This map from a 2020 financial feasibility study shows a potential route for the new bus line between St. “It's kind of a little bit of a guinea pig.”Ĭourtesy Zions Pubic Finance, Inc. “We're going to try it out, see how it works with these four buses, and hopefully cross our fingers that it's successful,” Cutler said. But the frequency will ultimately depend on what ridership looks like once the wheels start rolling. During peak season, there may be some express routes.

George roughly every two hours from 6 a.m. The schedule isn’t set in stone, but Cutler said one potential scenario could have the buses leaving St. Each bus would have around 30 seats for passengers.īased on an analysis from 2020, it’s estimated that between 59,000 and 112,000 people would ride the bus each year. George, which already operates its local SunTran bus line. The service would involve five diesel buses - four running at a given time and one backup - and will be overseen by the city of St. That number comes from a 2020 analysis recommendation after it compared the Zion route to similar bus systems, such as those at Yosemite National Park in California and Acadia National Park in Maine. The one-way fare would likely cost around $8 per person. “So we're hoping that it's just going to be over an hour.” “If it took two hours, people might not use it because it's taking too long,” Cutler said. George to Springdale in just a little more time than it takes to drive there. George to Springdale, with probable stops in the cities of Washington, Hurricane, La Verkin and Virgin along the way. The route will travel more than 40 miles from the Dixie Convention Center parking lot in St. George Public Works Director Cameron Cutler said it should be up and running by late summer 2024. The bus route’s details are still being finalized, but St. George in hopes of making life easier for both tourists and residents. Starting next year, a bus route is scheduled to connect Springdale with St.

That’s where a new public transit plan comes in. And they're driving personal cars,” Bruno said. “We have over a thousand people that come from downriver, so to speak, to work here every day.

There’s just not enough housing, and many employees commute from Washington County’s larger cities, such as Hurricane and St. But Bruno said many of Springdale’s businesses struggle to find workers. Tourism brings an influx of money to town. Springdale residents have a front row seat to both the good and bad sides of that growth. Despite sweltering heat this July, more than 560,000 people visited the park that month, making it the fifth-busiest July the park has ever seen. The number of people coming to Zion has just about doubled in the past two decades. “Springdale is impacted by what happens inside Zion National Park probably more than any other locality,” Mayor Barbara Bruno said. State Highway 9 is the only main road through town, so Mayor Barbara Bruno said when it’s blocked, some residents can’t get home. As Zion National Park’s crowds peak in the summer, cars often back up on State Highway 9 from the west entrance into the neighboring town of Springdale.įor the roughly 550 people who live in Springdale, those traffic jams don’t mean a delayed vacation.

St george shuttle schedule