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Grand Lake bus service idea buzzing

Lance Maggart
lmaggart@skyhidailynews.com
This file photo shows the two buses that Elmer Lanzi plans to use in his Grand Lake area bus system.
Byron Hetzler/bhetzler@skyhidailynews.com | Sky-Hi News

It has been a banner year for both Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) and the Town of Grand Lake.

But if local entrepreneur Elmer Lanzi has anything to say about it, 2015 will be even better. That’s because Elmer is working to establish a bus service in the Grand Lake and RMNP area.

Lanzi has already purchased two buses for his coming business venture. The business will use one of the busses for regular transportation services and the second bus will be on permanent stand-by in anticipation of any possible break-downs.



The business, which will be called the Buzz with the operators driving “buzz’z”, is scheduled to begin transportation operations to coincide with the opening of Trail Ridge Road in May. Lanzi plans to run a bus to the top of Trail Ridge Road and various locations around Grand Lake.

He noted that a bus service operates out of Estes Park that also goes to the top of Trail Ridge Road and he hopes to connect with that bus service for the summer season.



He also plans to put in a Park-and-ride lot just outside of Grand Lake where the buses will be stored at 12429 Hwy 34, right next to the Blue Bird Motel.

“The challenge right now is to get enough interest from the community and the business community to finance and support a bus,” said Lanzi.

Lanzi hopes to use both public and private sponsorship and advertising to defray the costs of running the bus company.

He hopes to hire a total of four employees for the Buzz including two CDL drivers and a dispatcher. He is in the process of applying for and receiving special use permits as well as public service and DOT inspections.

The two buses Lanzi purchased came from Snowmass. He said the buses were previously well maintained and were fairly fuel-efficient.

Lanzi’s idea for the bus company developed out of transportation summit held in Grand Lake earlier in the year.

“I had the opportunity to buy the busses at the right price. This looked like an excellent opportunity. I said, ‘I think I’ll do that,” commented Lanzi.

The buses are being prepped for a new coat of paint and graphics to be added. Lanzi intends to use a bee logo of some type for his bus company.

“It is my hope, my dream and my vision that this will help the economy of our community. Also that the community and the business people will get behind it,” he said.


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