https://reasonstobecheerful.world/zion-electric-shuttle-buses/
"Beneath red temples of Navajo sandstone, the Virgin River winds through Zion
National Park. Nearby, a steady current of people step into a long shuttle
line. A bus quietly rolls into the stop, the door opens, 90 people swiftly
board. After the bus rolls away, the line continues to lengthen. Another bus
arrives five minutes later; the flow resumes.
The buses are part of the new electric shuttle system transforming the visitor
experience at Zion. The park first launched its shuttle system in 2000 to
address the 2.4 million annual visitors that have since grown to five million.
To further reduce traffic and benefit visitors and wildlife, through reduced
emissions and noise pollution, Zion transitioned to an all-electric fleet of 30
buses in 2024.
Shuttles are part of the National Park Service’s legacy of adopting innovative
public transportation solutions. In 1910 the newly established Glacier National
Park used horse carriages to transport 11 passengers per trip, evolving four
years later to a fleet of red buses. Today, Glacier still operates 33 vintage
red propane shuttles, in service since the mid-1930s, that are considered the
oldest touring fleet in the world! Other overcrowding solutions utilized by NPS
include peak season reservation and timed entry systems, as seen in Arches and
Yosemite. Yosemite also offers a shuttle system, but unlike Zion’s, it is not
mandatory.
Prior to the shuttle system, Lisa White, Zion’s transportation manager, recalls
the backlog of parking along the sides of the road, resulting in denuded
vegetation. “There weren’t a lot of animals in the canyon,” she says. “I
personally saw fistfights over parking spaces because it was just so
congested.” Shuttles immediately relieved the traffic congestion."
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
