Parachute’s on-demand transit service expanded into Rifle and Battlement Mesa this week.
The service began operating in October 2020, but van drivers will now offer rides to Rifle and Battlement Mesa as part of the existing Parachute Area Transit System. Rides cost $1 for residents and visitors during the pilot period.
Council member Alicia Gresley was one of about a dozen riders who used the service in its first two days.
“I took my 5 year old, and I said, ‘Where do you want to go?’ And she said Starbucks actually,” Gresley said at a city council meeting on Wednesday. “It was exciting for her as well.”
Gresley and her daughter also went to Walmart, where they met a fellow passenger whose family does not have a car. She sees how the program could make daily activities easier for families like these.
“These are the day-to-day things that I am really excited about for this service, and I hope people do know this is something for them to use — getting people to the pool or going to the grocery store,” Gresley said. “This is just the beginning of more interconnectivity within our communities.”
While Rifle city councilors say the expanded service will improve connectivity in western Garfield County, some residents are still concerned that the closure of a local bus route will impede that progress.
The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority currently operates the Hogback route between Glenwood Springs, New Castle, Silt and Rifle, but the agency announced earlier this year that it might cancel the bus line this fall due to a lack of funding.
Rifle city councilors and other western Garfield County municipalities continue to search for funding solutions to save the Hogback route, but some residents are hoping for more progress.
Water resources engineer Rebecca Brimore, a Rifle resident who commutes to Glenwood Springs, spoke during public comment at the Wednesday meeting about the potential bus closure.
“I go to work via the Hogback route, and even though it takes longer, I like it a lot more than driving because it's safer, and I can do other things,” Brimore said. “But riding the bus is not only better in terms of efficiency, it also is a lot safer in terms of risk.”
“As you guys all know, I-70 is incredibly dangerous — especially in the winter time under different conditions.”
Brimore said that while she understands it is an affordability issue for the city, riding the bus allows her to save money on gas.
She urged councilors to find a permanent funding solution for the Hogback in the coming months. Rifle allocated $40,000 to the Hogback route this year.
So far, the on-demand ride service has only seen about six additional passengers per day since the service expanded into Rifle and Battlement Mesa on Monday. The Hogback serves about 200,000 riders per year.
