Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Mountain Rides to merge with Sun Valley Co.

Transportation board approves city of Sun Valley contract


By TERRY SMITH
Express Staff Writer

Mountain Rides Transportation Authority put the finishing touch Tuesday on a bus service agreement with Sun Valley Company by adding $160,000 to its fiscal year 2009 budget.

Amending the budget to include the funds from Sun Valley Co. was approved Tuesday morning by the Mountain Rides board of directors. The additional funding raises the Mountain Rides annual budget to $2,295,000.

The agreement, which had been in negotiations since early last summer, eliminates the yellow skier bus service previously provided by Sun Valley Company. Instead, Mountain Rides has revamped its Around Town bus service in the Ketchum and Sun Valley areas to accommodate skiers from Sun Valley Village to the Warm Springs and River Run lifts.

Mountain Rides is also close to finalizing a contract with the city of Sun Valley for increased bus service exclusive to that city. The board approved a contract, with minor word changes, that was approved several months ago by the city.

According to the agreement, the city of Sun Valley is providing $151,990 to Mountain Rides for the purchase of two 15-person Daimler buses for service exclusively between Elkhorn and Sun Valley Village.

Although the deal is not yet final, the money has already been added to the Mountain Rides budget, the buses have already been ordered and the service is already in place using an older Mountain Rides small bus.

Mountain Rides Executive Director Jason Miller urged the board to get the contract signed.

"We have got buses being delivered on Dec. 22 and we need this contract before then so we can get them paid," he said.

The Sun Valley Co. and city of Sun Valley agreements are already incorporated into a newly revamped Mountain Rides Around Town bus service schedule that went into effect on Nov. 27. The new system now provides three year-around routes, one of them extending south past St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center to The Meadows trailer park. Three other routes will be added during peak winter and summer tourist seasons.

"It looks like a great service," said Board Chairman Peter Everett, who praised the Mountain Rides staff for its smooth implementation of the new system. "Now it's time to run this like a Swiss or German train. It's really got to be precise and accurate."

In other business, Miller reported that ridership in November was less than anticipated, but still higher than in November of 2007.

"From all services combined we're still up 23 percent from where were a year ago," he said.

Miller said that November is traditionally a slower month, but that ridership also declined because of lower fuel prices and a smaller work force due to the economy.

"The fuel's helping us, but it's also hurting us because it's that much cheaper to drive," Miller said.

Board member raps development plans

Peter Everett, board chairman for Mountain Rides Transportation Authority, complained at Tuesday's meeting of the board of directors that development plans in the Wood River Valley do not include adequate provisions for public transportation. Everett specifically mentioned the Warm Springs Ranch Resort development plan, which is currently being considered by the Ketchum Planning & Zoning Commission.

"It's so frustrating," he said. "There's five pages on golf courses, there's 15 pages on parking and only one paragraph on public transportation, and it's off the mark." Everett said that development plans specifically should include provisions for bus stops.

"You've got to have bus stops, because half the experience of riding the bus is waiting for the bus."




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