The fare to Marroon Bells is absolutely ridiculous, especially when coupled with the expensive parking at the stop. This isn't the middle of a big city - it's rural Colorado. It's particularly hard to swallow since you generally cannot drive yourself - they have a monopoly on transportation. One of the wealthiest tax bases in the country is in Aspen - there's no reason this needs to be so expensive for riders. read more

We purchased a reservation for the Maroon Bells bus ride from Aspen - this was our first time doing this. We checked in at the desk with Peter 45 minutes before the time of our bus departure, and were told to be at the bus "before 1:30". We showed up at about 1:27 and went directly to Noah to get on to the bus. He motioned to us to wait and stay away, so we did. A few minutes later, we watched our bus depart while waiting right next to him and right next to the bus. Having done what we were told by Peter at the check-in desk, we were then scolded by Noah for not being there earlier. ‍ After waiting for 45 minutes, we went back to the check-in desk where we were told by Peter that we were supposed to be at the bus stop before 1:15. This was not what he told us, and after he was argumentative about this for a while, they got us into the 2:30 bus. Having done what we were told by Peter, then being scolded by Noah (who seems to talk down to everyone, both in his personal interactions as well as the speech that he gives to the groups before they go up), I am left unimpressed by the organization and customer service of this organization. The drivers of the buses were great though! I'll be researching alternative transportation options to the Maroon Bells when we return. Hopefully some exist. read more

The bus system in the Aspen environ is controlled by the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority, commonly known as the RFTA. If you are staying within the Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass area, the bus system is absolutely free. Also, the airport transportation to these destinations is also free as it is right in the middle of all those four mountain ranges. Make sure you hail the bus driver as they do not automatically stop. There is a white T sign (the T is in blue). The instructions adjacent to the sign say that you have to wave this sign for them to stop, but a simple wave to them should alert the bus driver that you need a ride. If you are completely lost, ask the bus driver. They are happy to provide you with sound directions on how to get into town. Aspen is a relatively small city, so they have the city ingrained like the back of their hands. read more

Buses in Aspen are free and clean. This alone solicits a four star review. Free Stops: Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass are all free stops. Places like the Music Festival, Ideas Festival, and the Snowmass Rodeo are all free! Even the trip to Glenwood Springs isn't priced terribly. Drivers: While most of the drivers are nice, quite a few of them drive a bit abrasively. Very hard on the brakes. Consistently late: Unfortunately, the RFTA buses are rarely on time. There is an app that tracks the buses, but it is really frustrating when 3 buses show up at once, and you've been waiting for a half hour. Local Buses v. Express Buses: Some buses stop much more frequently than others. The express buses save a ton of time and are more like coach buses. They also have great free wifi. The local buses, except from Glenwood Springs, aren't nearly as nice, but stop more if you don't know exactly where you are going. Enjoy the free and clean buses, and be sure to download the app! It includes bus schedules and a real-time tracker. read more

It is we are taking public transportation. They make it so easy here. Most of the major lines are free. And with minimal cost for the tour or hiking trips. Maroon Bells, here we come!! read more

We stayed at the St. Regis and due to the lack of snow we decided to hit up Snowmass so the five of us walked down a block to the transit center and grabbed one of the buses headed to Snowmass. We were told to grab the -D (D for direct) and not sure if we did but after a few stops we made it to Snowmass. The ride was enjoyable, warm and the bus driver was friendly. We were a bunch of happy campers. read more

This bus service sucks ass!!! Worst f-ing service ever!! Never on time and always late. No one in the company knows how to be "on time". They always skip buses and just do not arrive when they are scheduled to! Worst bus transit ever. 3rd world contries are more on time than rfta! Fuck these people... You are better off driving!! read more

Interesting how a clean and/or free bus warrants a good review. I lived in San Francisco, where transportation costs money, and buses were disgusting, but at least they were on time. I'd rather have that. When a bus doesn't stick to its schedule, drives off when they see you running for the bus because they were early, and/or makes you late to where you are going because they are late, this means they are NOT doing their one and only job properly. When I went to ask a supervisor about the scheduling mishaps, and disrespect of drivers, he said, "You know it's peak season"? Yes, idiot, I work here. "Peak season" does not mean you get to slack on the job. That's when you should be on top of your game. If the restaurants, hotels, and/or retail treated "Peak Season" the way the bus drivers did, we wouldn't have a peak season. You have to drive 10 minutes, at most, from one destination to the next.....how hard can that be?! read more

Never been disrespected like this in my life bus driver from bus 729 got mad at me because I had my headphones on at the bus stop she said she was about to leave me and I asked why since I was standing right infron on the bus stop clearly for her to see me and she got all mad and made me get off on the next stop and mind you I work all the way in buttermilk and had already payed the full amount to glenwood I feel so disrespected at this point I deserve an explination ASAP!!! read more

It's pretty awesome to have a bus service that takes you anywhere you want to go in the Aspen/Snowmass area, runs every 15-30 minutes, and is clean and on time. What a great service. read more

It is an efficient system and comprehensive. Working for them as a driver is another story however. Their dispatchers are rude, callous and cut throat and ruin what otherwise would have been a good job. read more

This is a great service they have in Aspen. The buses were free and came pretty frequently and for the most part the drivers were all friendly and helpful in getting us where we were trying to go. read more