The Flatiron Flyer bus service’s success could be its Achilles heel.
Commuters crammed onto the routes connecting Boulder, Denver, Westminster, Broomfield, Louisville and Superior 40 percent more in 2016 than they were the year before along that corridor, and riders are feeling the growing pains.
Ben Heinemann is a frequent Flyer rider from Denver to downtown Boulder every morning for work. He praised its speed and reliability, but there are a few things he wished were different about the service that launched at the start of last year. “It gets really packed,” he said. “I think it has to do with the timing of classes at CU. If you get one when kids are getting out of class at that Euclid and Broadway stop, it’s definitely crowded with students. It’s fine, but those FF1 buses, especially, get super crowded.”
The Flatiron Flyer — with 57 seats per bus and perks such as bike storage and electronics charging stations — provides six different routes. These range from routes that reach all stations, all day — the FF1 route Heinemann mentioned — to an express service with fewer stops.
The crowds haven’t gone unnoticed, according to Regional Transportation District officials. “The growth pattern has exceeded our expectations,” said RTD spokesman Nate Currey.
Hitting capacity at certain times of the day has alerted the transportation district that it needs to add more bus frequencies. But RTD has been unable to hire enough drivers, Currey said. “It’s just a challenge of hiring at this point.”
.
