The city of Glenwood Springs is adding a new van to its on-demand bus service due to increased demand and high wait times.
The program is an on-demand ride-sharing service, where users can request a ride anywhere within Glenwood city limits during operating hours.
It kicked off in May of last year, and in the first month, there were 7,000 rides. The service peaked in October with 8,300 rides, resulting in wait times of over 30 minutes.
City Market was the top destination. The busiest day of the year was the last — New Year’s Eve — followed by Strawberry Days in June.
City councilors approved an amendment to Ride Glenwood on Demand’s 2026 contract at a meeting on Jan. 15, adding another vehicle to the fleet.
City transportation engineer Lee Barger said Glenwood Springs’ ridership is almost as busy as Carbondale’s Downtowner, and it has more riders than Basalt Connect.
The pilot program cost the city almost $755,000 in its first eight months. The additional van is expected to increase the 2026 program budget to almost $1.2 million.
The program is funded largely through grants from organizations like the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority. But this funding ends in 2027, raising concerns among some councilors about how the city will continue providing the free transportation service.
“In this grant program through RFTA, it’s only good for three years,” Barger said.
“Basalt’s in their fourth year of it; they actually extended it for them. I know RFTA is trying to find a way to fill this fund back up and keep it lasting, but all the communities are dealing with that.”
City Councilor Steve Smith also raised concerns about the eco-friendliness of adding a fourth gas-powered van, as the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority is looking to make its buses more eco-friendly, and the city just revisited its climate action plan at a work session before the meeting.
“I expressed my disappointment when this contract first came up for consideration when the contractor was going to use gasoline vehicles — when our Climate Action Plan explicitly says transition Ride Glenwood to electric vehicles,” he said.
“Now I hear talk of buying or asking the contractor to bring in a fifth bus, which presumably will again be fossil fuel. We're not being consistent.”
Council passed the request 5 to 2, with Smith and Councilor Ray Schmal voting no. Although Councilor Mitchell Weimer voted yes, he said the free program is affecting local taxi businesses.
“My father-in-law works for one of the taxi companies in town, and their business is way down — significantly,” he said during the meeting last week.
“And it coincides pretty cleanly with us ramping up the program.”
The city’s plan is to continue gathering data and considering impacts on local businesses with a potential ridership survey scheduled for April or May.
They will also revisit adding a potential $1 fare in June, as well as explore zone pricing, demand pricing and partnering with local businesses and organizations for sponsorships.
