Cheyenne Transit Program is the primary provider of mass transportation in Laramie County, Wyoming. Four routes are provided by the agency from Monday through Saturday.[1] In 2009, the city began a comprehensive process to increase ridership by adding bus stops and building shelters.
| Headquarters | 322 West Lincolnway | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Locale | Cheyenne, Wyoming | ||
| Service area | Laramie County, Wyoming | ||
| Service type | bus service, paratransit, microtransit | ||
| Routes | 4 | ||
| Stations | Transfer Station (W 18th St and O'Neil Ave) | ||
| Website | Cheyenne Transit Program | ||
| |||
History
editThe Cheyenne Transit Program mostly suspended services during the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] However, unlike other agencies, the suspension lasted significantly longer, until September 5, 2023,[3][4] with four bus routes put into effect. When transit returned to the city, the system was improved with more direct routes and free fares. Despite moving to a fare-free operation, the city will save money by no longer requiring fareboxes, nor any of the other associated expenses of a fare-based system.[5] Passengers also no longer need to bring exact change with them to use the buses.
Previous routes and old Transfer Station location
editIn the past especially prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were six bus routes including
- East (to east Walmart)
- Northwest (to Frontier Mall)
- Northeast (to Kingsoopers)
- West (to Old West Museum and the Comea Shelter)
- South (to LCCC)
- Downtown (a loop mainly around Downtown Cheyenne that also went to CRMC and the VA hospital).[6][7]
At this time, the Transfer Station was located on W 17th St and Capitol Avenue next to the Cheyenne Municipal Parking facility in Downtown Cheyenne.[8] Fares which most people had to pay in order to ride the bus were US$1.00 fee per ride; transfers to other buses were free. In the late 2010s, that fare was raised to US$1.50.
At a certain point between 2021 and mid-2023, an Express route from Downtown Cheyenne to Walmart on Dell Range Blvd was provided.[9] In 2023, two routes between Downtown Cheyenne and the north Walmart on Dell Range Blvd were put into effect along with four micro-transit zones for extended coverage.[10]
Future
editPlans are currently in place to eventually extend service farther into the evening hours as well as on Sundays although fixed-route service would stop at 6:00 PM on weekdays and not operate on Sundays. Instead, Micro-transit service is planned to eventually operate during the extended service times. There are plans to acquire vans for para-transit services.[7]
There are also plans to eventually relocate Cheyenne Transit Program's office from its current location on W Lincolnway to 1800 Westland Rd at what is a former Union Pacific Railroad facility. This would place the offices closer to the maintenance facility along Old Happy Jack Road, and it is set to serve as an inter-modal hub that could provide intercity bus service among other transit services.[11][7]
CTP is also looking to eventually move the main transfer point to one of two locations:[7]
- 611 W 19th St on the southwest corner of 19th St and O'Neil Ave, or
- the southeast corner of E 19th St and Capitol Ave.
Services
editAs of 2023, Cheyenne's current fixed-routes include:[12][4]
- South - South Greeley Hwy area to Walmart on Livingston Way
- East - E Lincolnway area to Walmart on Livingston Way
- Northeast - Pershing Blvd/Ridge Rd area to Walmart on Dell Range Blvd
- Northwest - Warren Ave/Yellowstone Rd area to Walmart on Dell Range Blvd
Each route begins at the top of the hour at the Transfer Station (W 18th St and O'Neil Ave), and makes a loop to return about 10 minutes prior to the next hour. The buses meet at one of Cheyenne's two Walmarts (Livingston Ave and Dell Range Blvd) about 22 to 28 minutes after the hour where users can also transfer between two respective buses (South and East routes, or Northeast and Northwest routes). With the current design of the bus routes, the buses double back along their routes back to the Transfer Station.
Each bus identifies its route with a basic marquee on the front and right side of each bus. Bus stops are identified with a green sign and can sometimes be accompanied by plastic benches and/or green, metal bus shelters.
Para-transit
editThe "curb-to curb" program is a dial-up transit taxi for the disabled, or those not close to a bus stop.[13] The para-transit runs on the same time-frame of a fixed-route, and within a 3/4th mile buffer.
Fleet
editAs of 2023, Cheyenne Transit Program owns 23 vehicles to provide their services including vehicles made by Chevy, Ford, and Dodge. At this time, CTP's vehicles' years range from 2006 to 2020. The largest vehicle in the list carries 27 passengers.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Fixed Route Service | Cheyenne, WY - Official Website". www.cheyennecity.org. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ "Cheyenne Transit Program halted due to pandemic". Wyoming News Now. 2020-04-13. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ VisionLink. "Wyoming 211". wy211.communityos.org. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ a b "11x17-map-2023" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ Hannah Shields (August 31, 2023). "WY: Cheyenne bus transits resume next week. Here's how they've improved since pre-pandemic". Mass Transit. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ "Cheyenne, WY - Official Website - Fixed Route Service". 2016-01-22. Archived from the original on 2016-01-22. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ a b c d "CTP Transit Development Plan 2023" (PDF). March 30, 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ a b "Transit Development Plan". Figure 56: CTP System Map | Also, Vehicle Fleet (and Table 26), Table 9: Top Boardings by Stop, January 2020. Archived from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ Staff, Cap City (2023-07-21). "Cheyenne Transit's Express Route Bus will not run on parade days". Cap City News. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ "Cheyenne Transit Program Executive Summary Draft 01" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ Napier, Briar (2022-04-13). "City approves nearly $1.2 million purchase of Westland Road property for new Transit System office". Cap City News. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ "Transit | Cheyenne, WY - Official Website". www.cheyennecity.org. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ "ADA Complementary Paratransit Service | Cheyenne, WY - Official Website". www.cheyennecity.org. 5 February 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2023.