How The Buses Work

How the Free Ski Bus experiment would work:

Without any changes to existing roads or infrastructure:

The eight closest ski resorts are assigned 20 FREE motor coaches every weekend for eight weeks:

The State of Colorado leases existing motor coaches from existing charter companies and thus does not own any equipment.
Each resort runs their buses to suit their changing needs, thus the State of Colorado does not fund any logistics or support.
Existing motor coach companies employ their own drivers and perform their own repairs and maintenance.
Competitive bidding for this lucrative business ensures the lowest price and streamlined management.

The motor coaches pick up riders and their equipment at various locations:

Just like a train, the motor coach features comfortable seats, easy storage, and a bathroom, plus overhead video.
Motor coaches pick up riders at existing parking lots using existing roads, just like the gambling shuttles already do.
Riders are taken directly to the ski resort of their choosing: no transfers, no side stops, no hassles.
Frequent departure and return times allow people at their destination to stay late or return early as desired.

Each motor coach holds 50+ people:

Modern motor coaches are luxurious and carry up to 56 people, with a bathroom, overhead video, and ample storage.
One motor coach can make three round-trips trips a day hauling more than 150 riders.
160 motor coaches x 150 riders = 24,000 people not driving their cars into the mountains.
If we generously assume highway carpooling at 1.5 people per car, we should see 16,000 fewer cars each day.

The motor coaches leave every 45 minutes starting at 6:00 am and ending at 7:00 pm:

Unlike trains, motor coaches can diverted or shifted onto new routes, or even mothballed as needed.
One, or even ten motor coaches breaking down would not stop other motor coaches from continuing to make runs.

The ski resorts do their own reservation websites and their own advertising:

Websites show pickup locations, schedules, and even print a reserved seating pass at the rider's home.
Season pass holders could use their pass number for reservations at home or at the resort.

Ski resorts use existing marketing techniques to reduce their costs for websites and advertising:

Overhead videos could show commercials during on-board entertainment features.
Promotional tie-ins with local radio stations could allow in-kind advertising to the passengers.
Parking lot owners could be allowed to hand out flyers and offers to waiting or boarding passengers.

No fares are collected and no money counted, thus no security or accounting costs:

Riders with reserved seats have priority, with open seats available on a stand-by basis.
Scanning passes allows resorts to gauge traffic and shift parking locations and times as needed.
98% of the taxpayer's investment goes to hauling people, not overhead, management, or executive bonuses.

The ultimate reward is two-fold:

An exact (not theoretically) account of how many people really used mass transit.
An exact (not hypothetical) display of what I-70 would be like with 16,000 few cars per weekend day.