Bus service between Springs and Denver (Colorado Springs, Aurora: house, community college, living)

[newbeginnings]

Has anyone used the Front Range Express (FREX) buses that run back and forth from Denver to Fountain?

I don't want to drive but would like to visit family in Denver every weekend. I'd like to leave COS on Fridays and return Monday morning for work. Any suggestions on public transport? Thanks for your help.

[MattDen]

I like FREX alot. The buses are clean, the ride is pleasent.

They are using Mountain Metro buses for the most part until the new buses come in, that means no wi-fi is available at the present time on the buses

The last bus leaves Colorado Springs Friday at 5:15pm
The first bus leaves Denver Monday at 5:30am (they do have more routes after 7am that leave Denver)
I know the fare is: $6 each-way from Denver to Colorado Springs

The bus ride each way is 90 minutes to around 2 hours, except for the first one of the morning which isnt as long due to lack of traffic along the Interstate

The buses stop at the Tech Center and then along Broadway/Lincoln in Denver starting around Alameda to 17th, turns and goes through Downtown Denver to near Union Station

In Colorado Springs the stops are I-25 Woodmen and I-25 Tejon (Colorado Springs has a bus that goes from there to downtown via Cascade/Tejon)

FREX is a very good service, I am glad they continued it!!

[newbeginnings]

Thanks for the feedback, mattden.

Any chance of airfare coming down in price between Denver and Co Springs?

[2bindenver]

airfare? You get to the airport an hour and a half before your flight...you could be there (where ever "there" is) before the plane took off.

[highliving]

And the trip from Denver International to downtown Denver isn't that much quicker than CS to Denver.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by highliving

And the trip from Denver International to downtown Denver isn't that much quicker than CS to Denver.

True: I can get from my house in COS to the parking lot at DIA in one hour flat, no problem. Done it a good 6-8 times so far. Getting to downtown Denver would take almost that much time, more if traffic is bad.

[COflower]

Originally Posted by 2bindenver

airfare? You get to the airport an hour and a half before your flight...you could be there (where ever "there" is) before the plane took off.

Not to mention with the new light rail, if one were to get off at the Highlands Ranch/Tech Center area, it will guide you in many places along it's route if that's more suitable.

I couldn't imagine taking a plane from COS to DEN.

Heck, I have a friend that will shuttle you around from C Springs to Denver and back if need be. He is mostly an airport shuttle service but cheaper and quicker and will deliver you door-to-door if you want something different.

He recently suffered a setback in that his old car was plowed by a minivan driver on highway 36 after one of the blizzards when the highway was taken over by blowing snow but if you want to check him out, pm me and I will see if he's up to that.

He's not as cheap as FREX but he's good at personal service and has a new Crown Vic, offers his riders some food, water or juice and gets you to and from.

Just a thought but cheaper and quicker than a plane.

[newbeginnings]

Thanks everyone for your encouragement about driving. I am just not comfortable driving on the highway because I like to go at a slower speed.

According to mapquest, CO-83 (Leetsdale Dr./Parker Rd. in Denver) is the non-highway alternative road running north-south. It eventually connects to Academy Blvd. in Co. Springs.

Do you think this is a good option for me? Has anyone driven it? I would only do this once a week, going to Denver to visit family on my 'weekend' - whichever 2 days my employer will be giving me off.

Thanks so much for all your help. I'm out of state again and didn't check out this route while I was there, just took FREX. Don't want to be dependent on busses though.

[Mike from back east]

Yes, I've been on Hwy 83 many times, can see it from my house here on the north end of town where it meets Powers Blvd near the community college.

It's a 2-lane road with some passing zones, moves pretty well until you get north of Franktown at which time it starts getting slower due to traffic volume and signal lights. Until Franktown it's very open/rural countryside. Up around Parker it wides to 4-lanes and is very busy indeed. I know it runs into C-470 but I've not driven it north of C-470.

s/Mike

[tfox]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

It's a 2-lane road with some passing zones, moves pretty well until you get north of Franktown at which time it starts getting slower due to traffic volume and signal lights. Until Franktown it's very open/rural countryside. Up around Parker it wides to 4-lanes and is very busy indeed. I know it runs into C-470 but I've not driven it north of C-470.

It actually runs into E-470, a (fairly expensive) toll road. C-470 is the free portion west of I-25.

North of E-470 Parker Road will run from some fairly open countryside just to the east of Cherry Creek State Park. It's an expressway but there's a number of stoplights. There's an interchange with I-225 in Southwest Aurora, and then it changes into a city arterial that passes through Aurora and Denver.

In answer to the OP's question, there's nothing wrong with taking 83 as long as you're not in a hurry. It sounds like he's not, so maybe a good choice for him. I think most people taking the route would get off on I-225 to get to their final destination rather than taking the city street into the heart of Denver.