Bus ridership on local and intercity buses in rural areas rose sharply even as urban transit ridership took a hit between 2019 and 2024.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is making an effort to support the rural bus routes that are seeing significant growth in ridership, signaling a need for public transit in more dispersed areas.
As Bruce Finley explains in The Denver Post, “In December, CDOT officials launched a Bustang Outrider route linking Sterling in northeastern Colorado with Denver International Airport. A state transit connections study in progress will identify additional intercity bus routes, including possible new daily service between Gunnison and Montrose in southwestern Colorado; Limon and Denver; Weld County and Denver; and Salida and Colorado Springs.”
Total ridership on the agency’s Bustang routes grew from 238,000 to 390,000 between 2019 and 2024, despite a steep decrease in ridership on urban routes. According to Cara Marcus, knowledge and resource manager for the National Rural Transit Assistance Program, public transit is a “lifeline” for rural residents. “In Colorado, bus ridership in rural areas hit 17 million in 2022, up from 16.7 million in 2017, Federal Transit Administration data shows.”
FULL STORY: As rural bus routes thrive, Colorado builds on what is working

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

LA Falling Behind on Housing Goals
Last year, the city permitted just 30 percent of the number of housing units needed to meet a growing need.

Connecting Communities to Nature Close to Home
Los Angeles County’s Nature in Your Neighborhood program brings free, family-friendly wellness and nature activities to local parks, making it easier for residents to enjoy and connect with the outdoors.

Palmdale’s Beloved Water Park Gets $2 Million Upgrade
To mark its 20th anniversary, DryTown Water Park has undergone major renovations, ensuring that families across the Antelope Valley continue to enjoy safe, affordable, and much-needed water-based recreation in the high desert.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Clovis
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions