Juneau’s public transportation system is increasing its services for the summer tourism season starting Monday.
Capital Transit Superintendent Rich Ross said the schedule changes are aimed at easing the annual overcrowding on buses from cruise ship visitors.
“This is definitely a ramp-up compared to previous seasons,” he said. “So this year, we’re just trying to continue to make sure that there’s adequate service for locals and visitors alike.”
The new changes include extended bus hours on Sundays and holiday weekends, a new stop near Safeway and increased services from downtown to the Mendenhall Valley.
Ross said the changes were prompted after the record-breaking 2023 summer season, when many visitors opted to ride city buses instead of private tours to see the Mendenhall Glacier.
“What was happening was buses were being completely filled up downtown at the downtown transit center, and then passing by local residents all the way to the glacier and back in the other direction as well,” he said.
According to data compiled by bus drivers during the 2023 season, nearly 400 people were left behind at bus stops — seven were in wheelchairs. That typically happened on days with more ships in town.
Last summer, the city implemented a “tripper bus” service to try to alleviate the overcrowding. It was essentially an extra bus that would follow the buses that already go from downtown to the Mendenhall Valley near the glacier.
Ross said this year Capital Transit opted to increase the frequency of buses headed toward the Mendenhall Valley instead of continuing that service. Juneau is expected to see around 1.6 million passengers come off ships between now and late October when the season ends.
The city is using money collected annually from cruise ship passengers to help pay for the increased bus service.
Capital Transit also recently launched a new mobile app that allows riders to pay fares with their phones.
