RTA to expand winter bus service

More convenience and less crowded for the customers

[ By Mark Reaman ]

There will be a lot more buses transporting people up and down the valley next winter. The Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation Authority (RTA) board agreed last month to increase the number of round trips during the ski season from 28 to 36.

RTA executive director Scott Truex said ridership was off about 40 percent last winter because the COVID-19 restrictions. The hope it to bring ridership up to pre-pandemic levels and he said by providing additional service, it should entice more riders to use the bus.

“This expanded schedule will allow 15 minute service during peak times. It is more convenient and will be less crowded on the buses,” he said. “We want our customers to feel comfortable returning to transit. It is a very robust schedule but we are getting a new bus this August and that will give us the capacity to do it. There will be six buses used every day and we’ll have two backups.”

Truex said that the sales tax revenues that fund the RTA have been increasing so the budget is in good shape to take on the additional costs.

“Another benefit,” he told the board, “is that it eliminates the need for the Mountain Express to provide service to CB South and also the need for the CB South POA to pay Mountain Express to run that service. It will actually provide better service to Crested Butte South.”

He said with the increased peak service, there would be regular buses running to CB South as well as consistent express service that bypasses the subdivision on the way to Gunnison.

Board member Boe Freeburn of Gunnison said he thinks the additional runs will be of particular benefit to students at Western Colorado University and he advocated for even more express buses.

Board member Chris Haver said several restaurants wanted a late night bus that allowed their employees to get off their shift and ride to Gunnison. The last bus will leave Crested Butte at 11:25 p.m.

Truex said he never thought he would see such a robust schedule be able to happen. “But the challenge will be for Alpine Express to find the staff to run the increased service,” he said. “There will be a crunch this winter but hopefully they have time to look for more drivers.” He said that with the RTA’s anticipated housing project expected to be done in the summer of 2022, the following winter will hopefully see less of a crunch, at least from a housing perspective.

The spring, summer and fall bus schedule will continue to provide 18 round trips per day.