Glacier’s iconic Red Bus Tours suspended through June
Evelyn Drews puts the top up on her red bus at the end of her shift on in Glacier National Park. (Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake FILE)
The company that operates Glacier National Park’s iconic fleet of red buses will suspend tours through the end of June due to uncertainties surrounding the novel coronavirus and the pending reopening of the park.
The announcement comes about one week after Glacier Park Boat Co. announced its vessels won’t operate for the entirety of the 2020 season.
The operating company, Xanterra, relayed this message on its website. According to the post, “given the guidelines from these authorities to limit gatherings, and in consultation with the National Park Service, we have made the difficult decision to suspend Red Bus Tours through June 30, 2020.”
Visitors do not need to take any action on current reservations. If someone has booked a tour up until June 30, they will be automatically refunded.
The difficult decision comes shortly after Gov. Steve Bullock’s announcement of his three-phase plan to reopen Montana’s economy. In accordance with that plan, park operations won’t ramp up until the third phase — the start of which has yet to be announced.
In a recent interview, Glacier National Park Superintendent Jeff Mow said current public health guidelines for social distancing have placed strain on various park resources. He said while each of the 33 red buses can typically hold 17 individuals, the “six-foot rule” has drastically cut that new number down to four.
Prior to Montana’s coronavirus outbreak, the company anticipated 2020 tours on the west side of the park to launch May 16 and those on the east side to launch June 8. No additional information regarding the suspension was provided in the post, including whether the company expects to be operating at full capacity after the June 30 suspension date.
This means the only public transportation available in the park until then is Glacier’s free shuttle system. However, Mow expressed his concerns about this service as well, and said if staff find it difficult to maintain social distancing guidelines, it’s a possibility the shuttles won’t run either.
Reporter Kianna Gardner can be reached at 758-4407 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com