Zion National Park Puts New Electric Shuttle Buses Into Service
SPRINGDALE, Utah – Five new battery-electric buses entered service this week at Zion National Park. These are the first of an entirely new fleet of electric buses Zion will acquire using a $33 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“The Zion Canyon Shuttle System has a bright future,” Jeff Bradybaugh, Superintendent of Zion National Park, said. “We are building on past successes that were enabled by the perspective and resources provided by partners like Zion Forever, the National Park Foundation, U.S. Department of Transportation, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), Utah Clean Cities, the Town of Springdale, and our neighbors in Washington, Kane, and Iron Counties.”
These battery-electric buses will replace the park’s propane-powered vehicles – some of which have been in service for over 20 years.
A Little Background
In 2000, three years ago, the National Park Service began providing free shuttle service in Zion Canyon and the Town of Springdale. The National Park Service developed this system in consultation with our neighbors in the Town of Springdale, Federal Highway Administration, and Utah Department of Transportation engineers, state, county, and municipal partners’ input. Shuttle buses provide service for millions of riders a year and have successfully reduced traffic congestion and crowding so visitors can enjoy Zion Canyon. Zion recorded the system’s 90 millionth boarding in the summer of 2023.
Since the shuttle system began operation, the number of visits recorded at Zion has risen from about 2.4 million in 2000 to a record 5 million in 2021. With the number of visits still consistently exceeding those recorded before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zion is making other improvements that will sustain the system’s success into the future. www.nps.gov/zion
