The commuter bus line between Denver and Colorado Springs is raising rates in February to cover the cost of gas.
” The cost of gas has obviously gone up a lot,” Amy MacDonald, spokeswoman for the Front Range Express, or FREX, said Tuesday. “We have to raise the price of FREX.”
Starting Feb. 5, a one-way trip between Denver and Colorado Springs will jump from $7 to $9. A one-way trip to either city from Castle Rock will rise a buck, to $4.
Discounts are available for people who purchase quantities of rides at one time.
FREX’s 19 buses make 23 trips a day between Denver and Colorado Springs, with a daily average of 540 riders, according to FREX. Most are commuting to work.
The service, the first scheduled commuter link between the state’s two largest cities, began in 2004 with a federal grant aimed at reducing traffic congestion and air pollution.
“It was definitely needed in Castle Rock from an economic-development standpoint,” said Pam Ridler, president of the Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce. “We have a lot of employees, especially in the service industry, who live outside the city. But we also have a lot of seniors who use it to reach services in Denver and Colorado Springs.”
The line is operated by the city of Colorado Springs’ Mountain Metropolitan Transit.
In September, Denver’s Regional Transportation District approved raising rates, partly to cope with rising diesel fuel prices. The new rates, which take effect Jan. 1, include a local one-way fare increase of 25 cents, from $1.50 to $1.75.
Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com
