10-Year Transit Plan

Our Plan will serve the community effectively and efficiently.

We’re committed to providing a clear and detailed Plan that supports our policymakers, administration, communications, grant development, and operations, ensuring everyone has the right resources and guidance.

               Our Plan is designed to inspire and instill confidence in Core Transit. 

We’ll offer a straightforward and easy-to-follow guide for bringing our vision to life, based on the Eagle Valley Transportation Authority (EVTA) Intergovernmental Agreement approved by our community in November of 2022.

Our Plan will be backed by relevant and validated data, analysis, input, and feedback from the community and stakeholders, ensuring our decisions are well-supported and reliable. 

Our Plan is designed to be flexible, adapting to new needs and technologies as they come. It will support our policy development, planning efforts, grants/ funding development, and communication, always ready to evolve with changing priorities. Support Sustainability Goals

The proposal approved by voters included several specific projects intended to decrease environmental impacts through increasing ridership and/ or adopting new technologies. This includes fare-free transit service from Edwards to Vail, including Avon, Beaver Creek, Minturn, and Eagle-Vail; new limited-stop express service during peak workforce commute hours; and accelerated conversion to zero-emission technologies on Core Transit’s Highway 6 route. The Plan should consider sustainability goals in its recommendations. 

Our Plan sets the stage for exciting future improvements at Core Transit, including:

• Expanded service, including improvements in coverage and frequency 

• Improved in first-last mile connection options to make transit more convenient and more accessible to users 

• Better coordination of transportation services across the region to make reaching your destination quicker and more seamless  More comfortable and welcoming transit facilities

•  affordable housing options that support our transit workforce 

• Provide the foundation for future regional transportation planning efforts 

• 1995 – Voters approved a 0.5% Eagle County sales tax to support transit and trails, creating ECO Transit

• 2022 – Voters in seven Eagle County jurisdictions approved the creation of a new Regional Transportation Authority, along with an additional 0.5% sales tax to expand and enhance transit and transportation. As part of this agreement, the original 0.5% sales tax and responsibility for operating regional transit was transferred from Eagle County to the new RTA (Core Transit). 

• 2023 – A Core Transit 24-month interim strategic plan is completed

• 2023- Core Transit launches its first fare-free service

• 2024 – Core Transit expands fare-free service to include all member communities fare free routes

• 2025 – Anticipated completion of the 10 Year Transit Development and Capital Plan

• 2026 & Beyond – Implementation of the 10 Year Transit Plan

Core Transit is the newly formed Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) in the Eagle Valley. In 2022, voters in unincorporated Eagle County; the towns of Avo, Eagle, Minturn, Red Cliff and Vail; and Beaver Creek Metropolitan District approved the creation of Core Transit along with a new half-penny sales tax to be collected to fund operations and future service improvements. As of August 4, 2024, Core Transit has taken over all ECO Transit’s operations.

A multi-jurisdictional government agency responsible for the transit planning, funding, and finances of a regional transportation system. RTAs are governed by a Board of Directors made up of sitting elected officials from member communities.

Core Transit serves as your user-friendly, multimodal transportation authority, helping you navigate Eagle County safely, easily, and affordably.

Core Transit is committed to delivering on the service priorities outlined in the original ballot language approved by voters. These included:

• Expanding transit service, express routes, and transportation options across the Eagle Valley
• Enhancing connections between Gypsum and Eagle and other communities 
• Enhancing air service and improving access at Eagle County Airport
• Providing a fare-free transit zone from Edwards to Vail, including Avon, Beaver Creek, Minturn and Eagle-Vail
• Reducing environmental impacts from transportation 

Since its formation, Core Transit has:

• Implemented fare-free service on most routes, except for travel to and from Gypsum and Leadville 

• Increased the Valley route frequency to every 30 minutes from 7 AM to 5PM

• Increased service on the Highway 6 Route including operating every 20 minutes during peak times

• Increased winter service on the Vail-Beaver Creek Express to every 20 minutes during peak times

• Increased service to Minturn and Redcliff

• Reduced remaining system-wide transit fares by 25%

The plan will guide the growth, development of Core Transit, focusing on route expansion and reconfiguration, infrastructure projects, cost estimates, and vehicle fleet needs.

For the near-term, Core Transit will maintain the same routes previously operated by ECO Transit while adding some incremental improvements. These include current routes between Dotsero and Vail along the I-70 corridor, including Highway 6, Minturn, Valley, Leadville, and Vail/BC Express routes. The 10 Year Plan will evaluate current travel needs and development patterns with an eye towards creating a more comprehensive system that better meets the communities’ needs today and tomorrow. The final plan will guide phased future Core Transit expansion and improvements.