Free Aspen Bus Renewed!

The Elected Officials Transportation Committee (EOTC), comprised of Pitkin County Commissioners and the Aspen City Council, is in charge of the free Aspen bus that runs from Aspen to Snowmass Village and Brush Creek to Woody Creek. They meet on a rotating basis at one of the jurisdictions over which they preside. The free bus costs $600,000 a year to run, funded by a 5% sales tax. This year, the fund was $30,000 short. The bus was declared no fare in 2008, and the EOTC has been funding it every season since. It was supposed to stop running April 11th, until they decided to vote about it.

This past Thursday, March 18th, the EOTC took a vote on whether or not to continue running the bus. Some members feel that it is not practicle or sustainable in the long run, and others feel that it is an important marketing tool for tourists and an amenity for the locals. The Aspen Daily News reported that Aspen Mayor Mick Ireland who ran the meeting was clearly bored - pretending to shoot himself in the head and choking himself when other members were speaking. People obviously felt strongly about this subject, because members of the EOTC threatened not to fund an upcoming project if the free bus was taken away. The project in question would rebuild a roadway at the Aspen entrance on the west side of the city.

In the end, the EOTC did vote 10 to 3 to keep the bus for three more years, but Snowmass Village will be responsible for raising any amount of money not covered by the EOTC fund. Enjoy the bus while it lasts!