Town of Red River – Miners Transit
Why support public transit in New Mexico?
Public transit provides access for the general public, disabled and senior citizens to get to and from jobs and job training; emergency, medical prenatal and behavioral health care and veteran services; educational facilities; entertainment, shopping, community, senior, parks and recreational facilities.
As public transportation continues to grow, New Mexico’s 28 transit agencies provide fixed-route, dial-a-ride, demand response, intercommunity routes and paratransit that gives people more mobility options with low or zero emission transit vehicles to reduce carbon emissions to improve New Mexico’s air quality.
In the attached backgrounders, the transit agencies tell their stories about how their services assist the communities they serve, how they have expended federal grant funding and where they could invest additional state match transit funding if it was available.
What is your agency’s service area?
The Town of Red River extended to Elephant Rock Campground (West of town) and Prospector Trail (Northeast of town) and Golden Nugget Condos (Southeast of town)
What transportation modes does your agency provide?
Door-to-door demand service, first call, first served
How many buses, vans and other vehicles do you operate?
Two 20-passenger cutaways, one 14-passenger cutaway, one 11-passenger 4x4 van
Key priorities for making services route decisions?
Peak times due to workforce and guests in ski season, holidays, town events require more buses in service.
How has your agency applied its federal funding?
The 5311 grant will allow us to buy three new buses to replace three 2010 vehicles. Increased financial support has allowed us to address our growing service by implementing a dispatch position (that also provides succession training for director) and on-board tablets for the drivers to receive their work – creating a safer service.
How would your agency apply additional state transit funding?
Miners Transit needs a second full-time driver position to help meet the growing demands on the service. A heated bus depot centrally located in town could provide clarity in how the service works as local public transit and instill confidence for potentially new riders. Because the service is driven by call requests, a landline directly ringing to the service phone would allow access to the service for those with phone difficulties. The service needs a building to house the buses from harsh winter elements, etc. We would like to provide longer service hours as our demand for service increases (currently 7:30am to 5pm) but do not currently have the staff or funds to provide.
What ways does your agency assist your community during community events or emergency assistance?
Miners Transit takes the local school children to and from school and provides service for in-town recess, library, and field trips. Additional drivers are added for holidays, town events and generally busy times in the town. The bus is an entry in the annual July 4th parade. Miners Transit is part of the emergency response plan and has and will move people from emergency situations in town to safer ground under the coordination of local emergency management.