OSTG 2023 Reimbursements

• September-2023-Ridership.pdf
• APRIL-RIDERSHIP-2.pdf
• May-2023-Ridership.pdf
• June-2023-Ridership.pdf
• July-2023-Ridership.pdf
• August-2023-Ridership.pdf

The new Howard - Salida hybrid fixed route was launched on Monday, June 5, 2023. This new route provides a new transportation option for the residents of Howard, CO needing to travel to Salida. The new route was marketed on the community Facebook page for Howard, CO, in an electronic newsletter sent to over 320 Howard residents, and on posters and in brochures distributed to businesses, the post office, Howard Hall Community Center, and the fire department. The Howard - Salida route and schedule was also advertised in local newspapers both online and in print as well as on two local radio stations. There were six riders in June and four riders in August. There were no riders in July or September. The low ridership on this new route may be attributed to more time needed for residents to learn about and plan to use the new route. The rule of thumb is that it typically takes six months to a year for a new route to experience an increase in ridership. As The Chaffee Shuttle continues to market this new route, it is hoped that ridership will increase.

• September-2023-Ridership1.pdf
• May-2023-Ridership1.pdf
• June-2023-Ridership1.pdf
• July-2023-Ridership1.pdf
• August-2023-Ridership1.pdf
• APRIL-RIDERSHIP-21.pdf

Summary of Ridership EFTS

On Friday, May 26, 2023, the existing Mt. Goat Line between Buena Vista and Salida that ran on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays extended hours of operation and offered more frequent service in order to better accommodate work commute trips. The Mt. Goat Line transitioned into a complete commuter route on Monday, July 31, 2023, and now offers service from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM from Monday through Friday. This extended service accommodates the travel needs of employees of the major employers in our region, such as the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center, the school districts in both Buena Vista and in Salida, and Walmart. There were 65 riders on this route In April 2023 and 91 riders in May 2023. Ridership increased to 142 riders in June 2023 and stayed steady at 144 in July 2023. Ridership increased to 227 in August 2023 and remained close to this level in September, which had 207 riders. 

On Thursday, June 1, 2023, The Chaffee Shuttle expanded upon the current on demand transit service by extending operating hours, going from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM to 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM as well as offering an early morning connection to Bustang Outrider when in advance appointment is made. The Chaffee Shuttle also expanded on existing transit service by increasing the availability of on demand services in Salida on Tuesdays and Wednesdays by adding a driver and van to the current schedule from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM. This was implemented on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. As a result of these extended service hours and driver availability, there were an additional 146 riders in June, 191 riders in July, 245 riders in August, and 141 riders in September.   

Comparison of the ridership for the two months leading up to and after the 2023 program with the month(s) of your program.

In April 2023, there were a total of 1041 riders in Salida, Buena Vista, and Poncha Springs. There were a total of 1568 riders in May 2023. Ridership typically increases starting in May due to warmer weather and an influx of tourists visiting this region. Ridership experienced a 4.02% increase and was at 1631 riders in June 2023, and this may be attributed to increased marketing efforts funded through this grant program. Ridership decreased by 16.74% in July 2023, with a total of 1358 riders. It is not known why ridership decreased in July as there were no obvious reasons or potential occurrences that could have led to a drop in ridership. In August 2023, ridership was at 1564, which was 15.17% higher in comparison to July and similar to May and June ridership numbers. Given the marketing and community outreach efforts undertaken throughout the summer, August ridership numbers were anticipated to be higher than prior to the program. One possible reason may again be attributed to more time needed for residents to change their travel habits and begin to plan to use new and existing services. In September, ridership decreased by 19.5% to 1259 riders, which was expected, since ridership tends to decrease once the school year starts and tourism dies down. October 2023 ridership data was not available when this report was submitted. 

Rider Stories

The Chaffee Shuttle and its marketing consultant worked together with a local photographer to interview a sampling of riders about their experience with The Chaffee Shuttle. Photos were accompanied with rider statements and made into social media graphics that The Chaffee Shuttle will be posting to help increase awareness of its services and also to increase ridership. A compilation of the interviews was also made into a video that will be posted on The Chaffee Shuttle’s website. Short video clips highlighting each of the riders will also be posted to social media.  

Lessons Learned

The following are lessons learned as a result of this grant program:

1. Ensure that adequate staff is in place to handle the increased demand from expanding transit service. 
2. Begin marketing new and extended services well in advance of the implementation period to notify the community and allow them sufficient time to become aware of the services that will be offered.
3. Offer new or extended transit service in all service areas, including the San Luis Valley, which due to resource limitations could not be included this year. 
4. Have social media in place in order to fully utilize all assets in marketing toolkit. 
5. Have a marketing team in place that is committed to fulfilling the marketing plan throughout the duration of the program. 

Unanticipated Benefits and challenges

There were several challenges experienced during this program. The Chaffee Shuttle learned about the grant program shortly before its kick-off, which did not allow much time to plan and advertise changes to transit service in advance. The Chaffee Shuttle did not have an executive director and was understaffed in terms of drivers and being able to answer phone calls during operating hours. There was an unanticipated increase in calls inquiring about the services offered, and a part time staff member needed to be hired in order to assist with answering phones. Additionally, the full time marketing consultant that had been retained reduced their availability, requiring the need to hire a second marketing consultant. The new marketing consultant had a learning curve as she began to assist The Chaffee Shuttle with this grant program, while the previous marketing consultant had limited availability to help with implementing the marketing plan. These staff shortages made it challenging to implement the program at times. 

Another challenge experienced was that marketing materials from Studio Six were received in June 2023, causing delays in being able to market the new and extended services. Also, The Chaffee Shuttle did not have social media accounts, so there was difficulty using all of Studio Six’s assets and with sharing information to the community via social media. 

There were two major benefits of the grant program. The first benefit was having the funding available to start a new service in Howard and expand upon existing services in Salida and Buena Vista to meet the expressed needs of these communities. Without this grant program, these new and extended services would have been delayed until 2024. The second benefit was the ability to implement an extensive marketing campaign to effectively distribute information about The Chaffee Shuttle and its new and extended services to the region that it serves. During the community outreach component of the marketing plan, organizations and individuals often stated that they were unaware of The Chaffee Shuttle, or they were unaware that services were available for free for all of the general public and not only people with disabilities or older adults. Being able to increase awareness of the transit services available will allow The Chaffee Shuttle to better fulfill its mission.