More out of county bus service looks promising

Montrose service eventually in play

By Mark Reaman 

More bus opportunities from the Gunnison Valley over the mountain passes are coming up. Gunnison Valley Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) executive director Scott Truex told the board at the May 22 meeting that a contract has been officially signed with Bustang to keep the two buses a day running between Crested Butte and Denver.

Truex also informed the board that the idea of regular public transit between Gunnison and Montrose took another step forward recently. He said the organization that runs the transit system in Montrose, All Points Transit, recently applied for a grant to fund Gunnison to Montrose service.

“I was just informed of this last week so it’s pretty new. They run a similar service between Montrose and Ouray,” he said. “They might use a van to run a couple of trips a day. It could help with some of the medical needs we have in the valley for people who need to get to medical professionals in Montrose. Nothing is for sure, but it is progress.”

Truex suggested the board support future discussions with All Point over the idea with the understanding it might cost the RTA some money to help get the service.

He said, “If we have some skin in the game we can help influence the details,” he said. “I would guess it would likely be less than the Bustang contract which is around $140,000 per year.”

RTA members and county commissioners Laura Puckett Daniels and Liz Smith suggested Truex touch base with the Health and Human Services Department to gather some statistics on just how much demand there is for the service with people wanting to travel between Gunnison and Montrose for medical reasons. They said it was significant.

“It is beneficial to the valley and something we’ve wanted,” said RTA board member Ian Billick. “I’m absolutely in favor of continuing the conversation.”

So was the rest of the board. Truex said given the early nature of the idea, it may take a while to get more finite information, but he said he would report back to the board in the fall.

Other bus news
—Truex said the RTA was awarded another $723,000 for another bus replacement. He expects to see that bus in early 2028.
—Alpine Express said missed routes in March were due to driver health issues. They have stepped up communication of such incidents through the Transit App most people use to track the RTA buses.
—The Gunnison Transit Center planning is continuing with research on geothermal and the expectation that given city of Gunnison rules, the amount of parking on the site will be decreased due to landscaping requitements. There is plenty of on-street parking nearby.