Frequently Asked Questions

The City has three transit centers: (1) the Downtown Transit Center (DTC), located at 250 N. Mason St.; (2) the CSU Transit Center (CTC), located on the north end of the lower level of the Lory Student Center, at Colorado State University; and (3) the South Transit Center (STC), located at 4915 Fossil Blvd., south of Harmony Road near College and Fairview.

The Downtown Transit Center (DTC) and South Transit Center (STC) are open Monday - Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The CSU Transit Center (CTC) is open from 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Monday through Friday when CSU is in session (no summer hours).

Transfort outsources the management and sale of advertising on its assets to Lamar Advertising Company. If you are interested in advertising on the inside or outside of a Transfort bus, or on a bus shelter or bench, contact Lamar at 970.493.4411. There is no advertising on the exterior of MAX buses.

Bikes left on the bus bike racks will be removed by the operator at a Transit Center or at a bus stop if the space is needed for a current rider. You may call 221.6620 to try to locate your bike. Transfort is not responsible for lost or stolen bikes.

Bicycles are not allowed inside buses on regular routes, except for the MAX route which allows up to 4 bicycles inside the bus. Bikes may be locked at the bus stop if the bike rack is full; Transfort is not responsible for lost or stolen bikes.

Each non-MAX Transfort bus is equipped with a bicycle rack on the front of the bus. Each rack holds three bicycles. Space on the racks is available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The larger MAX buses have 4 dedicated interior bike racks. These racks have been designed to ease boardings and minimize blockage of aisles. The buses need to accommodate all passengers safely, and aisles need to stay clear of bicycles and other items.

There are other options for bicyclists if onboard racks are full. Bicyclists may wait for the next bus, use a bike rack at a MAX station or transit center, loan a bicycle from the Fort Collins Bicycle Library at the Downtown Transit Center, or ride their bicycle on the nearby Mason trail.

Bus stops are clearly marked and located every 1/4-1/2 mile along routes. Bus stops can be located by using rider tools at www.ridetransfort.com, obtaining a printed route schedule, or locating a stop on the mobile app Ride Transfort. For assistance in trip planning, you may submit a request through Access Fort Collins, or call 221-6620 during normal business hours. You can also stop by the Downtown Transit Center, the CSU Transit Center, or the South Transit Center.

Buses stop at designated stops only.

Temporary Fare Suspension – fares and passes will not be collected at this time.

FLEX is a service of Transfort, so all Transfort fare policies apply. All COLT and RTD ECO passes are accepted on FLEX buses only. More information about Transfort fares and passes is available at ridetransfort.com

Under an agreement with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF), MAX buses on the guideway, or bus-only street, are required to stop when a train passes. The railroad is concerned about safety on the guideway, which is within the railroad right-of-way. The railroad has between 4 to 8 trains running during MAX operating hours. There is no set schedule for when the trains travel through our community, which makes it difficult to anticipate their arrival. Passengers will experience delays of a few minutes to 10 minutes when the bus is held at a station due to the train. In the Downtown area and on McClelland Street, the bus is not required to stop for trains.

MAX operates Monday through Saturday from 5:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Currently there is no service on Sundays or holidays.

"Parking for the MAX is provided at the following locations: South Transit Center - 171 spaces; Troutman – 18 public on-street spaces; Swallow - 16 spaces; Drake – 77 spaces; Downtown – City parking garages, 125 spaces. Transfort will continue to seek additional parking through cooperative agreements and partnerships with local businesses and developers."

Both FLEX and MAX routes offer free 4G LTE.

Note that service may not be available on all buses and is subject to periodic outages. For help, call 970.221.6620 or transfortinfo@fcgov.com.

MAX is considered to be Bus Rapid Transit, or BRT, combining many features of rail transit with the flexibility of buses. A guideway (bus street), level boarding at platforms, pre-pay ticketing, advanced traveler information, and special buses are characteristics of BRTs. BRT was chosen because it is the most cost-effective technology for the Mason Corridor based on Fort Collins’ current population and ridership estimates.

MAX takes approximately 25 - 30 minutes for the full length of the corridor. The travel time varies depending on the amount of cross traffic, the wait times at intersections, the number of passengers boarding, passing trains, and other factors. Transfort, in cooperation with other City departments, is actively working to reduce travel times on the MAX.

MAX buses have 4 dedicated interior bike racks. These racks have been designed to ease boardings and minimize blockage of aisles. The buses need to accommodate all passengers safely, and aisles need to stay clear of bicycles and other items.

There are other options for bicyclists if onboard racks are full. Bicyclists may wait for the next bus, use a bike rack at a MAX station or transit center, loan a bicycle from the Fort Collins Bicycle Library at the Downtown Transit Center, or ride their bicycle on the nearby Mason trail.

The cost is the same as on regular Transfort buses.

The sound is part of the Art in Public Places component of MAX. The hour-long mix of sound plays from speakers in the light poles with integrated art. They were selected by the artist and include 22 recordings of natural environments and varied, surprising sounds for a creative mix. The tracks are 1 to 4 minutes long and play randomly, so they assemble in different ways at different times during brief passenger waits at the stations.

The guideway, or bus-only street, is too narrow for other users to travel safely beside buses and other official vehicles. The guideway is off limits and trespassers may be cited. The Mason trail adjacent to the MAX route is a convenient option for bicyclists and pedestrians.

Transfort has recycling bins at the South Transit Center. Soon, Transfort will be providing recycling bins at the Downtown Transit Center and MAX stations. For now, please carry recycling with you to deposit into an appropriate receptacle.

Real-time bus arrival information for all buses is provided at ridetransfort.com, on the Ride Transfort mobile app, texting, phone, and variable message displays and LCD screens at stations.

Transfort provides travel training for individuals, groups, seniors, those with disabilities, and/or public. Please submit a request by calling Customer Service at 970-221-6620.

The most current information is online at ridetransfort.com. Also, schedules can be obtained at a transit center or on a bus.

Bus arrival times can be viewed at ridetransfort.com using the BusTracker and Bustime, the Ride Transfort mobile app, texting 41411, TFORT with the bus stop ID number, or calling 970.221.6620. Also, the MAX stations and transit centers have variable message signs, LCD screens, and voice announcements of bus arrivals and departures.

The navigation menu, and "funnel" and "pointer" icons can be used to select stops and routes, sign up for rider alerts, and display other information. If the app hangs, try refreshing or reloading the app. If that still doesn't work, try using your mobile phone to navigate to ridetransfort.com. This website has the same bustime tools as the app. Also, the easiest and quickest way to obtain bus arrival information is to text 41411 with TFORT and the stop id number (listed on every bus stop sign). For example: [To:] 41411 [send:] tfort 1510 .

The Transit Master Plan recommends service in Southeast Fort Collins. Implementation of this service is dependent upon future funding.

The establishment of routes is done carefully with extensive feedback from the community. Not every area of the community can be served by transit and transit service is dependent upon allocation of limited resources. The philosophy of Transfort, as adopted by City Council, is to focus on areas with high ridership demand with more frequent service, rather than dispersing transit everywhere with less frequent service.

FLEX regional bus service connects communities along the 287 Corridor in Northern Colorado. Service is provided between Fort Collins and Loveland, Berthoud, Longmont and Boulder. To learn more, visit ridetransfort.com/flex.

Poudre Express, operated by Greeley Evans Transit, offers regional service between Fort Collins and Greeley with stops in Windsor. For more information visit greeleyevanstransit.com/regional

The Transit Master Plan guides decisions about new routes and service. For more information about future projects, please visit our plans and projects page.

There are several reasons why your bus may be delayed. It may be waiting for a train to pass. Traffic congestion may be interfering with buses at cross streets. The driver may be helping a passenger with special needs. There may be a route detour due to a traffic accident. Please check the rider tools for updates on bus arrival times and long delays.

Routes are continually evaluated for performance, meaning the amount of ridership, timings, and other factors. Transfort has to prioritize routes and allocate limited funding to routes with the most potential for ridership or with concentrations of transit dependent populations. To reduce uncertainty, changes to the route network are generally limited to twice per year. In rare occurrences, low ridership routes may be eliminated.

Pets must be transported in a fully contained and secured pet carrier. Passengers who require a service animal may bring them on board. The service animal must be controlled by the passenger at all times.

You can file a claim through the City's Risk Management division. They can be reached at 970-221-6708.

All fixed-route buses have lifts or ramps, and are fully wheelchair accessible.