A long-awaited bus service between the Magic and Wood River valleys moved a step closer to reality Thursday when the Mountain Rides Transportation Authority announced it is close to finalizing a deal with a private carrier.
The Mountain Rides board of directors seemed enthusiastic about finalizing a contract with Salt Lake Express, a company that provides bus service throughout the West and Midwest, but decided to table further action until details are worked out, including making sure Sun Valley Co. agrees to the deal.
Board member Nils Ribi, who is also a Sun Valley City Council member, suggested the delay, saying a major user of the bus service would be Sun Valley Co. employees.
"The success of this service is dependent upon Sun Valley Co., and they have not committed to this yet," Ribi said.
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Bus service between the Magic and Wood River valleys has been in the planning stages for the past year, but the proposal has continually experienced delays as Mountain Rides continues to rethink how best to get the service running.
Salt Lake Express was the only carrier that responded this summer to a request for proposals, but its offered price of $348,000 for a year of service was beyond the maximum $250,000 Mountain Rides wanted to spend.
In August, Mountain Rides Executive Director Jason Miller told the board that Mountain Rides would develop a plan to run the service itself. However, at Thursday's meeting Miller said Salt Lake Express had come back with a second offer of $230,000 per year, cheaper than the estimated $273,000 it would cost Mountain Rides to operate the service.
Salt Lake Express representative Kathy Pope told the board that the company has been interested for quite some time in operating in the area.
"It is our most requested expansion route," Pope said. "All we need is seed money to get it going and then we will no longer need your help."
If approved, the contract would be for two years. Mountain Rides and Salt Lake Express are working to have service start Dec. 1.
Terry Smith: tsmith@mtexpress.com
