Capital Transit is excited to announce several expansions to our bus service for the 2025 summer season. All changes will start the week of Monday, April 21.

• Extended Sunday Service: for the summer, Sunday Core Service will be extended to match our year-round Saturday-level Core Service. Bus service will start earlier on Sunday morning, and end approximately 5 hours later Sunday evening, matching our year-round Saturday Core Service schedules.
• Added Weekend route 8 Downtown/Valley Express Service: for the summer, the Route 8 will operate approximately 8:30 am to 5:45 pm on both Saturday & Sunday, in addition to the normal Monday – Friday Route 8 service.
• Added Bus Service on Memorial Day and Labor Day Holidays: all routes will operate on normal schedules on these two holidays (Monday, May 26, 2025 and Monday, September 1, 2025) .
• Extra Inbound Route 8 Downtown Express run: for the summer, the last inbound run of the Route 8 Downtown Express will leave the Valley Transit Center at 5:45 pm, seven days/week (instead of 5:15 pm).

Please see the updated schedules on the bus or on the web at juneaucapitaltransit.org/schedules. You may also use Google Maps Transit Directions for trip planning with the expanded service by specifying a date of April 21 or later.

The following routing changes will also go into effect on Monday, April 21:

• The route 4 Mendenhall Valley will add stop #573 –  Vintage Boulevard and Clinton Driver near Safeway and the SEARHC Campus, located between stop #600 – Valley Transit Center and stop #455 –  Juneau Job Center.
• The route 8 Valley Express will travel non-stop on Egan Drive from 12^th Street downtown to the Western Auto stop. The route 8 Valley Express will not service the following stops:
  • #406 – Glacier Avenue & Behrends Avenue (JDHS)
  • #407 – Glacier Avenue & Ross Way
  • #408 – Glacier Highway at 1547 Glacier Highway (S-Curves)
  • #409 – Glacier Highway & Wickersham Street

Please use the Route 3 or 4 Mendenhall Valley service at these stops or catch the Route 8 bus at stop #405 – Glacier Avenue & 12^th Street. The inbound route 8 Downtown Express already bypasses these stops, and the inbound routing will not change.

For more information, please call Capital Transit 907-789-6901.

Riders offered 50% discount on fares purchased via Token Transit app April 14-20

April 11, 2025 (JUNEAU, Alaska) – Public transit users in Juneau now have a new, convenient and cost-saving way to purchase bus fares. Capital Transit, the City & Borough of Juneau’s public transit system, launched the Token Transit app this month which allows users to pay for public transit using their smartphone. To kick off the new payment option, CBJ and Capital Transit are offering riders 50% off  regular fares purchased during the week of April 14-20^th, 2025, including single ride  and April monthly passes.

“Token Transit provides a modernized and convenient public transit experience for all of our riders,” explains Capital Transit Superintendent, Rich Ross. “We are excited for both new and long-time transit users to take advantage of this option and the 50% promotional discount.”

Beyond the promotional period, Token Transit users can avoid ever paying more than the cost of a monthly pass via fare capping . Fare capping allows riders to purchase and use single ride passes with the app, with an automatic upgrade to a monthly pass when their spending total during the month reaches the cost of a monthly pass. Fare-capping is only available when purchasing single-ride passes in the Token Transit app. Cash fares, gifts, and other discounted fare types do not apply towards fare-capping.

Capital Transit will continue to offer the ability to pay with cash on the bus, or to purchase paper monthly unlimited passes at the existing locations, including the Municipal Building Cash Office, Mendenhall Valley Public Library, Fred Meyer, Foodland IGA, and the University of Alaska Southeast.

While physical bus tokens are no longer available for sale at existing locations they will continue to be honored.  Capital Transit has re-purposed the remaining token inventory to assist with continued support of CBJ social service partners.  Social Service agencies interested in purchasing physical tokens or to be setup with a customized digital fare platform should email capital.transit@juneau.gov.

Riders may also visit  https://juneaucapitaltransit.org/fares/ to download the Token Transit App, watch a short instructional video, and learn more about Capital Transit fares and services.

Capital Transit (907) 789-6901

Approximate Travel Time

Capital Transit buses do not have a stop at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. The closest bus stop is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away from the Visitor Center.

The one-way trip with Capital Transit from downtown Juneau to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center can take up to 1.5 hours, which includes a walk of about 30 minutes. The bus ride can take up to 1 hour, and the closest bus stop is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away from the Visitor Center.

There are several Cruise Ship terminals in the downtown area. Some are quite close to the Downtown Transit Center, but some terminals are up to 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away, which could result in an additional 30 minute or more walk in each direction.

NOTE: Various private tour companies offer “Glacier Shuttle” bus service or other tours from the downtown Cruise Ship terminals directly to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. These private buses normally only take about 30 minutes of total travel time from downtown to the glacier. Tickets for these private shuttles and tours can be purchased from vendor booths near the Cruise Ship terminal or on board the cruise ships, or tours can be booked in advance. Trip Advisor is just one of many sites that offer a list of tours that include the Mendenhall Glacier.

Cost

For a single ride on a Capital Transit bus, the fares are:

• $2 for an adult (19 or older, including seniors)
• $1 for a youth (6 – 18 years old)
• FREE for children 5 or younger.

Fares may be purchased with the Token Transit app before boarding the bus, or may be paid in cash on the bus (coins or bills, US currency only).

If paying cash, please have the correct fare ready when boarding the bus. Drivers are not able to make change. Larger bills may be used to pay for groups: for example, if you have a group of 2 adults plus 1 youth, the total fare for the group is $5, and you may pay the fare for the entire group with a five-dollar bill.

Please see the fares page for more information on fares and passes.

Riding the Bus to the Dredge Lake Road bus stop

The following routes provide service to Dredge Lake Road, which is the closest bus stop to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center:

• 8 VALLEY EXPRESS (Fastest service)
• 3 MENDENHALL VALLEY (Slower service with many stops)
• 4 MENDENHALL VALLEY (Slower service with many stops)

You can use Google Maps transit directions from the Downtown Transit Center to Dredge Lake Road to plan your bus ride.

Depending on which route you take, the bus ride can take about 1 hour. Please let the bus driver know that you are going to the glacier when you board the bus, and listen for the announcement for “Dredge Lake Road” so that you do not miss your stop.

Walking between Dredge Lake Road & the Visitor Center

After getting off the bus, walk about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the Visitor Center, which takes approximately 30 minutes. You can follow the Google Maps walking directions from Dredge Lake Road to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. The walk is flat, and follows a paved bike path which is wheelchair accessible.

Note: there are public restrooms at the Downtown Transit Center and at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, but there are not any restrooms available on the walk between the Dredge Lake Road bus stop and the Visitor Center.

Riding the Bus back to Downtown

You can catch a bus back to the Downtown Transit Center from the Dredge Lake Road bus stops on either side of the road, after walking back from the Visitor Center:

• 8 DOWNTOWN EXPRESS : Fastest service, buses depart from Stop ID 439.
• 3 DOWNTOWN TC Slower service with many stops, buses depart from Stop ID 439.
• 4 DOWNTOWN TC Slower service with many stops, buses depart from Stop ID 469.

You can use Google Maps transit directions from Dredge Lake Road to the Downtown Transit Center to return to downtown.

NOTE: The last bus to downtown departs from Dredge Lake Road at approximately 10:25 PM.

Please be at the bus stop 5 minutes before the listed departure time so that you do not miss the bus.

Information Card & Schedules

A printed information card with a summary of this information and bus route time-tables are available on the bus, or are as a PDF download. For all bus schedules and the Rider Guide, please see the schedules page.

If you have any additional questions, please call Capital Transit at 907-789-6901, or check out the links below.