When the city eliminates bus routes on May 7, Ron Edwards expects to spend a lot more time waiting, especially at Mercy Regional Medical Center, for a ride.
This spring, Edwards asked the Durango City Council to reconsider the elimination of two routes that serve the east side of town, Three Springs and Mercy Regional Medical Center.
“Cutting the routes of the buses, such as Crestview, (U.S. Highway) 160 and Mercy, is going to be a tragic thing because a lot of us – elderly, handicapped – depend on that,” he said.
The city is eliminating the two city bus routes with the lowest ridership after losing state funding. The Colorado Department of Transportation is reallocating federal grants that used to support Durango’s transit service. The grants are being redirected to other transit services around the state.
The city expects to save about $750,000 annually as a result of the cuts, Assistant Transportation Director Sarah Dodson said. Before major cuts, Durango Transit expected to spend about $3.5 million in 2017, according to the budget.
A 30 percent drop in ridership is expected after the cuts, she said. The city provided 446,110 rides in 2017, the 2018 budget states.
In addition to eliminating two routes, the city plans to reduce the frequency of the trolley from every 20 minutes to every 30 minutes.
The city will maintain transportation to Mercy Regional Medical Center through an agreement with Road Runner, a service of the Southern Ute Community Action Programs. Road Runner will stop at the hospital six times a day, and riders do not need to pay an additional fare to board Road Runner. The infrequent service means that Edwards could spend hours waiting for a ride, he said.
For short trips, Edwards regularly wheels himself from his home at Tamarin Square Apartments on East Third Avenue to destinations around town. But his caretaker and friend, Debbie Betwee, is worried he is going to wear out his shoulders by depending too much on his own strength.
“Your shoulders aren’t meant to be your legs,” she said.
Edwards lost the use of his legs in a motorcycle crash in 2010. He will be able to schedule door-to-door rides on the city’s Opportunity Bus once the cuts to the bus routes take effect. But he is worried because rides on the Opportunity Bus have to be scheduled in advance, and more people will be relying on the service, he said.
City staff is preparing for increased demand on the Opportunity Bus, Dodson said.
About 90 people regularly use the service, and about 280 people are prequalified to use it, she said. After May 7, two Opportunity buses will operate from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. everyday to mirror regular bus service.
“We will be working really hard to work with peoples’ schedules,” she said.
While transit cuts are eminent because of state funding cuts, the changes run counter to recent ridership trends and feedback from residents about public transportation.
During extensive meetings held to update the city’s Multimodal Master Plan, residents said they wanted to see transit serve a larger area and run more frequently.
“We would love to give the community the transit service they are demanding,” Dodson said.
Last year, the city also saw a slight rise in ridership, likely the result of an aging population. The fastest growing population of riders was older than 65, Dodson said.
But expanding services would likely require a designated funding source for transit, Dodson said, such as a designated sales tax, lodgers tax or property tax.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
New city bus schedule
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Key things to know about transit changes
In addition to eliminating two routes, the city will make these changes to transit service on May 7:
All city routes will operate from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. seven days a week year-round, except on holidays.
The Opportunity bus will provide door-to-door bus service seven days a week.
The trolley will stop every 30 minutes.
The Fort Lewis College bus will stop every 30 minutes.
There is no additional cost to ride the Road Runner bus to Mercy Regional Medical Center.
