The path between Jo Pfaff and her mother seems even longer than the 209 road miles that separate Granby from Flagler. It’s a route Pfaff, who is legally blind, must travel every few weeks.
It’s imperative that they connect, because Pfaff’s mother is terminally ill. So Pfaff relies on the state of Colorado’s distinctive purple Bustang to get her from the small town on U.S. 40, up and over Berthoud Pass to Interstate 70 and on to Union Station, where she hires a driver to take her the additional 125 miles to her destination.
Pfaff loves taking Bustang to Union Station because it’s $15 one way, while the same route on Amtrak is around $75. Bustang always leaves on time, at a convenient 9:40 a.m. — except once, when it was 6 hours late because of a snowstorm — while Amtrak is frequently delayed and doesn’t leave until 2:45 p.m., she says.
And Pfaff says she’s never felt unsafe on Bustang, even cruising over the pass in her plush blue seat during a blizzard, when she’s had “those drivers who aren’t scared to drive when it’s horrible conditions and still get you there safe and timely.”
“I absolutely love Bustang,” she says. “And I know public transportation, believe me. I’ve been taking it since I was 15 and I know when a good thing is happening. The only downside is people are definitely catching on. There’ve been times when I’ve taken the last seat in Granby,” on a route that starts in Craig, 120 miles to the west.
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