Red Bus numbers

The National Park Service is seeking tenders for a concessioner to operate its facilities in Glacier National Park. The proposed concession contract would see 18 of the 33 Red Buses decommissioned and replaced with new vehicles. This decision was made without any consultation with the public.

In 1983, I drove one of the Red Buses as a tour guide in Glacier National Park. To those familiar with the Park, the drivers are known as “jammers,” and the buses are known as “reds.”

At that time, there were approximately 40 jammers consisting of men and women whom had one thing in common and that is a deep love of the Park. This tradition continues with new drivers every year and many jammers returning for another season.

My bus was built in 1938 by the White Scenic Motor Coach Company, and its number is 106, and it is still in service today. There are other buses built as early as the 1920s. A conservative estimate of the number of drivers is around 3,000 over the years.

The traditional bus that I drove held 18 passengers, and nearly every tour was full during the 1983 season. A typical full season will run for 10 weeks, with the bus not running for one or two days a week when the driver has time off.

This brings the average number of passengers for one bus in a season to 1,000. For all buses in a red per season, about 40,000 and for around 80 years of service this number grows to 3,200,000 passengers that have enjoyed the Park from a vantage point of an open-aired vehicle with a knowledgeable driver whom is most certainly passionate about the beauty preserved by a National Park system unlike any in the world.

Is there any other way better to share and familiarize the public than the red tour bus venue? The history of the reds along with the jammers is a story of experiences obtained by no other means. It is irreplaceable. Let’s keep the fleet of buses in its entirety so the public can enjoy one of America’s most beautiful parks.

Please help oppose any breakup of the Red Bus fleet and join in requesting a delay in the concession contract process until the matter has been aired in public.

Marlene Davis Bristol

Newbury, Vt.