SUCAP expands Road Runner Transit service

By Kathleen Goddeyne - 

After Greyhound cancelled their route from Grand Junction to Durango in Sept. 2011, Southern Ute Communities Action Programs Inc. (SUCAP) decided to pursue their own service between the two cities.

“Suddenly people didn’t have an alternative to airlines or vehicles,” said Peter Tregillus, SUCAP Programs Director. “Not everyone can afford to fly and some people need to get to and from work for seasonal jobs.”

SUCAP approached the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) in 2011 and submitted an application for the Inter-City Bus services that highlighted the economic impact of losing transportation to and from the southwest corner of Colorado.

On Oct. 31, SUCAP was awarded $200,000 to restore the bus transportation service, Road Runner Transit a SUCAP program division running under the name Road Runner Stage Lines, from Durango to Grand Junction. The route will service Durango, Cortez, Dolores, Telluride, Ridgway, Montrose, Delta, and Grand Junction.

According to Tregillus, rates will run between $35 and $45 for a one-way ticket with pro-rates for passengers who don’t ride the entire route. Buses will run seven days a week with one round trip per day.

“The bus will originate in Durango at 7 a.m. or 7:15 a.m. and turn around and leave Grand Junction around 1:15 p.m. That bus will get back to Durango around 7:15 p.m.,” Tregillus said.

Services are scheduled to begin on May 1, 2013. SUCAP hopes to receive the buses in April at which point the vehicles will be revamped with new paint jobs and a cleaned interior.

Buses will be equipped with wheelchair lifts, rest rooms, and storage compartments for luggage and freight.

The new bus route could create several jobs for the area.

“This will create some driver jobs,” said Tregillus. “It will also help existing employers to access other labor markets such a seasonal jobs in which workers move between areas.”

For more information on SUCAP, a large, independent non-profit organization based in Ignacio and their services, or the Road Runner Transit, visit www.sucap.org.