Briefs Transportation

Capital grant for natural gas bus
According to Scott Truex, executive director of the Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation Authority (RTA), the RTA has received a tentative award of $536,000 to purchase an over-the-road coach, which is like a Greyhound bus. The grant application specified the purchase of a natural gas vehicle, provided that Gunnison County installs a natural gas fueling station as planned.

Truex and Stewart Johnson, president of Alpine Express, which operates RTA buses, will also research maintenance and repair of natural gas vehicles and their performance at high altitude.
“We don’t want to jump in there if we don’t know we can deal with it,” Truex said. In the event that the natural gas fueling station does not come about, the RTA will purchase a bus that runs on diesel instead.

Community-wide education plan
At a March 13 RTA meeting, the board of directors voted to contract with Magellan Strategies to complete a six-month public education campaign. The campaign has been designed to help the community understand the role of the RTA in the community and the need to increase funding for bus and air services, and to help the board determine whether 2015 is the year to ask voters for that increase.
“We’ll come up with a presentation piece that blends the facts from the air side as well as the bus side [of the RTA] so you can go out to the community,” explained David Cunningham of Summit Information Services, a partner of Magellan Strategies. As part of the campaign, RTA board members will visit with as many as 100 organizations in the Gunnison Valley, host open houses for the general public, and educate through local media outlets. The proposed budget for the campaign is $25,445.
Funding new admin position
The RTA will contribute $15,000 toward a new administrative position for the Gunnison–Crested Butte Air Alliance. Molly Eldridge, Crested Butte business owner and president of the alliance, made the request at the March meeting. The funding will cover the salary for the position for the next six months, at which point the plan is that it will be self-funded. The Gunnison–Crested Butte Air Alliance will be focused on raising funds that can support revenue guarantees for the airlines serving the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, and educating the public on the importance of the local air program.
The RTA made its contribution contingent upon Crested Butte Mountain Resort’s participation in the alliance. Eldridge explained that CBMR is developing resort-related incentives for joining the alliance, such as discounted passes or tickets.
“They were still coming up with their passes for next year,” Eldridge explained, noting that would influence what they can contribute to the air alliance.

Increasing service in Crested Butte South
Truex asked the board for permission to engage in discussions with the Mountain Express board of directors and Crested Butte South. He wants to explore the possibility of having the RTA buses enter the subdivision during the times of day when Mountain Express does not.
“Next winter it seems likely that Mountain Express will be running a winter service in Crested Butte South, and I think it would be more successful if there was more service in the subdivision,” Truex said.
“I have come up with a possible bus schedule where we would deviate into the subdivision at times when we are not busy if they provide the service they are providing now,” he continued.
Truex believes the change would cost somewhere around $28,000, and that increased service will result in increased ridership. The board directed him to explore the possibility in partnership with Mountain Express and Crested Butte South.

Lighting and shelter at Riverland bus stop
The board voted to contribute up to $2,500 to help fellow board member Danny D’Aquila (who recused himself from the vote) and the Riverland Property Owner’s Association move an existing and unused bus shelter from another nearby location to the Riverland bus stop. D’Aquila will also install a light.
D’Aquila still needs to request a variance from the county, but the total project will cost around $5,000 to install the light, a pad site, and the shelter, and is expected to make the stop safer for riders and drivers. The RTA will not be responsible for ongoing costs like electricity or plowing.

Planning grant
Truex will be applying for a $20,000 planning grant from the Colorado Department of Transportation and the board has agreed to contribute $10,000 in matching funds should the grant be awarded.
The last plan was created in 2006, and Truex said that having an updated plan will be useful when it comes to applying for capital grants and making the case to upgrade the grand transportation fleet.

Request for proposals
The board approved an RFP to provide bus service for the RTA for the next one to five years and appointed new member and Mt. Crested Butte mayor Dave Clayton and Gunnison resident and council member Carolyn Riggs to the review committee. Johnson, whose company Alpine Express currently provides that service, asked that the board review all applications and ensure that taxpayers get the best deal.