743 1,617 1,641,509 12,235

2008

 125,064 1,928 1,884,194 13,870

2009

 145,805 2,228 1,904,229 13,849

2010

 138,284 2,108 2,034,195 14,573

2011

 125,773 1,868 2,156,775 15,388

See chart

Return to text

Transfort Ridership by Type of Rider (Fort Collins)

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

Number

Number

Number

Number

Number

CSU Students

 558,695 562,670 510,597 509,291 516,747

Youth

 311,154 324,091 350,622 361,494 330,858

Disabled

 153,759 153,119 116,864 137,556 153,925

Seniors

 40,423 49,104 64,245 61,235 65,526

General Population

 407,880 415,699 375,774 411,896 412,661

Con'td

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Number

Number

Number

Number

Number

CSU Students

 561,514 615,311 662,468 691,030 736,954

Youth

351,562

 377,771 306,797 304,779 304,229

Disabled

 184,014 207,500 220,378 248,480 253,143

Seniors

 69,596 81,057 79,241 83,865 85,329

General Population

 474,823 602,555 635,345 706,041 777,120

See pie chart

See line chart

Paratransit Ridership in Larimer County, 2011

Number

Percentage

Dial-A-Ride (Fort Collins)

 37,851 45%

SAINT

 20,000 24%

BATS (Berthoud)

 13,254 16%

COLT Paratransit (Loveland)

 7,582 9%

Via, formerly Special Transit (Estes Park)

 4,120 5%

Larimer Lift

 2,328 3%

See chart

Origin of Rides on Larimer County Rural Transportation, 2011

Number

Percentage

Berthoud

 5,207 66%

Fort Collins

 434 5%

LaPorte

 879 11%

Loveland

 382 5%

Wellington

 1,024 13%

See chart