The naming follows over a decade of planning for bus rapid transit, which will operate in two designated lanes along state Route 224. When complete, High Valley Transit estimates the line will serve up to 5,000 passengers a day.
The name was chosen from more the 200 public submissions collected last fall. Project stakeholders narrowed those down to four finalists before the Bobsled Express won a final, public vote.
HVT’s executive director Caroline Rodriguez said it will be the nation’s second BRT system in a rural area. The first began operating through Colorado’s Roaring Forks Valley in 2013.
“Normally when you see a bus rapid transit it's in an urban environment such as Salt Lake, Provo or Ogden,” Rodriguez said. “But as everyone who lives or works here knows, we are a rural community with urban issues, especially during peak times."
High Valley settled on BRT after considering multiple options to increase efficiency and service along the corridor.
Rodriguez said project stakeholders felt the service fit the community’s character.
“A bus rapid transit line is much less intrusive on the landscape than, say, a gondola or a train. So the trade-offs are: it is still a bus line. It is a rubber-tire bus,” she said. “Some people insist we need something that's a little sexier or maybe moves more folks, more quickly, at large scale. But I think what the community will see, once ‘Bob’ is in action, that a bus rapid transit is really the right fit for this community.”
The unveiling comes as construction begins this week. Work crews are restriping lanes and adjusting traffic flow ahead of widening Route 224 and utility work in the coming months.
High Valley Transit aims to complete the roughly $110 million project by the summer of 2028.
Additionally, High Valley Transit switched to its spring bus schedule this week with reduced trips on the 106 line between Heber Valley and Park City. It has also discontinued its service on route 109 to Park City Mountain.
High Valley Transit is a financial supporter of KPCW.
