Talks about Late Night Taxi continue

Can Mountain Express run until the bars close?

By Mark Reaman

Discussions on how to more efficiently run the Late Night Taxi service in the north end of the valley are ongoing. Crested Butte finance director Rob Zillioux reported to the Crested Butte Town Council at the August 19 meeting that a “productive meeting had been held with the local stakeholders including a representative of Telluride Express that runs Alpine Express, which operates the Late Night Town Taxi.

“It was a good conversation,” he said. “The gist is that Telluride Express will come back with a proposed contract or options.”

Zillioux said alternatives were being considered that included starting the late-night service at 11:45 p.m. when Mountain Express stops running its route instead of 10 p.m., as is now the case. He said there could be a change in the rider fee from $5 to $10 if a patron is delivered to his or her home, while if the taxi drops everyone at a central location in each population center the fee could remain $5.

Zillioux said there was discussion about having Mountain Express run between Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte until 2 a.m., but that would likely mean requiring the county to plow Gothic Road until then instead of stopping at midnight, as is the current practice. Councilwoman Laura Mitchell said it is hard for Mountain Express to find drivers to man the buses between midnight and 2 a.m. She said county commissioner Roland Mason said the county road and bridge budget was set, calling for plowing to stop at midnight.

Zillioux said all those things would have to be considered but more options would formally be brought to the council in the near future.