Budget woes force RTA to scale down bus services

“People say they are willing to pay”

Everyone likes a free ride. But due to budgetary constraints, the Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation Authority (RTA) is running a tighter bus schedule these days, and entertaining the idea of charging for bus rides starting next winter. RTA bus service is slated for three round trips per day between Gunnison and Mt. Crested Butte during the spring, summer and fall. Next winter, the service will run six trips per day compared to the ten trips a day it ran this past winter.

Jonathan Houck, chairman of the RTA board said, “People ask about the decreased level of service, and I tell them funding for air and ground have gone down.” Houck said. “Overall, people understand the situation when informed of the changes.”
The funding woes also have the RTA board considering the idea of charging bus passengers, raising as much as $50,000. “We would lose some ridership if we charge, but if we reduce service in the winter, we may need that,” said RTA Executive Director Scott Truex.
“We will be discussing charging for the bus at a future board meeting,” Truex continued.  “If the board decides to go in that direction, it would probably start next winter. We would be charging to raise revenues and to face the reality that we won’t be running enough service to meet demand. Since we will be running six round trips per day, we know that the buses in the morning and evening will be overcrowded if they are free. The board will discuss what the fee would be, but I would imagine it would be $1 or $2.”
Board member Bill Nesbitt said people have become accustomed to the convenience and level of service offered by the RTA bus system. “Now that they have it, they want more.” He also said he’s heard people say they are willing to pay.
Truex reported that over the first four months of the year RTA ridership is up. “We did carry 23 more passengers in the first four months [45,300, up from 45,277].” He also reported 14 percent of passengers are either getting on or getting off in Crested Butte South.