RTA grants five-year bus service contract to Alpine Express

“We were fortunate to have two excellent bids”

Get on the bus. During its October 8 meeting, the Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation Authority awarded Alpine Express the contract to provide bus service between the north and south ends of the valley. Mountain Express also submitted an RFP (request for proposal). According to RTA executive director Scott Truex, both RFP’s were competitive.

“It was a tough decision. We were fortunate to have two excellent bids from two providers who have done great jobs for us in the past,” said Truex. “The Mountain Express drivers did a great job. We look forward to working with Stewart and his crew.” Truex said the passengers shouldn’t notice any changes due to the change in management. “This is a five-year RFP. Barring any unforeseen circumstances the contract will renew annually for four more years.”
Alpine Express co-owner Stewart Johnson said his company employs about 30 drivers and lots of part-timers. “We didn’t have to hire anybody new—people just got more hours,” he explained. “We’re excited to get [the job] back.” Mountain Express operated the service for approximately one year from November 2009 to present.
There are some other changes of note for the upcoming winter. Starting Wednesday, November 24, each trip will cost $2—so it will cost $4 to go to Gunnison and back, for example. And exact change is required. The bus was historically free, but due to budgetary challenges, the RTA board decided to charge this winter in order to continue the service. They will revisit the issue in April. Truex said the goal is for the bus to be free of charge.
 “In 2009, it cost [the RTA] $7.33 per passenger, so it’s still being subsidized,” Truex explained. “Currently our plan is to go back to free service in April. It will be a board decision next summer whether to charge for the following winter.”
As for what you can bring on the bus, those rules remain the same. Carry-on luggage, backpacks, and other personal bags are allowed but full-size luggage is not because the buses are not equipped for large baggage. You can bring your skis and boards on, but they need to be placed in front of you/in your lap. As Johnson said, what you bring on board needs to be able to either fit in the overhead compartment or in your lap.
In other news, both RTA executive director Scott Truex and air program coordinator Kent Myers of Airplanners LLC received two-year contract extensions at the October 8 meeting.