By Scott Reif
The Ramspondents
Transfort recently made changes to the schedules of several bus routes, all of which are service reductions. The changes are in response to the city’s budget shortfall.
Now, MAX will service riders every 10 minutes between the hours of 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., cycling every 20 minutes during other operating hours (from 5:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. until midnight).
Route 81 has cut its service frequency in half, from every 30 minutes to every hour, while Route 9 will no longer service riders on Saturdays and Route 10 has been suspended indefinitely.
For Fort Collins citizens who rely on these several bus routes, these changes may seem inconvenient and perhaps even alarming, leaving many to ask, “why?” For an answer to this question, The Ramspondents spoke with Kaley Zeisel, the transit director for the city of Fort Collins.
“In the short term, the city’s hiring freeze, implemented to help manage a broader funding shortfall, has limited our ability to bring new bus operators on board,” Zeisel said. “At the same time, Transfort’s overall expenses have grown by nearly 50% since 2019, with costs for personnel, fuel, maintenance and equipment increasing faster than revenues.”
Zeisel expressed that these schedule changes are also part of a greater plan for public transit in Fort Collins – a System Optimization Plan that is meant to be a “...community-informed, data-driven look at how to design a network (for) Fort Collins’ evolving needs,” Zeisel said.
“We’ve engaged riders, residents, and stakeholders to understand priorities and ensure transit services reflect what matters most to our community,” Zeisel said. “This feedback, along with ridership data and industry best practices, is helping us align our overall system with the resources we have available.”
While Zeisel said that the hiring freeze is a causal factor for Transfort’s changes, these changes in public transport reflect a citywide problem for Fort Collins – that of the city’s budget.
“The city is currently under a hiring freeze due to lower-than-expected sales tax revenue and cost increases,” Zeisel said. “These transit service changes are part of a citywide effort to carefully manage limited resources while continuing to provide essential services. The Optimization plan plays a key role in this – it’s helping us make thoughtful, long-term decisions that balance fiscal responsibility with community impact.”
In this first week of the changes being enacted, community feedback is important for the city to understand the impacts of these changes and further seek answers on how to optimize the city’s public transport. “We understand that these changes are challenging for our riders,” Zeisel said. “We’ve received a mix of concern and understanding from the community. City officials and Transfort staff recognize the impact these reductions have and remain committed to listening to feedback, communicating transparently, and working toward long-term solutions.”
For the future of commuters in Fort Collins, it’s likely that these changes won’t be the last, but according to Zeisel, the city is dedicated to finding a solution that puts the community first.
“While the system will look different in the future, the goal is to build a reliable, sustainable, and community-centered transit system that Fort Collins can depend on long term,” Zeisel said. “We are still in the process of developing the final scenario but anticipate a public outreach effort happening later this year.”
Go to Transfort's page on the City of Fort Collins website for future updates on transportation and other city issues as local city elections approach.
Scott Reif is a senior student of CSU’s Journalism & Media Communications program minoring in Music Business. He also works as a videographer and production assistant for Barnfly Productions, led by Emmy-award-winner John Barnhardt.