© Tim Young/NPCA |
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Like the open-top buses of the 1930s, these new buses are designed to offer visitors unique park views. The buses have glass or retractable roofs, and the large side windows offer panoramic vistas. Furthermore, the buses can be outfitted with multimedia for interpretive presentations-speaker systems for a driver or guide, or recorded programming options. The low-riding bus is also highly accessible, with a wide ramp for wheelchairs, an important feature considering that 40 percent of the park's visitors are people with disabilities, elderly, or young children.
The yellow buses were originally considered for use as snow coaches exclusively, as an environmentally sound alternative to snowmobiles. But the vehicles' steep price tag-$90,000 to $150,000 apiece, depending on special features-made them too costly to operate no more than a few months each year. As the partnership considered ways to use the buses all year long, the idea for a tour district was born. By sharing the buses with gateway areas such as Bozeman, Montana, Cody, Wyoming, and Idaho Falls, Idaho, start-up costs and operational costs could be split among public and private entities. As the park system continues to experience funding shortfalls, such joint ventures may be more necessary than ever: A 2001 federal transit study predicted that meeting the transportation needs at 118 of the busiest parks will cost at least $78 million a year through 2020, a total of more than $1.5 billion, a figure that doesn't even include the cost of maintaining those roads and creating bicycle and pedestrian pathways.
Beyond the obvious financial benefits, a regional tour district would offer people an easy and enjoyable way to visit the park, commute to work, or just get around town.
"We see an opportunity to really tie the transportation system into the whole region," says Jon Lear, principal of Ruby Mountain, Inc., an alternative energy consulting firm. "In the tour district, a bus could leave Yellowstone Park in the morning to drop off a group of visitors at Bozeman. It then gets thrown into local transportation activity in Bozeman, maybe serving as a shuttle on the campus of Montana State University. Then, at 5 p.m., the bus picks up another group and goes back into the park."
Although much of this work is still conceptual, the partnership is already investigating an "intelligent transportation system" that would track vehicles and ridership throughout the area. Ideally, visitors would purchase swipe cards for repeated use on the buses. "We can envision 150 vehicles circulating throughout the region, addressing the individual transportation needs for those communities that can't address them alone," Lear says. "[This larger system] allows the park to brand itself a little differently in the region."
In addition to protecting Yellow-stone's air quality, reducing the number of cars should also save the lives of hundreds of wild animals that fall victim to vehicle collisions. According to park reports, between 1989 and 2003, nearly 200 bison, more than 450 mule deer, and 560 elk were killed, prompting Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility to urge the Park Service to take steps to preserve wildlife within Yellowstone's boundaries.
Going forward, the Yellowstone partnership will continue to study the legal and logistical aspects of a shared transportation system, while slowly rolling out the yellow buses. Given the time and energy that have been invested in the program, there's reason to believe the system will help the park, protect the wildlife, and improve the experience of visitors.
"I have three young kids, and I know what it's like to drive across the country to a national park destination, only to get there and drive some more," says Tim Stevens, manager of NPCA's Yellowstone field office. "Imagine coming to one of our gateway communities and hopping on a bus that's designed specifically for a unique park experience. It's a tremendous opportunity to share the experience with your children and your family."
Kim A. O'Connell last wrote for National Parks about mussel restoration at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.
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