“City buses ready to roll,” announces a Coloradoan article dated June 30, 1974. “The buses are tuned to a fine pitch, the routes have been laid out, the bus stop signs are installed and hopefully hundreds of passengers are eager and waiting for their first ride.”
On Monday July 1, 1974, Transfort did indeed roll out with three buses and three routes. The 16-passenger Mercedes Benz buses lined up at Oak Street Plaza and traveled as far south as the Foothills Fashion Mall (currently known as Foothills Mall). The first day saw an estimated 1,680 passengers ride from 6:25 a.m. – 7:25 p.m.
Just a few short weeks later, on July 22, the City added a fourth bus to the system to use as a back-up after one of the Mercedes Benz buses broke-down on the second day of service and a school bus was being used to replace it.
Ridership trends have fluctuated over the years as the needs of the community changed, our service area grew, and additional routes were added. Today, Transfort is proud to provide local and regional transportation on more than twenty routes.
Major Milestones
- 1974 – 73,000 riders in our first year
- 1984 – Transfort Maintenance Facility built
- 1994 – 1 millionth rider honored in December
- 1997 – Route between Fort Collins and Loveland begins
- 2001 – Downtown Transit Center opened
- 2006 – New CSU Transit Center opened
- 2014 – MAX launched and ridership grows to 2.6 million
- 2022 – First battery-electric buses in service
Thanks for rolling with us and here’s to another fifty!