The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Utilizing smaller vehicles to help keep people moving up and down the valley
[ by Mark Reaman ]Action is being taken to possibly increase bus service in the valley. The Gunnison Valley Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) board of directors gave the thumbs up to pursue a plan and funding to increase the number of bus trips in all four seasons, but particularly in winter. If successful, winter service would expand to 53 daily roundtrips (from the current 41) which will basically result in 15-minute service for peak winter ridership times between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. The service in summer, fall and spring would increase to 41 roundtrips per day compared to 33 trips today.
The RTA is in communication with the state of Colorado and its Colorado Clean Transit Enterprise (CTE) grant application process, and the hope is to obtain funding for three smaller 30-passenger vehicles along with funding to operationally expand the service. The smaller vehicles would cost approximately $340,000 versus the $870,000 for the large buses currently used by the RTA. Those small buses would be used year-round on off-peak times and in the winter with the expanded service but never run one after another.
RTA executive director Scott Truex said based on conversations he has had, he is fairly confident in obtaining the grants. The first year would bring in about $450,000 in 2026 and then approximately $600,000 in the following years. The RTA must provide 20% for the bus purchases and operational expenses.
“I am very excited by this possibility,” Truex said at the August 8 board meeting. “I think it will work well.”
The board was in support of going after the grant and supported the service expansion plan.
“I continue to be nervous with federal support to fund bus replacements,” noted board member Ian Billick. “Is there any general sense of when the dust will settle?”
“There are a lot of the questions from all the transit agencies,” said Truex. “But so far there have been no impacts on transit from the budget cuts. We will know more next year.”
In response to another question from Billick, Truex said the state and feds appear to have a solid working relationship despite some tensions that included Colorado being part of a wider lawsuit with the feds.
Truex reported that the RTA had applied for two more of the large buses from the Congressionally Directed Spending program. Truex said he received a call from Senator Michael Bennet’s offices saying the RTA application for $1.5 million was included in the Senate Transportation Housing and Urban Development draft bill.
“Our project was the only such application included for funding from Colorado,” he said. In his report to the board he said, “while there are more steps to go through for this to come to an award, the signs are looking good provided that Congress passes an appropriations package, which could take place any time between September of 2025 and March 2026.”
The need for additional buses and service continues to be seen as ridership continues to climb. Ridership in June was up 5.2% versus last year and July was showing an increase of more than 3% over 2024.
If the RTA receives the state’s CTE grant for the smaller buses and operational assistance, the summer, fall and spring increase in service would begin in 2027 while the winter expansion would start in 2028.
