The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Continues to add new busses to the fleet
By Alissa Johnson
The Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation Authority (RTA) continues to work on improving the valley’s free bus service. Starting November 23, the RTA began running 17 daily round trips between Gunnison and Mt. Crested Butte. And by November 30, the RTA expects to launch a mobile app so riders have accurate information on the buses’ locations.
Seventeen daily trips is a significant increase over last year, when the RTA ran 13 trips per day. The first southbound bus leaves Mt. Crested Butte at 6:45 a.m., and the last bus of the night leaves Mountaineer Square at 11:25 p.m. and the town of Crested Butte at 11:33 p.m.
The RTA will also continue to serve Crested Butte South, although Express buses will not stop there or at Cement Creek Road. Mountain Express is providing Crested Butte South service during those times.
Riders may also notice two brand new buses making the rounds. They have room for 12 additional passengers, and they’ve been well received by both passengers and drivers.
“They’re absolutely fantastic,” said RTA executive director Scott Truex.
Come December, riders should also be able to track the location of the bus using a locator app that Truex plans to launch to the public on November 30. Early tests of the service have gone well, but Truex wants to make sure there are no glitches during the first week of the ski season, when the number of trips increases significantly.
RTA board member and Mt. Crested Butte councilmember Janet Farmer wanted to know if the RTA had ever looked into putting Wi-Fi on the buses too. Truex said the idea had been considered, but, “It’s only as good as the cell service, so that’s the issue, and people tend to have cell-enabled devices.”
More improvements are coming, as the RTA works on securing three more new buses over the next couple of years. Truex is in the process of ordering one bus now to take advantage of a production window that would allow for delivery in May, and he’s also working on grant applications for two additional buses to be delivered in 2018 or 2019.
Each new bus costs between $525,000 and $530,000, and will run on compressed natural gas (CNG). For the upcoming purchase, a Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) grant is covering extra costs associated with CNG. And a Colorado Department of Transportation grant could cover up to 80 percent of the cost of the next two buses, with the possibility of more DOLA funding to cover the CNG costs.
For the full bus schedule, visit gunnisonvalleyrta.com.
