Pueblo Transit to launch two new routes to expand service and shorten commute times

Pueblo Transit is adding two new bus routes next month in an effort to expand its service area and shorten commute times for riders, the city announced Friday.

The routes, called North Shopping and South Shopping, will launch June 3. They will repurpose the Bessemer II and Berkley/Beulah II options, which will remain available until that date, the city stated in a news release.

Bessemer II and Berkley/Beulah II are trailer routes that were previously launched due to high rider demand but are now underperforming, said Haley Sue Robinson, director of public affairs for the city. Pueblo Transit thus decided to repurpose them and launch the new routes in their place, she said.

Bessemer II and Berkley/Beulah II are second options along routes 2 and 4, which also run through Bessemer and Berkley and Beulah, respectively. Those will remain in operation.

The city also said in the release it anticipates the new routes will provide commuters with “better service to shopping locations and frequent stops” and allow them to efficiently cut their travel times across Pueblo.

Furthermore, the additions will offer “transfer points for more efficient riding experiences” so people can get to medical appointments, shop, or engage in other activities while cutting down on wait times for transit options, according to the city.

“We’ve had so much feedback from our riders that the time it takes to hop on in Bessemer and get to Safeway, King Soopers, or the other shopping areas is so long because most of the time when you take one of our buses, you’ll end up transferring down at the transit center,” Robinson said.

“Instead of routing these two buses down to the transit center, we’ll have more transfer points along the routes, so it’ll cut down on commute time, basically making it more efficient."

This month, Pueblo Transit will host three town halls so riders can better understand how the new routes will work and impact their commutes. The first is being held between 3 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on May 20 at the Rawlings Library in Bret Kelly Room B.

A third town hall will be held in that same location on May 29 from 5-5:30 p.m. The second one will take place on May 24 at Lucero Library from noon to 12:30 p.m.

“Pueblo Transit is inviting the public to upcoming town halls to learn more about how we are changing our routes to meet the needs of our ridership,” Ben Valdez, director of Pueblo Transit, said in the release. “I also believe this will encourage more ridership or even new riders because these two new routes allow individuals to ‘reclaim your time’ with direct routes.”

Pueblo Transit operates 12 routes with varying pick-up and drop-off times, according to its transit map. The transit center is located at 123 Court St.

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Chieftain reporter Josué Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @josuepwrites. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo Transit will add two new routes in June to shorten commutes