MAX Bus Rapid Transit is a bus rapid transit system serving Fort Collins, Colorado. The service, operated by Transfort, consists of one route serving 12 stations on the 5-mile-long (8.0 km) Mason Corridor Transitway between South Transit Center and Downtown Fort Collins, with stops near the Colorado State University campus.[3][4] The MAX route includes sections of new dedicated bus guideway, as well as shared city streets; in some cases, the bus has priority signal access.[5]
It opened on May 10, 2014, at a cost of $87 million, as the first bus rapid transit system in the state of Colorado.[6] Service was free for the first three months, with fare collection starting August 25.[7] Fares must be pre-paid online or by using a ticket machine at any stop. Tickets and passes may also be purchased at each of Transfort's transit stations.[8] As of August 27, 2017, MAX and several supporting routes also operate on Sunday.[9] In its first five years, the route provided 6.2 million rides[10] and was lauded as a top-notch service for a city its size.[11]
MAX operates daily year-round, frequency depending on time of day, generally every 10–15 minutes Monday through Saturday and every 30 minutes on Sunday.[13]
Each full-size (60' articulating) MAX bus can carry four bicycles inside—two standing and two hanging. Smaller MAX buses have a triple bike rack on the front, with room for one bike inside.[14][15]