Nonprofit shuttle services are filling mountain town transportation shortages
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SALIDA, Colo. — A peeling decal reading “Chaffee Shuttle” flapped in the wind as John Kay, 71, turned his shuttle bus onto the scenic highway that connects Salida with Buena Vista. Kay wore a Mountain Valley-transit snapback hat and turned up the volume on his preferred oldies rock radio station.
Mountain Valley Transit operates as a nonprofit shuttle service providing free transportation to the locals of small mountain towns including Salida (population ~5,900), Buena Vista (population ~3,000) and others. The 11-shuttle fleet fills spotty transportation coverage across mountain towns that leaves many rural residents without reliable public transportation for grocery shopping, commuting and trips to critical health care resources.
The MVT, which first formed around 1996, is one of many organizations that rely on federal grants to support its mission. The Trump presidency announced plans to scrutinize U.S. Department of Transportation funding earlier this year.
In a memorandum titled, “Lowering Costs Through Smarter Policies, Not Political Ideologies” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy outlined how federal grantmaking, lending and benefits would be allocated in the future, which may limit the reach and access of the MVT and other burgeoning rural transportation networks.
Kay’s first stop of the evening route was in the Salida Walmart Supercenter parking lot, where he was scheduled to pick up one of his regular riders, Gary Meier. Meier, 72, is disabled and lives alone in Nathrop, one of Colorado's least populated towns — he’s one of its 100 residents — that sits between Buena Vista and Salida.
“Gary used to get taken to town for a game night thing here in town for church,” said Kay, “but one day he says to me, ‘Well, they quit it,’ and I said, ‘Oh, that’s too bad,’ and he said, ‘Can I just ride with you?’ and I said, ‘Sure,’ so he rides with me now.”
Kay said he drives Meier to the hospital, to the local Walmart and sometimes just to grab a sandwich or to ride around town for a while.
“He had a stroke, he lives alone at home, he doesn’t get out much… so he enjoys it,” said Kay.
Mountain Valley Transit, originally named Neighbor to Neighbor Volunteers, launched in 1996 when Buena Vista locals began offering to drive neighbors in need around town.
As ridership and demand increased, the organization decided to incorporate as a nonprofit in 2001 as The Chaffee Shuttle Service. By the end of its first year, the service gave 1,700 shuttle rides, moving locals between medical appointments to grocery stores.
The earliest routes ran between Salida and Buena Vista, two relatively small mountain towns with a combined population of fewer than 10,000 people. Both are located in Chaffee County, where about a quarter of the residents are 65 years or older.
“You don’t go 10 miles to the grocery store. You go 25,” said Kate Garwood, MVT’s board president, of the isolation some residents may face.
“So it doesn’t take much math to see how it adds to your transportation costs, your healthcare costs… so this service answers the question, ‘Is there a transportation answer here?’
“Yes, there is.”
Rural bus ridership spiked in recent years to the point where drivers of full buses have had to turn down passengers at bus stops in Buena Vista.
Earlier this year, CDOT announced it would initiate a second daily Bustang round trip between Crested Butte and Denver in order to meet demand in Gunnison County and Chaffee County.
While Bustang operates separately from the MVT, the buses make stops at the MVT’s office in Salida every weekday morning and evening on the route to Pueblo, Denver, Alamosa and Crested Butte.
In 2018, The Chaffee Shuttle started working with West SLV (San Luis Valley) Transit — a similar organization based the nearby Saguache County — and CDOT to investigate potential routes and ridership pricing models to develop public transportation in towns such as Saguache, Center and Crestone, among others.
Last year, The Chaffee Shuttle rebranded as Mountain Valley Transit to reflect the organization's reach beyond Chaffee County into the San Luis Valley. The nonprofit also offers non-emergency medical transportation to Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo. Those traveling to medical appointments may be covered by Medicaid.
The MVT operates 11 vehicles today, a combination of shuttles and small buses, all of which are wheelchair accessible.
Shuttles typically fit around a dozen passengers. Rides are free, and vehicles make trips between Buena Vista and Salida, as well as follow circular routes within the towns of Buena Vista and Salida.
The MVT also offers a handful of trips to towns in the San Luis Valley like Antonio, Creede, Alamosa and Saguache that vary by day, some of which pass through smaller towns like Moffat and Crestone on the way.
Riders can schedule door-to-door shuttle service in Chaffee County by reserving time slots with a member of the MVT’s team. A full-time dispatcher takes the reservations then schedules part-time drivers.
Kay, who drives three days a week, makes one round- trip in the mornings between 7 a.m. to around noon, then again from 3:30 p.m. to around 6 p.m.
His shuttle is equipped with a small mechanical ramp for elderly riders, such as Meier, to store their walkers and wheelchairs in the back. He drops off some riders as close to their front doors as he can to limit the time and effort they need to walk between bus stops and home.
Kay said that the elderly, locals experiencing homelessness and recreationalists (e.g., campers, hikers and bikers) are his most frequent travelers, and he often provides the first or last leg on longer Bustang rides, which have few pick up and drop off locations around the county.
“Sometimes when it’s cold out, and people are waiting for their rides or the Bustang or something else, not even the shuttle, they’ll wait inside [this shuttle] just to stay warm,” said Kay. “So the shuttle helps in a lot of ways, more than just transportation sometimes.”
Kay picked up a bike rider waiting near Salida’s Tenderfoot Hill and stored her camping gear alongside Gary’s walker. There are no marked MVT bus stops, but Kay said riders know where to meet him and may request to be picked up at virtually any location, ranging from trailheads to random spots along the highway.
As he pulled out of the Tenderfoot Hill parking lot, he smiled and waved at another regular rider, Pal, sitting out on his porch, and pointed out a few other homes of people Kay had met on previous trips. Through his four years driving the shuttle, Kay said he has learned many regulars’ schedules and knows where they’ll be and when.
“You always see something new when you’re driving out here, and you meet a lot of interesting people too, every day, just like Gary, huh Gary?” said Kay nodding to his passenger.
Meier, who wore sunglasses he picked up at Walmart and a straw hat, smiled and nodded back.
The shuttle had already passed Meier’s home in Northrop, but he frequently rides for pleasure, according to Kay.
Pointing down the highway, Meier stayed in his seat.
“Onwards!” he said.
Type of story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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