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Cuts Ahead for San Miguel Transit

Although it’s been years since the housing bubble burst, its ripples are still being felt. 

The Galloping Goose looks like it might have to cut some service in San Miguel County.  The bus route runs from Telluride out to Norwood and Down Valley.  Lynn Black, the County Administrator, says it’s a popular service.

"It is," she says, "particularly with long distance commuters, especially in the winter.  We have really good ridership from the Norwood area and the Down Valley buses."

The route cuts come down to what it almost always comes down to: money.

"The transit relies on real estate transfer assessments that are generated when a house sells in certain subdivisions," she says.  "Since the real estate market has not been selling very well, we have lost quite a bit of revenue.  In the last two years, though, we have received CDOT grants for operational costs.

"We've been running through our reserves quite quickly keeping the service up, and for next year we decided we need to make some cuts of about $50,000.  I will probably be making the recommendation to the board of commissioners to cut one of the Down Valley routes in the morning, and one in the evening," said Black.

She hopes the grants will continue to cover the transit line until revenue picks back up.

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