The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Gunnison representatives balk at loss of express buses
By Mark Reaman
There will be 42 instead of 35 round trips a day on RTA buses between Gunnison and Mt. Crested Butte next ski season. The board of the Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation Authority (RTA) on Friday, June 30 approved the schedule that will begin with the 2023-24 ski season.
The new schedule will come with a few changes. There will no longer be the so-called “express buses” running between the two ends of the valley. Those are the buses that do not make stops in Crested Butte South, and board members Boe Freeburn and Liz Smith both expressed some heartburn over losing the direct routes. Next winter, all buses will make the visit to CB South, which adds six minutes to every trip.
The new winter schedule will add buses to the late evenings and high-volume work transit hours. Currently, the late evening winter schedule goes to hourly service after 7:15 p.m. Next winter, the buses will run every 15 minutes to every half hour, with the last bus leaving the North Valley at 11:30 p.m. from Mt. Crested Butte.
“This schedule is about as good as we can do with seven buses,” RTA executive director Scott Truex told the board. “It will optimize work times, provide added evening service and by not having express buses, it makes it all easier to understand for passengers and drivers.”
“Predictability and higher frequency are the two biggest things,” said board member Jason MacMillan. “I think this is a great schedule, especially the additions at night.
“I am a little conflicted with the loss of the express routes,” said Smith. “We tried to provide those express routes up and down the valley for workers. But with the other additions it makes sense.”
“There is a big difference in ridership between the express buses and the ones that go to CB South,” added Freeburn. “Six minutes is not a big time difference but it makes a difference.”
“I agree,” said board member Anna Fenerty. “Express just feels so much faster so you take that. But as a frequent user of the bus even I get confused sometimes about whether a bus will be going to CB South.”
Truex pulled up numbers indicating that while average ridership on RTA buses was higher on express buses last winter, it wasn’t by much.
“I just think psychologically the express bus is a big deal to a lot of people,” said Freeburn. “That six minutes might not be a big deal, but it feels like a big deal, especially early in the morning on the way to a job.”
“In the future, as we perhaps add more stops, it could become problematic,” said MacMillan.
Truex said the RTA will be conducting passenger surveys on the buses this coming winter so they can assess how passengers feel impacted.
Alpine Express operates the buses and Jon Galle, vice president of Gunnison Valley Operations, said that while some people will likely be disappointed in the elimination of the express buses, “they will like seeing another bus coming around a lot faster next winter. That will make a world of difference. Halfway through the season, they won’t know the difference,” he said.
“There will be some people who don’t initially like the change and some who will,” added Truex. “I’m guessing Gunnison people won’t like it and CB South people will. But the focus should be on how many more trips we’re putting out there.”
Truex predicted having service every half hour in the evening will actually increase ridership during the day as passengers get used to being able to count on frequent late-night service. “A half-hour schedule is a lot better than having to wait an hour for the next bus,” he said.
It was mentioned that having regular 30-minute service until 11:30 p.m. might also take some pressure off the Late Night Taxi during those times as residents who perhaps had one too many could catch a free bus instead of waiting for a busy taxi.
The board approved the new schedule with Freeburn voting against it. It will start November 21.
