July 5, 2024
Community input has influenced top priorities for the free transit service
Winter Park, CO – The Town of Winter Park and the Lift transit service are excited to release their 5-Year Transit Plan. The Lift ridership is trending to soon exceed pre-pandemic levels, and with the opening of Phase I of the new Transit Maintenance Facility, this Plan outlines the next steps, goals, and priorities for the transit service. The Plan’s recommended improvements were largely influenced by feedback submitted by local residents (including Winter Park, Fraser, and Granby), stakeholders from the Winter Park Resort, local businesses, and HOAs.
Community feedback was gathered via an online survey, two stakeholder focus groups, and a virtual open house. The Town is grateful for the over 350 participants who submitted valuable feedback in the survey. The results revealed that respondents are looking for increased service frequency, expanded service times, more summer services, and more direct routes.
“We’ve seen a steady increase in ridership over the last few years and are now on track to surpass even pre-covid ridership,” Transit Manager Charles McCarthy said. “This huge influx of riders is for who we are making these improvements. Riders have requested more service to Granby, expanded times, app upgrades, and bus stop improvements. We hear you, and we’re working to bring you these changes soon.”
The Plan outlines several priorities for The Lift, so the next steps include applying for grants to help fund the upgrades. In the next year, riders will see better trackability of the buses within the app and new buses joining the fleet. McCarthy is also considering upgrading bus stops and bus facilities to make them more standardized across the valley and add seating and enclosures for a more comfortable wait.
Follow The Lift’s progress and new updates by subscribing to the Town of Winter Park’s newsletter, The Scoop, at wpgov.com/subscribe/ or follow the Town and The Lift on Facebook and Instagram.
