The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Empty buses can be misleading
By Katherine Nettles
During the March 22 Rural Transportation Authority (RTA) meeting, executive director Scott Truex gave the board an update on the upcoming spring bus schedule which will include five additional roundtrip routes daily, more bike capacity and the expected continuation of record ridership. The board discussed the complex matrix of adding more buses to the schedule in the future to help reduce individual vehicle use, but agreed that while adding even more buses per day is a goal, it will take time, drivers and buses to get there.
February was another record-breaking month (the 22nd in a row) for RTA bus ridership, with 25% more riders than in February 2023. The RTA carried an average of 1,647 passengers per day, “which is also a new record for a month,” said Truex.
The expanded spring/summer/fall bus schedule will begin April 8 with 33 daily roundtrips.
“I expect that with more trips per day, it will continue our streak of record-setting months,” said Truex.
New bike racks for the buses are being installed this spring, said Truex. The new racks will increase bike capacity from two to three, and also allow for two of those bikes to be fat tire bikes. The third rack is a regular size that works well for kids’ bikes. The 10 new bike racks cost $20,000 total, and Truex said they will likely leave the racks on year-round as they do now but cannot allow them to be used after dark because they block the bus headlights.
Truex wanted to clarify a statement made in a recent Crested Butte town council meeting during a parking discussion. He said while 65% of the RTA bus seats are often empty, that figure lacks context. While the town discussion has been focused on the RTA’s potential to carry more skier traffic and those residents visiting Elk Avenue from south of town, Truex noted that the buses are not as easy or convenient for leisure and recreation travel.
“We’re a commuter bus. And there are six times as many people heading northbound in the morning as there are southbound. We’re never going to get 100%, and in my mind on a commuter bus, 50% is full. So, we’re getting there.” Truex added that during peak times, buses are about 75% full, and during the weekends on peak times, buses are often close to completely full. Truex shared that rider surveys show about two-thirds of riders in the winter are commuting to work.
He said families riding with their ski equipment is much more challenging.
He said it was unrealistic to run a second early morning bus to make it more convenient for riders, as suggested in the town council meeting, because there aren’t enough drivers or buses to do it.
RTA board member Laura Puckett Daniels said she understands that they are already consistently adding service and more passengers will come. “I’m not stressed about it. I’m really proud of how we’ve increased access for people in this community. Could there be more public transit access? Of course. But last-mile transit is something that is a really hard nut that we should try to crack in our strategic planning,” she said.
RTA board member Liz Smith also noted that the past two years of record ridership coincides with increased service, showing that the more service is sustainably built in, the more riders feel they can rely on it and the more they use it.
Truex agreed and said that bus load factors are increasing with every incremental increase in service.
“My overall point is that we’re carrying a lot of people, and we should be proud,” he concluded.
