Demand for public transit is growing in Southwest Colorado, but state funding to support it is lacking, according to local agencies and a January report by the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project.
Colorado was ranked 29th nationwide for per capita spending on transit services, according to the report, spending just $2.61 per person in 2014 – less than New Mexico, Wyoming and North Dakota.
Nationwide, states paid $53.90 per person for public transit services such as buses, trains, bike lanes, sidewalks and trails.
Public transit can reduce vehicle use and thereby reduce road maintenance and expansion costs, but state subsidies to support public transit fall short in Colorado, the report says.
Nationwide, states provide 26 percent of operating costs and 12 percent of capital costs for public transit.
But Colorado provided zero operating funding and only 1 percent of transit capital, according to a 2015 Colorado Department of Transportation plan. Since 2015, spending for operating costs has gone up slightly, but remains at less than 1 percent.
“Compared with the other states, the level of state support for public transit in Colorado is one of the lowest in the country,” states a January policy brief by the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP). “(States) are crucial partners for implementing good public transport, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, in addition to highways.”
The report points to several studies that show the public transit funding gap in Colorado is $500 million per year, including $107 million per year for rural transit funding that includes providing access to medical care.
In the past two years, state lawmakers have introduced several bills to increase transportation funding, but none was approved, and they focused on revenues to maintain and expand highways. Proposals that got the most attention included $3.5 billion in bonds and raising the Colorado sales tax by $670 million per year, but neither provided significant funding for transit, walking or biking.
Lawmakers are again drafting a transportation bill under the leadership of House Speaker Crisanta Duran, D-Denver, and Senate President Kevin Grantham, R-Cañon City.
To ensure that any potential bill boosts transit funding and that rural areas don’t get left behind, the Colorado Public Interest Group is touring rural counties to encourage local governments to speak up.
“A transit funding bill is being looked into, and rural counties need to be heard,” said Colleen McLoughlin, campaign organizer for CoPIRG. “Let state Sen. Don Coram know. Let your local county and city governments know about transit needs in your community so you can get a share of new funding.”
Montezuma County Public Transportation (MoCo) is seeing an increase in use, said transit manager Mary Holaday. The demand is forcing new policies to adjust to demand on a fixed budget.
In 2015, the free bus service had 10,356 riders and ran 103,433 miles, delivering people to jobs, medical appointments and stores. In 2016, there were 14,768 passengers, and mileage jumped to 177,759 miles.
“We had to change how we operate in order to best meet more demand,” Holaday said.
Starting March 1, requests for scheduled rides in the county must be made by noon the business day before. Durango medical trips will be offered on the second and fourth weeks of the month and must be scheduled two weeks in advance. MoCo rides to shopping will also be done a scheduled route.
The Roadrunner Stage Lines’ daily route between Durango and Grand Junction also has increased ridership, said division manager Matt Nesbitt.
In 2016, ridership was 7,970 riders, up from 5,960 in 2015 and 1,871 in 2014. The bus passes through Mancos, Cortez, Dolores, Telluride, Ridgway and Montrose.
The Roadrunner Stage Lines began in 2014 after Greyhound pulled out of the region.
It operates under the umbrella of the Southern Ute Community Action Program and depends on $340,000 per year in state and federal subsidies to operate, in addition to ticket sales.
Will Toor, SWEEP transportation director, said the bipartisan transportation bill in the Colorado Legislature looks promising. Discussion centers on whether to ask voters to raise taxes in November to bridge the transportation shortfall.
“My sense is that they are settling in on a sales tax over a gas tax, but they have not come to an agreement yet,” Toor said. “Our position is that it must include multimodal funding for public transit that meets the needs of diverse communities across the state, not just one-size-fits-all for major highways.”
One proposal would ask voters to approve a 0.6 percent sales tax increase, which would generate an estimated $750 million per year for transportation needs.
If approved for the ballot and by voters, Toor said, half the funds would go to Colorado Department of Transportation for distribution to city and county applicants, and the other half would go directly to local governments.
jmimiaga@the-journal.com
This story has been updated to correct the total of state and federal subsidies for Roadrunner State Lines. It is $340,000 a year.
New bus schedule
The Montezuma County Public Transportation bus service, MoCo, has a new schedule and rules.
All requests for scheduled rides in the county must be made by noon the business day before.
Durango medical trips will be offered on the second and fourth weeks of the month with one trip in the morning and one trip in the afternoon only. Clients should expect some waiting time. Medical trips must be scheduled no less than two weeks in advance.
Shopping trips on the MoCo bus will be on a scheduled route. The shopping days will be Tuesday and Friday. Pickup will be 9 a.m., 10 a.m., and 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Return trips will be at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
For more information, or to schedule a ride call 564-2770 .
