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First riders favor FREX
The Front Range Express (FREX) got off to a smooth start Monday morning, the inaugural day of service for the commuter bus line connecting Colorado Springs, Castle Rock, the Denver Tech Center and downtown Denver.
By By:Alex C. Pasquariello
The Front Range Express (FREX) got off to a smooth start Monday morning, the inaugural day of service for the commuter bus line connecting Colorado Springs, Castle Rock, the Denver Tech Center and downtown Denver.
Castle Rock commuters hoping to eliminate the frustration of rush-hour traffic were elated to get on the bus, which makes one of its 26 stops in the southeast corner of The Outlets at Castle Rock parking lot.
"This is a nice, comfortable way to get to work," said Adrian Conway of Castle Rock from his reclined seat on the 7:05 a.m. FREX bus. "It sure beats sitting in traffic all morning on the I-25 corridor." Conway was one of 10 passengers on board the 50-seat motor coach.
Fellow FREX rider Bill Maytidu agreed the service is top-notch and will make his commute from Castle Rock much easier.
"The traffic has gotten so bad that this really is the best alternative," Maytidu said. "The highways might open up if they get the HOV lanes re-opened, but even then I-25 was backed up."
Before moving to Castle Rock four years ago, Maytidu commuted to New York City from its surrounding suburbs. He said FREX is not unlike the commuter shuttles he used to take into that metropolis.
"In New York, nobody would want to drive in on the major arteries accessing the city because the traffic is so bad," he said. "But anymore I-25 is as congested, if not more, than those busy New York roads."
Like most commuters on his bus, Maytidu was interested in utilizing the wireless Internet service provided on each FREX bus.
"It could give a person a good head start on the work day if they could check e-mail before getting into the office - or they could just read a paper online."
Rick Forrest, a senior analyst with Colorado Springs Transit, which oversees FREX service, said his staff had been working on the wireless networks installed on each bus to make sure there were no glitches in the service.
"We're happy to report there are no dead spots in the wireless Internet service," he said at the Castle Rock stop Monday morning.
On the 7:05 a.m. ride, three of the 10 commuters could be seen surfing the Web on their way to work, and none had any complaints about the wireless network.
But not everybody was ready to log on right away.
Dave Moore of Castle Rock said he would use the ride in to read and relax on the way to his office in the tech center.
"I can take the bus to the Arapahoe Park and Ride and then catch a LINK bus through the Tech Center," Moore said. "The extra bit of effort to get into the office is worth the half-hour or more I now have to relax."
Emerson Bonilla of Castle Rock also planned on using his newfound free time to relax on his way to and from his downtown office.
"I've been commuting from Castle Rock for two years," Bonilla said. "So far everything on the bus is great and catching it at the outlet malls was very convenient. It's so stressful to drive across Denver during rush hour, so this is a great chance to read or do the crossword puzzle."
Castle Rock Mayor Ray Waterman and Councilman Brad Mueller, at the outlet mall Monday morning to see the first riders off, said they hope Castle Rock commuters will take advantage of the service.
"This service is a dream come true for Castle Rock commuters," Mueller said. "The buses look great and I think people will really be able to enjoy their ride to work with comfortable seats and free wireless Internet."
"I just hope people use the service," Waterman said. "One thing we know is that filling up a car for a tank of gas won't be getting any cheaper, so hopefully this is a good alternative."
Castle Rock's town council approved an intergovernmental agreement with Colorado Springs on Sept. 14 that brought FREX service to town.
FREX buses will serve the I-25 Front Range corridor between Colorado Springs and Downtown Denver with stops in Monument, Castle Rock and the Denver Tech Center. The Castle Rock stop is located in the southeast corner of the parking lot at the outlet mall, which has agreed to allow parking for the service at no cost.
Colorado Springs received a $3.9 million Federal Congestion Management Air Quality grant to conduct the two-year commuter bus project. Linking the service to Castle Rock will cost the town $400,000 to be paid to Colorado Springs in quarterly installments over the course of a two-year trial. A portion of that cost can be covered by a separate $70,000 Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Federal Congestion Management Air Quality grant awarded to the town.
According to a 2003 Castle Rock Economic Development Council study of the town's work force, 60 percent of Castle Rock's wage earners work in Denver with 94 percent of those workers commuting alone.
A separate 2003 CDOT study found that FREX's 25 daily north-and southbound departures could serve 180 Castle Rock riders per day by the end of the trial - 10 percent of work trips from the town to Denver. The study also found an additional 5 percent of work trips from Castle Rock to the Tech Center could use the service.
Colorado Springs handles FREX scheduling and ticketing through its Web site, www.frontrange-express.com, and is finalizing outlets for ticketing services at local King Soopers and Safeway stores. A round-trip ticket from Castle Rock to Denver will cost $6
Contact Alex Pasquariello at apasquariello@ccnewspapers.net.
Castle Rock commuters hoping to eliminate the frustration of rush-hour traffic were elated to get on the bus, which makes one of its 26 stops in the southeast corner of The Outlets at Castle Rock parking lot.
"This is a nice, comfortable way to get to work," said Adrian Conway of Castle Rock from his reclined seat on the 7:05 a.m. FREX bus. "It sure beats sitting in traffic all morning on the I-25 corridor." Conway was one of 10 passengers on board the 50-seat motor coach.
Fellow FREX rider Bill Maytidu agreed the service is top-notch and will make his commute from Castle Rock much easier.
"The traffic has gotten so bad that this really is the best alternative," Maytidu said. "The highways might open up if they get the HOV lanes re-opened, but even then I-25 was backed up."
Before moving to Castle Rock four years ago, Maytidu commuted to New York City from its surrounding suburbs. He said FREX is not unlike the commuter shuttles he used to take into that metropolis.
"In New York, nobody would want to drive in on the major arteries accessing the city because the traffic is so bad," he said. "But anymore I-25 is as congested, if not more, than those busy New York roads."
Like most commuters on his bus, Maytidu was interested in utilizing the wireless Internet service provided on each FREX bus.
"It could give a person a good head start on the work day if they could check e-mail before getting into the office - or they could just read a paper online."
Rick Forrest, a senior analyst with Colorado Springs Transit, which oversees FREX service, said his staff had been working on the wireless networks installed on each bus to make sure there were no glitches in the service.
"We're happy to report there are no dead spots in the wireless Internet service," he said at the Castle Rock stop Monday morning.
On the 7:05 a.m. ride, three of the 10 commuters could be seen surfing the Web on their way to work, and none had any complaints about the wireless network.
But not everybody was ready to log on right away.
Dave Moore of Castle Rock said he would use the ride in to read and relax on the way to his office in the tech center.
"I can take the bus to the Arapahoe Park and Ride and then catch a LINK bus through the Tech Center," Moore said. "The extra bit of effort to get into the office is worth the half-hour or more I now have to relax."
Emerson Bonilla of Castle Rock also planned on using his newfound free time to relax on his way to and from his downtown office.
"I've been commuting from Castle Rock for two years," Bonilla said. "So far everything on the bus is great and catching it at the outlet malls was very convenient. It's so stressful to drive across Denver during rush hour, so this is a great chance to read or do the crossword puzzle."
Castle Rock Mayor Ray Waterman and Councilman Brad Mueller, at the outlet mall Monday morning to see the first riders off, said they hope Castle Rock commuters will take advantage of the service.
"This service is a dream come true for Castle Rock commuters," Mueller said. "The buses look great and I think people will really be able to enjoy their ride to work with comfortable seats and free wireless Internet."
"I just hope people use the service," Waterman said. "One thing we know is that filling up a car for a tank of gas won't be getting any cheaper, so hopefully this is a good alternative."
Castle Rock's town council approved an intergovernmental agreement with Colorado Springs on Sept. 14 that brought FREX service to town.
FREX buses will serve the I-25 Front Range corridor between Colorado Springs and Downtown Denver with stops in Monument, Castle Rock and the Denver Tech Center. The Castle Rock stop is located in the southeast corner of the parking lot at the outlet mall, which has agreed to allow parking for the service at no cost.
Colorado Springs received a $3.9 million Federal Congestion Management Air Quality grant to conduct the two-year commuter bus project. Linking the service to Castle Rock will cost the town $400,000 to be paid to Colorado Springs in quarterly installments over the course of a two-year trial. A portion of that cost can be covered by a separate $70,000 Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Federal Congestion Management Air Quality grant awarded to the town.
According to a 2003 Castle Rock Economic Development Council study of the town's work force, 60 percent of Castle Rock's wage earners work in Denver with 94 percent of those workers commuting alone.
A separate 2003 CDOT study found that FREX's 25 daily north-and southbound departures could serve 180 Castle Rock riders per day by the end of the trial - 10 percent of work trips from the town to Denver. The study also found an additional 5 percent of work trips from Castle Rock to the Tech Center could use the service.
Colorado Springs handles FREX scheduling and ticketing through its Web site, www.frontrange-express.com, and is finalizing outlets for ticketing services at local King Soopers and Safeway stores. A round-trip ticket from Castle Rock to Denver will cost $6
Contact Alex Pasquariello at apasquariello@ccnewspapers.net.
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