The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Wave down the bus driver
Riverbenders rejoice—the RTA bus will now stop at the Riverbend turnoff if flagged down, whether heading north or south.
Chris Gibson from the New Adam’s House had requested a bus stop near the house, which is located between Crested Butte and Riverbend on Hwy. 135. And the Riverbend turnoff made the most sense as it is already on the bus route. The Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation Authority approved the stop at its January meeting.
According to executive director Scott Truex, “It made sense because it’s on the bus route and the road is wide enough to stop there, and now we are serving an entire new community. None of the buses that we have are doing more than one continuous loop so the schedule doesn’t get impacted and they don’t get behind schedule.”
In other RTA ground news, ridership is down, which was expected due to the $2 fee enacted for this winter. “We have a lot less riders,” said Truex. “I think everyone understands the situation we’re in. We’ve had very few problems.”
The numbers are telling. In December 2009, the RTA carried 13,412 riders. In December 2010 that number decreased to 5,650. For the year, 2009 saw 78,502 riders while 2010 closed with 70,035. The decrease is due in part to the fee, and also the reduced schedule.
The RTA is currently looking at long-term budget scenarios and looking into the future of air and ground. As for how much money will go where, Truex said, “It all depends on how the board wants to handle it, what the priorities are and what the beliefs are for how successful the air program could be. The board will make a decision on how much they will commit to the air program, and that impacts the ground program. That decision needs to be made in the next few months.”
