UPDATE: As of 8 pm on Tuesday 8/26, the bridge is OPEN and all buses are back on NORMAL ROUTING through the Mendenhall Valley.

Route 3 and 4 Mendenhall Valley buses are on detour routing until further notice due the closure of the Backloop Bridge on Mendenhall Loop Road.

Starting Monday, August 18, all route 3 and 4 Mendenhall Valley buses will be continuing from the Valley Transit Center to Auke Bay to Wren Drive. Buses will turnaround via Wren Drive, Silver Street, and Steelhead drive to return to Auke Bay and the Valley Transit Center. See the map below.

We will also be running a temporary “LOOP RD / RIVERSIDE” service that makes a clockwise loop from Valley Transit Center Bay 1 up Riverside Drive to Mint Way. From Mint Way, this bus will display “VALLEY TC” and will travel via Mendenhall Loop Road back to the Valley Transit Center. This bus is timed to make transfers to and from the Route 3 and 4 Mendenhall Valley and Downtown service at the Valley Transit Center.

All Route 7, 8 and 9 buses will maintain regular routing through the valley.

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

All bus routes will be on detour routing in downtown Juneau during construction on Glacier Avenue near the Federal Building. Glacier Avenue will be closed to all traffic near 8th Street due to road work.

The detour is expected to start on Tuesday, August 5 and will continue until further notice. Signs will be posted at impacted bus stops once the detour has started.

The Federal Building bus stops (#404 & #494) will be CLOSED for ALL ROUTES during construction.

All TRANSFERS between the Route 1 Douglas and the Routes 3 & 4 Mendenhall Valley buses will be at the State Museum Stop (#496) on Whittier Street during this detour routing.

Please see detour routing maps below for all routes.

Route 1 Douglas / Downtown

▼ Route 1: Downtown to Douglas Detour Routing ▼

▼ Route 1: Douglas to Downtown Detour Routing ▼

Routes 3 & 4 Mendenhall Valley / Downtown

▼ Routes 3 & 4: Downtown to Mendenhall Valley Detour Routing ▼

▼ Routes 3 & 4: Mendenhall Valley to Downtown Detour Routing ▼

Routes 7, 8 & 9 Express and Commuter Service

▼ Routes 7, 8 & 9: Downtown to Valley Detour Routing ▼

▼ Routes 7, 8: Valley to Downtown Detour Routing ▼

Route 9: Valley to Downtown Routing is UNCHANGED:

• Valley Transit Center to Downtown Transit Center non-stop via Egan Drive.

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

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.

We’re excited to announce upcoming improvements at the Valley Transit Center! Starting March 31st, we will begin construction to install on-route chargers for our growing fleet of electric buses. This upgrade will help us provide cleaner, more efficient transportation for our community.

However, to facilitate this important work, there will be temporary changes to the Valley Transit Center.

• Closure of Amenities: The public parking lot, restrooms, and public electric vehicle chargers will be unavailable during construction.
• Passenger Area Closure: The normal passenger pick-up and drop-off area will also be closed.

During this time, all bus boardings and alighting’s will take place in the Park & Ride lot at the Valley Transit Center.

We understand these temporary changes may cause inconvenience, and we appreciate your patience as we work to improve our transit system. This project is expected to be completed by mid-summer.

For the latest updates and information, please visit juneaucapitaltransit.org or call 907-789-6901. Thank you for your cooperation and support as we build a greener future for our community.

There will be several service changes happening this fall, effective Monday, October 7 and Monday, October 21, 2024.

Effective Monday, October 7, 2024:

• The LAST RUN of the Route 8 DOWNTOWN EXPRESS from the Valley Transit Center departs at 5:15 pm

Effective Monday, October 21, 2024:

• Monday – Friday, the following timepoints for the FIRST RUN ONLY of the Route 4 DOWNTOWN TC are 5 minutes LATER:
  • Valley Transit Center at 6:05 am — Auke Bay/DeHarts at 6:09 am — Mendenhall Blvd. at 6:17 am

• The following timepoints for ALL RUNS of the Routes 3 & 4 DOWNTOWN TC are 2 minutes EARLIER:
  • Outbound Bartlett Hospital at :25 & :55 — Outbound Anka Street at :01 & :31 — Outbound Fred Meyer at :06 & :36 — Outbound Nugget Mall at :08 & :38

• The morning run of the Route 7 LEMON CREEK COMMUTER stops on 12^th Street at Mountain View & The Senior Center (instead of on Glacier Avenue near JDHS).

• The 2:30 pm run of the Route 9 EGAN EXPRESS from the Downtown TC to the Valley TC is suspended.

Updated Schedules are available at: juneaucapitaltransit.org/schedules.

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

• See updated schedules.
• Use Google Maps Transit directions.
• Call Capital Transit at 907-789-6901.

Summary of Changes:

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

Capital Transit offers a Ride Free Zone (see the Capital Transit Ride Free Zone Map below) for locals and visitors who may experience mobility issues or are interested in getting to the Capitol, the Juneau-Douglas City Museum, the Dimond Courthouse, the hostel or other locations at the top of the hill.

There are five bus stops in the Ride Free Zone – the State Museum stop on Whittier Street, the Marine Parking Garage, on Franklin Street at the Front Street intersection, on Fourth Street near Rainbow Foods and the Downtown Transit Center.

For more information, contact Capital Transit at (907) 789-6901 or Capital.Transit@juneau.org

Capital Transit Ride Free Zone Map (PDF)