Sun Valley plans to buy buses, lease them out
By SUSAN BAILEY<br><i>Wood River Journal</i>
 
Sun Valley &#045; Sun Valley last week dipped its toe in the transportation waters and found the temperature fine.
At the city council&#039;s budget work session July 8, Sun Valley Mayor Wayne Willich presented a plan to buy two buses for &#036;150,000 with an eye on leasing them to Mountain Rides Transportation Authority.
&#8220;Last year, we had &#036;130,000 in the budget for jitneys (share taxis) that were never done,&#8221; Willich said. &#8220;This is just our attempt to do something along those lines. Jason Miller is enthusiastic to get it done because he needs more buses. This would be a way to give him buses for the Down Valley.&#8221;
Miller, the executive director of Mountain Rides, last month said the Down Valley commuter service from Bellevue to Sun Valley was standing room only at peak times.
The Mountain Rides board of directors at its June meeting said the budget would not allow purchase of more buses at this time, despite the need.
Willich said he envisioned two city-owned 16-passenger buses would ply the Elkhorn and Sun Valley roads, replacing larger 32-passenger buses currently serving the routes. Willich compared the appropriateness of the larger buses on Sun Valley&#039;s rural streets to 747 aircraft landing at small airports.
&#8220;If we can take care of our community and free up the bigger buses for the other part of the Valley, I call that good,&#8221; Willich said. 	
Willich told council members Daimler Sprinter Shuttle buses at &#036;75,000 each for a total of &#036;150,000 were a good buy for the city and good for Mountain Rides. 
&#8220;They get 60 passenger miles to the gallon compared to 20 passenger miles per gallon on the big ones,&#8221; said Willich. &#8220;The larger buses running around town are only half full and really are needed for the Down Valley service.&#8221;
The council did not object to the plan.
The city of Sun Valley budget includes &#036;380,000 for Mountain Rides transportation. Council members said they might consider reducing that amount for fiscal year 2008-09 if the shuttle bus purchase is made.
Willich said the buses would need to be ordered soon because they take three months to build. Further budget work sessions 
by City Council are set for July 
22, with public hearings to follow. 
 
	

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