Sunday, February 1, 2009

204: As Far North and South as You Can Get



Easy Access to:
North Boulder Shops
19th street Residential Neighborhoods
Downtown Boulder
CU campus
Moorehead Residential Neighborhoods
South Boulder Shops
Table Mesa Residential Neighborhoods

During rush hour many popular local buses like the Dash, Skip, and Hop are full with bikes and you cant ride on. This is definitely the route to take. It rarely fills it's bike slots and theres always sitting room. It covers the full 10 mile length of Boulder, it winds through residential neighborhoods of Boulder while connecting you to major points of interest. You can catch this route for just about anything. This route reaches the far south and north outskirts of Boulder while connecting homes, daycares and schools, neighborhoods, bike paths, the campus, and north, south, and downtown shops and restaurants.

This is a perfect bus for commuters, it runs every 15 minutes between 7am-10am and 2pm-5pm and every half hour otherwise on Monday-Friday. On weekends and holidays it runs a little less but it's still frequent enough to be extremely convienent.


Boulder is ten miles long and the 204 covers every one of them. Reach out and grasp Highway 36 to the north or flirt with Table Mesa and Broadway to the south. The 204 stops every four blocks in the Moorehead neighborhoods and cuts right through northeast Boulder residential areas without forgetting about campus in between. The southern half of the 204 route is great for dining at places like the South End Walnut Cafe, Beau Jo's and DP Dough. The 204 pauses its trek at the Boulder Transit Center, where riders can choose from the north or south bound sections of the route. Up north, the 204 delivers hungry riders to snack spots like Amante Coffee and a Rush smoothie joint.
Like Wall Street traders, the 204 is active all day. The route starts very early in the morning and runs into the night at an average of three times an hour. Service is cut back on weekends and holidays but the route is still in service during these times.

203/225: Follow the Leader, Then Break from the Pack


Easy Access to:
Lafayette Park and Ride
Lafayette Rec Center
Lafayette Public Library,
287 and Baseline shops,
random prairie dog fields
Waneka Lake trailhead
Louisville Baseline Residential neighborhoods
Dry Creek Trailhead
Bobolink Trailhead
Baseline Boulder neighborhoods east of Broadway


The 203/225 connects downtown Boulder to Lafayette through Baseline. Be sure to know which route your taking because the 203 only goes to 55th to turn around at the East Boulder Community Center. The 225 runs out to the Lafayette park and ride connecting Boulder, Louisville, and Lafayette. The views when traveling east are spectacular, the open space with the Flat Irons and the rest of the front range are your panorama. Being chauffered by a bus driver is so much more pleasant and productive than having to deal with traffic congestion. You can reach downtown Lafayette and downtown Boulder shopping as well as many neighborhoods and a couple of trailheads on the way.

Theres a great story about a community noted on the map as Nyland Community. This community is very aware of their environmental and communal impact and worked very hard to get a bus stop and eco pass program for their community. Cheers and thanks to them for modeling community action implementing access to public transportation.

This bus only runs on the weekdays and is not available on weekends or holidays. But it's great for week day commuters because it runs 3 times an hour from 6am to 7 pm Mondays through Fridays.

From the Boulder Transit Station to Foothills Parkway, the 203 and the 225 follow the exact same route. While in Boulder, both routes stop frequently along Broadway and Baseline including campus, the Basemar Shopping Center, Williams Village and the Meadows Shopping Center. After crossing Manhattan Drive on Baseline, the 203 turns south towards the East Boulder Community Center while the 225 stays on Baseline and goes east to Lafayette. On the way to Lafayette, the 225 passes Dry Creek Trail Head, so don't forget your bike. Once in Lafayette, the 225 is surrounded by quaint dining and coffee shops.
Both routes begin service at the crack of dawn. Running up to four times an hour, you're sure to find a 203 or 225 that fits your schedule. Be mindful that late night service is cut back to one trip per hour. The 225 takes time off on weekends, but the 203 is still doing its thing on a less frequent schedule.