Public bus from St George to Zion NP in 2024

TrailScot

TrailScot

Member
.
Joined
Dec 2, 2019
Messages
157
It appears that plans are afoot for a new public bus route from St George, Utah to Zion National Park in late summer 2024. I believe that St George Shuttle used to run a van several times a day, but this service stopped a couple of years ago.

www.kuer.org

Next summer, a bus straight outta St. George hopes to help Zion out with its traffic

The new bus route is scheduled to begin next summer between St. George and the town of Springdale at the west entrance of Zion National Park. It's meant to make life easier for both tourists and residents.
www.kuer.org www.kuer.org
 
Last edited:
Good news, but I hope over the long-term they transition to electric or hybrid buses (v. diesel). It would also be great if the park would open a shuttle service to the E Rim, since the lower E Rim trail is closed indefinitely.
 
fossana said:
Good news, but I hope over the long-term they transition to electric or hybrid buses (v. diesel). It would also be great if the park would open a shuttle service to the E Rim, since the lower E Rim trail is closed indefinitely.
Click to expand...
I like the idea of a shuttle from the new east visitor center to the east rim. Maybe they could work out an arrangement to partner with the folks at ponderosa who currently offer the service
 
interesting. Not a Park Service facility. Outside of the Park. Interagency and private non-profit staffed. Not sure I've heard of that before within or directly adjacent to a Park Boundary. I'll need to research more. I don't want to jump to an opinion. There are other examples, just that usually not NPS staff and NPS land focused. Moab is not staffed with NPS employees. Escalante may have Glen Canyon NPS employees but I haven't seen any. Both of those are quite off site.
 
Last edited:
Zion Forever staffs the visitor center at the Zion S entrance. NPS staffs the Zion kiosks, permit/info desk, and the Kolob Canyons center. Escalante NM uses 4 interagency visitor centers: Big Water, Escalante, Cannonville, and Kanab. They also serve the surrounding BLM and Forest Service lands, Paria-Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness/Vermillion Cliffs NM, and Glen Canyon. I've only encountered federal staff there.

Grand Canyon uses the Zion model for the visitor centers as well:

As the park's official nonprofit partner, the Grand Canyon Conservancy (GCC) works with the National Park Service to operate park stores in seven locations throughout the park. The largest store is located on the south side of the Visitor Center Plaza. Parking Lot 4 provides the closest access to the store.

- https://www.nps.gov/places/000/grand-canyon-conservancy-park-store.htm


p.s. Glen Canyon is a NRA, not a NP.
 
Last edited:
fossana said:
p.s. Glen Canyon is a NRA, not a NP.
Click to expand...

Indeed, but it is NPS managed. I meant a National Park Service "Unit" as opposed to managed by any of the other three Federal Agencies (USFS, BLM, USFWS).


fossana said:
Zion Forever staffs the visitor center at the Zion S entrance.
Click to expand...
This I didn't realize.

Part of what seems unique to me is it appears to be a privately owned (non-profit) building on a private parcel and not a Federal Building. Many non-profits (usually "Natural History Associations") run stores within Federal visitor centers.

Overall, I'm not making much sense. I'm probably splitting hairs...
 
Last edited:
The proposed St George to Zion NP bus route appears to be inching slowly towards completion, having been held up this year by a driver recruitment issue.

Some interesting comments in the attached article about these problems:

The struggle to hire drivers points to a larger trend in gateway communities around tourist hotspots in the West.

High housing costs in places like Moab and Park City have made it hard for those cities to hire enough police. Mountain communities in Colorado have struggled to hire restaurant staff even after increasing wages. Hospitality workers in towns like Springdale, at the gates of Zion, sometimes can’t afford to live where they work.

The rising cost of living means it’s increasingly difficult to hire all kinds of workers, said University of Utah Professor Danya Rumore, who works at both the College of Architecture and Planning and the S.J Quinney College of Law.

“When your wages for the things that keep your community running cannot keep up with the cost of living, you lose services that keep your community working and really keep it a vibrant place.”


https://www.kuer.org/business-econo...ion-bus-a-driver-shortage-has-slowed-its-roll
 
They forgot one thing.... Short term rentals.... ie Airbnb stuff kills the affordable house/rental market. Everyone thinks they will get rich quick.
TrailScot said:
The proposed St George to Zion NP bus route appears to be inching slowly towards completion, having been held up this year by a driver recruitment issue.

Some interesting comments in the attached article about these problems:

The struggle to hire drivers points to a larger trend in gateway communities around tourist hotspots in the West.

High housing costs in places like Moab and Park City have made it hard for those cities to hire enough police. Mountain communities in Colorado have struggled to hire restaurant staff even after increasing wages. Hospitality workers in towns like Springdale, at the gates of Zion, sometimes can’t afford to live where they work.

The rising cost of living means it’s increasingly difficult to hire all kinds of workers, said University of Utah Professor Danya Rumore, who works at both the College of Architecture and Planning and the S.J Quinney College of Law.

“When your wages for the things that keep your community running cannot keep up with the cost of living, you lose services that keep your community working and really keep it a vibrant place.”


https://www.kuer.org/business-econo...ion-bus-a-driver-shortage-has-slowed-its-roll
Click to expand...
 
Bob said:
They forgot one thing.... Short term rentals.... ie Airbnb stuff kills the affordable house/rental market. Everyone thinks they will get rich quick.
Click to expand...
Evil AirBnB has destroyed the livability of cities all over the world....Many places are now banning them and it needs to happen everywhere and quickly.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top