The Roaring Fork Transit Agency has been in operation since 1983, and functions as a Rural Transportation Authority. The RTA includes the communities of Aspen, Snowmass Village, Pitkin County, Basalt, a portion of Eagle County, Carbondale, Glenwood Springs and our newest member New Castle. RFTA provides commuter bus service from Aspen to Glenwood Springs (Roaring Fork Valley), Glenwood to Rifle (Hogback), intra city service in Aspen and Glenwood Springs, ski shuttle service to the four Aspen Skiing Company ski areas, Maroon Bells Guided Bus Tours, and a variety of other seasonal services. In 1996, RFTA was named the "Best Mass Transit System of North America" by Mass Transit Magazine. In 2003 RFTA was awarded three of the top honors by the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies (CASTA) including the award for "Large Transit Agency of the Year." In 2006 we were once again honored as the "Large Transit Agency of the Year."
At the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies (CASTA) conference held at the end of September 2008, the RFTA Bike Express Bus program received an award. The Bike Express was bestowed an award which recognizes unusual and notable transit related accomplishments of individuals or agencies. To the best of our knowledge our Bike Express buses are one of a kind.
Also on October 1, 2008 our Rio Grande Trail was awarded the Outstanding Community Tourism Initiative Award during the 2008 Colorado Governor’s Tourism Conference. The award was presented to our community recognizing its successful tourism initiative. The award was accepted by RFTA Board Chair and Pitkin County Commissioner, Dorthea Farris. “I think the award is a symbol of recognition for our region,” said RFTA CEO Dan Blankenship. “It’s an indication that the trail is recognized on a statewide basis on its value for stimulating tourism. And beyond that, it also is a recognition that this attraction, which will be one of the things our state has to offer to people from around the nation and the world, is an amenity created with support and funding from all the communities in the Roaring Fork Valley.”
RFTA currently operates a fleet of over 82 vehicles and carried 4.1 million passengers in 2006. RFTA uses Biodiesel fuel in all of its fleet of diesel power vehicles including our hybrid buses, and ethanol in our gasoline vehicles.