Durango Transit may look different in the next few years if service cuts or fare hikes are needed to balance the budget, but for now, it’s among the three best in the nation for outstanding rural service.
The Federal Transit Administration Acting Administrator Carolyn Flowers this week presented the Administrator’s Award for Outstanding Public Transportation Service in Rural Public Transportation to Durango Transit in Asheville, North Carolina.
“Being recognized for doing an outstanding job by the head of the FTA supports the need to maintain the services in our community,” said Amber Blake, Durango’s Transportation and Sustainability director.
Durango Transit applied for the award, and it was recognized along with Barry County Transit in Michigan and Tri-Valley Heartland Express in Minnesota.
The FTA noted Durango Transit works to ensure older adults, people with disabilities and poor residents can reach health care and other needed services.
It also recognized creativity in seeking funding to ensure buses come at 20- and 30-minute intervals and the stops are coordinated with regional Road Runner buses that serve Bayfield and Ignacio.
Maintaining service could get tougher if Durango Transit loses a large portion of its federal grant funding in 2018. The Colorado Department of Transportation is revising how federal money is distributed, and that could lead to cuts.
Blake expects to be in involved in reviewing the changes as a member of a state subcommittee.
CDOT announced in September it would also take more comment from regional transportation groups about the changes in funding, Blake said.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
