Come Thanksgiving, taking the bus to work in Ketchum or Sun Valley should be a little easier. While nothing is set in stone, Mountain Rides plans to increase around-town service by adding several new routes and extending several of the routes' hours of operation.
Executive Director Jason Miller said the purpose of the revisions is to increase overall ridership. Though Mountain Rides has seen a large increase in the use of commuter buses, it has seen a decline in local use.
"For a while we have been wanting to change things to try to reverse that trend," Miller said.
At the core of the revisions are higher levels of basic service, linear routes instead of loops, smaller vehicles in neighborhood areas and at least one-hour frequency year round.
There are also two new major routes. One runs from Thunder Springs to the Wood River YMCA, west Ketchum and River Run. It also stops at St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center and The Meadows RV Park. The route will start with limited hours in the morning and afternoon, but should expand in the future.
"People from The Meadows were really happy to get year-round service," said Jim Remke, marketing and outreach coordinator for Mountain Rides. "It should really help the workforce."
The second route serves the Sun Valley/Elkhorn area. As part of a partnership with Sun Valley Co., Mountain Rides will provide transportation in and out of Sun Valley Resort. The route stops at major tourist attractions like the new Sun Valley Golf Club, The Pavilion, Dollar Mountain and Bald Mountain. It will also stop at major streets in Elkhorn.
During peak season, Mountain Rides will add a couple of shorter routes to assist in moving skiers in and out of Warm Springs and River Run.
Mountain Rides is also extending the hours of its service from Warm Springs to Ketchum and Sun Valley. The route will run from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. year round, which would allow teachers and students to take the bus to and from school.
Overall, Mountain Rides is increasing its service level by about 20 percent. Miller said he hopes to see an initial 20 percent increase in ridership with as much as a 50 percent increase in the long run. However, he admits that with the economy hurting and businesses cutting back, overall ridership could very well decline in the future.
For more information on route revisions contact Jim Remke at 788-7433.
