Yampa Valley RTA contemplates seven-days-a-week bus service for South Routt
- Dylan Anderson
- Apr 18
- 3 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Service could operate for three hours in the morning and evening, with buses traveling between Yampa, Oak Creek and Steamboat Springs.
If approved by voters this fall, a Yampa Valley Transportation Authority could provide daily bus service to South Routt County, with multiple 20-person buses traveling from Yampa, through Oak Creek and down to Steamboat Springs every morning and evening.
According to details shared with the Yampa Town Council on Wednesday, the route could operate by sending buses each way at 90-minute intervals for two three-hour periods each day, one in the morning and one in the early evening. Another option would have increased service at 45-minute intervals.
Additionally, Bill Ray, a consultant working to facilitate the process to set up a regional transportation authority in the Yampa Valley, said they have modeled a seasonal “activity bus” service that could operate in peak times of the year.
“That’s what’s being modeled right now. More details are going to be coming together,” Ray said. “After the RTA is created, it is truly up to the RTA board and the RTA jurisdictions to set forth the planning to provide the service, to model the service.”
Yampa’s Town Board approved an intergovernmental agreement to create a Yampa Valley Transportation Authority on Wednesday, after officials with Steamboat Springs and Routt County did so a day earlier. Hayden joined them Thursday by holding a second public hearing, though they had approved the IGA already. Craig had already approved the IGA on April 8. Oak Creek will consider it next week.
The additional details about South Routt Service were spurred by Yampa’s first public hearing considering the IGA, which included some in public comment questioning what service would look like and if joining the RTA would be worth it for the town of 400 residents. There was still some skepticism Wednesday, and the meeting included a short conversation about how long a service can run if no one is riding.
“If ultimately there is no ridership, then yeah, there would be hard decisions to make,” Ray said. “But I think the important thing is, if the town of Yampa joins the RTA, the town of Yampa will be on that board to help make that decision.”
Yampa Mayor Stacey Geilert said one key difference with Yampa when comparing all the other communities in the RTA, is that they don’t have a grocery store. While bus commuters from Craig or Hayden can pick up groceries where they live, Yampa residents need to drive to Oak Creek or Steamboat, she said.
“That’s a huge thing,” Geilert said.
While the IGA is almost fully approved by all member communities, it will likely see adjustments over the coming months. Member communities will consider referring ballot questions to voters in August. Each community will vote separately, and it is possible for the RTA to form without all communities joining.
A YVTA is expected to cost between $9 and $10 million annually. The leading funding option being considered is a sales tax between 0.5% to 1%, though officials intend to do some public polling to gauge community support for various funding options. This polling is being done in each member community, with specific questions crafted for each.
Funding for the RTA could also come in some form from Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp., which has partially tied the RTA to the city of Steamboat Springs’ lift tax negotiations.
The RTA has eight service goals:
Increase the number and frequency of buses on U.S. Highway 40 between Steamboat and Craig.
Establish a new circulator route in Craig.
Provide new bus routes to South Routt and unincorporated areas along U.S. 40.
Add new ground transportation to and from Yampa Valley Regional Airport.
Develop new bus stops and improve existing bus stop amenities.
Create park and ride lots along U.S. 40 routes.
Support safety improvements like crosswalks, pedestrian improvements and wildlife crossings.
Be a stakeholder and potentially provide financial support for commuter rail efforts.