SAN LUIS VALLEY - Thanks to a grant awarded through the Colorado Department of Transportation in July 2020, Chaffee Shuttle Service has added a new route that provides transportation to rural communities throughout the Valley. According to Executive Director Hank Martin, the service is only just getting started Valley and has now connected almost all six counties in the region. The new route beginning in South Fork began Jan. 7 and will run every Thursday.
The new “Pronghorn Shuttle” will pick up early morning in South Fork at the visitor’s center located at the crossroads of Highway 160 and 149 and take riders through Del Norte, over to Center, down into Hooper and Mosca area before heading over to Alamosa where riders can then continue to Saguache, Salida, Pueblo and on to Denver depending on the route.”
“We are trying to connect San Luis Valley rural areas that have been determined to be below the poverty level. Through our research we have found that there are many families in the Valley that have transportation needs for various reasons. Some may be one vehicle families that need to get to appointments, interviews or even work while others just need public transportation to go shopping or visit family,” said Martin.
Chaffee Shuttle Service was recently awarded another grant and will be using the funds to further their service into areas like La Jara and Antonito. “We have found that south of Alamosa is one of the areas that is in need of transportation services and once we complete the research portion, we can move forward to creating more routes.”
The Hope Grant was awarded to 24 agencies throughout the state and will allow Chaffee Shuttle to hire a consultant to complete a research project which identifies further transportation needs in the Valley. “We coordinate with local government officials, medical facilities and several chambers in order to spread the word to people who may need transportation services. We created the SLV Transit Council to coordinate with as many entities as possible to identify needs in the Valley,” continued Martin.
As of right now, Chaffee Shuttle has nine vehicles in their fleet with a 13-passenger shuttle stationed in Saguache and one in Monte Vista. For more information or to see a full statewide and Valley-wide route schedule visit www.slvrtc.com. The new route from South Fork will be added to the website soon.
The “Mountain Goat Shuttle” runs Tuesday and Wednesdays. Tuesdays begin at 7:30 at the Del Norte Alto Convenience Store and runs through Monte Vista, to Center to Saguache over to Villa Grove and into Salida. Wednesday’s route is from the Saguache Hotel to Center to Del Norte and then on to Monte Vista and ends in Alamosa.
Those who wish to confirm times can contact the driver Richard Duran at 719-530-1167 or by visiting the Facebook Page at Eagle Shuttle Direct SLV.