December 16, 2015
We believe the Flatiron Flyer Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service, which begins January 3, 2016, represents a pivotal moment that will transform how people travel in the US 36 corridor and beyond. A part of the RTD FasTracks voter-approved program from 2004, the Flatiron Flyer service is an incredible asset for our region, connecting our businesses, CU-Boulder, the federal laboratories and the communities of Boulder, Louisville, Superior, Broomfield and Westminster to each other and the rest of the Denver metro area.
US 36 Bus Rapid Transit was developed through a partnership started back in the 1990s between CDOT, RTD, the US 36 Mayors & Commissioners Coalition and Commuting Solutions. As a coalition, we recognized that we do not want, and cannot afford, to build our way out of congestion. Instead, we worked together to create an innovative model of giving people a choice. No matter how you choose to travel for any particular trip, whether carpooling, biking from one town to the next, using the toll lane when you need to drive alone for that critical appointment, or by using the new Flatiron Flyer Bus Rapid Transit service, the new US 36 provides an alternative to the traditional congested highways of the past.
The Flatiron Flyer means there will always be an uncongested optio
n to travel the corridor from one end to the other, and every community in between. The Flatiron Flyer service brings many benefits. We will have six easy-to-navigate routes that connect you to every community along the corridor, as well as downtown Denver. The service will be schedule-free, which means a bus comes every 4-15 minutes all day, in both directions. It means that you don’t need to schedule your day around the service; rather, the service—one that’s better than most light rail service in Denver—will be there when you need it. Plus, we will be getting better service to the Denver International Airport (DIA), Union Station and the Anschutz Medical Campus. And the service plan is flexible and will improve over time to serve even more activity centers.
Best of all, it’s faster—and cheaper—than driving solo. The fare to use the Flatiron Flyer service will always be less than driving solo in the US 36 Express Lanes. When compared to driving in the general purpose lanes, riders going from Table Mesa Station to Union Station will save 18 minutes during the morning peak commute and 12 minutes in the reverse direction during the evening peak because the bus will always be able to bypass the congested lanes.
The launch of the new Flatiron Flyer Bus Rapid Transit brings many positive changes to the US 36 corridor, an area undergoing a remarkable transformation. Contact Commuting Solutions if you need help…we’re here to answer your commuting questions. 
https://commutingsolutions.org.
Gina McAfee, Debra Baskett, George Gerstle, Tracy Winfree, Ken Hotard and Audrey DeBarros
Commuting Solutions Executive Committee members