2050 Regional Transit and Specialized Transportation Plans
Focus Group Summary
February 2024
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Introduction
Mountain Metro Transit (MMT) is leading the 2050 Regional Transit planning process. MMT in partnership with the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG) is also conducting the Specialized Transportation Plan (also known as the Specialized Human Services Plan). The 2050 Regional Transit Plan guides MMT when considering changes in service, frequencies, new projects, and the system’s growth. Additionally, the regional transit plan informs the strategy for the appropriate use of funds to meet the community’s mobility needs. Both plans, while unique, seek to engage the community to find the best solutions for the transit system and specialized transportation network. Each plan will be a chapter within the 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP).
Throughout the process, MMT and PPACG will engage with stakeholders, current and future transit riders, specialized transportation providers, the public, jurisdictions, and community stakeholders. In the Winter of 2024, Kearns & West conducted virtual focus groups with stakeholders to understand what the current systems are doing well, opportunities for improvement, and potential challenges or barriers to implementing improvements. This document summarizes input shared from the focus groups.
Approach
Kearns & West conducted four focus groups with stakeholders throughout the region. These focus groups included interests from specialized transportation users, education, health and human services providers, and business, development, housing, and residential sectors.
The themes are summarized in no order of importance and do not represent consensus recommendations, but if they are included in this document, it is implied that one or more focus groups reflected their importance. The themes will continue to inform the project’s engagement and messaging.
Participants
The project team identified stakeholders based on community leadership, their role within their organization, and their connection to the current and specialized transit systems. Stakeholders varied from decision-makers to members of community organizations. Appendix B-1 of this summary includes focus group participants and their organizations.
Themes
Specialized Transportation Plan
- Create an inclusive transportation system from the start.
- Emphasize empathy and understanding for all staff involved.
Ride Reservations
- Improve the users’ experience of the current system.
- Improve the ride reservation system to make it easier to book, cancel, or reserve single and/or reoccurring rides.
- Increase transparency and communication of limitations for return pick-up in areas outside of a service area.
- Improve the convenience and turnaround time for ride requests.
- Include optional fields or questions related to the preference of the rider to ride with other users.
Operational
- Increase the diversity of fleet vehicles to include smaller more comfortable vehicles with paratransit capabilities.
- Align the vehicle used with the trip planned.
- Increase service ranges to include:
- Northern Colorado Springs medical hub
- Doherty High School
- Monument
- Interquest Parkway
- Veteran Affairs
- Improve safe access to fixed-route transit stops.
- Increase service capacity to provide more rides.
- Extend the hours of services into the evenings for social activities.
Partnership Opportunities
- Host educational workshops for those with disabilities on how they can use transit or specialized transportation and the different providers and how to book rides.
- Coordinate with partners, such as doctor’s offices or service providers, to coordinate appointments with available rides or times.
- Coordinate marketing among providers to better educate users of all services available.
- Coordinate services to be more efficient with providers resources.
Financial
- Increase or identify funding for traditional (non-electric) vehicles.
Regional Transit Plan
Operational
- Incorporate the region in transit planning, as the current system only exists in the City of Colorado Springs.
- Create pilot programs or areas of the City to demonstrate where and how transit can work well.
- Increase bus routes, stops, and frequency. Areas mentioned:
- Academy Boulevard
- Union
- Interquest Parkway and Powers Boulevard
- Northern part of the City
- Improve safety features at bus stops.
- Increase safety at transfer points. Specifically:
- Tejon parking lot for bus to Denver.
- Citadel Mall bus stop.
- Plan for future system users referring to population, job growth, and affordable housing trends.
- Improve amenities on buses:
- Wifi
- Recreational equipment storage/transport
- Connect popular tourist destinations, the east and west portions of the City, and the airport through the transit system.
- Increase routes that connect to the outskirts of Colorado Springs and military installations.
- Increase services and incentives for underserved populations.
- Additional ride free periods
- Additional free-passes for community-based or similar organizations
- Consider future improvements of a light rail or autonomous system that could move people around the city.
- Connect the region to other cities along the Front Range and to the mountains by passenger rail.
Partnership Opportunities
- Coordinate with educational institutions to improve connectivity for students on campus.
- Host educational workshops or programs with educational institutions to inform students or staff how to use public transit.
- Coordinate CDL training programs with other institutions that use bus drivers.
Appendix B-1: List of Focus Group Attendees
| # | Name | Organization | Focus Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Skyler Rorabaugh | Pikes Peak | Business, Development, and Residential |
| 2 | Marsha Unruh | Homefront Military Network | Business, Development, and Residential |
| 3 | Catherine Duarte | Colorado Springs Housing and Urban Development | Business, Development, and Residential |
| 4 | Aaron Simeraro | Silver Key | Health and Human Services |
| 5 | Marla Luckey | El Paso County Public Health | Health and Human Services |
| 6 | Jim Spice | University of Colorado – Colorado Springs | Education |
| 7 | Kevin Coleman | Pikes Peak School District | Education |
| 8 | CJ McCampbell | District 11 | Education |
| 9 | Cathly Buckley | Colorado College | Education |
| 10 | Toby Cotter | N/A | Paratransit or Specialized Transportation Rider |
| 11 | Paul Spotts | The Independence Center | Paratransit or Specialized Transportation Rider |
| 12 | Edgar Morales | The Independence Center | Paratransit or Specialized Transportation Rider |
| 13 | Mary Rose Evans | The Independence Center | Paratransit or Specialized Transportation Rider |
| 14 | Isabel Robben | District 11 | Paratransit or Specialized Transportation Rider |
| 15 | Scott Land | The Independence Center | Paratransit or Specialized Transportation Rider |
| 16 | Jeannette Fortin | N/A | Paratransit or Specialized Transportation Rider |
| 17 | Mary Kim McCarthy | N/A | Paratransit or Specialized Transportation Rider |
| 18 | Loretta Houseman | N/A | Paratransit or Specialized Transportation Rider |
| 19 | Buddy Castor | N/A | Paratransit or Specialized Transportation Rider |