Taos Express Shuttle Celebrates First Successful Year with Free Rides throughout Month of June

Taos, NM (Vocus) May 20, 2010

The highly successful Taos Express shuttle, providing transit between Taos and Santa Fe, is celebrating one year in service with free rides for passengers throughout the month of June, beginning on June 1, 2010.

Since its inception on June 4, 2009, the shuttle has transported 1,465 passengers and has expanded service to include: weekends, a new shuttle stop and service which corresponds with airline schedules from Santa Fe.

“Our intent in creating the Taos Express shuttle service has always been to allow locals and visitors alike to have the ability to see our wonderful Town and do so in a direct, easy, and relatively low cost manner,” said Mayor Darren Cordova, Town of Taos. “I think we’ve accomplished this in the first year, and want to make it even better and more user-friendly in the years to come.”

“It’s through the incredible support of locals and visitors that the Express has been so successful,” said Transportation Superintendent, Delilah Garcia. “The fact that we’ve had to increase our runs to five per weekend shows that there is a demand for public transit to and from Taos, so we hope that this free month of service will encourage those who haven’t used the service to visit Taos.”

The Express started as a pilot program, which proved successful as 566 passengers used the shuttle service in just the first three months. At that time, service was available only on Thursday and Friday evenings and on Saturdays. In August 2009, Sunday mornings and afternoons were added to the shuttle schedule.

To date, the Express has improved by expanding its services by:

•     Making five non stop shuttle runs on the weekends - Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (service was discontinued for Thursdays);
•     Corresponding with American Airlines weekend flight schedules at the Santa Fe Municipal Airport (AA flights offer service from Dallas and Los Angeles); and
•     Offering an additional, convenient stop on the corner of Guadalupe and Montezuma, in Santa Fe.

On average, the Express transports approximately 133 passengers per month - illustrating the demand for public transportation between Taos and Santa Fe.

The Town of Taos is responsible for the creation of the Express, and has continued to underwrite the new weekend service, using gross receipts taxes to fund it.

Adult fares are $5 one way or $10 round trip. Children 10 years and under ride free with an adult.

Reservations are required. Passengers with reservations will be notified of cancellations or delays via the contact telephone number listed on the reservation. To make a reservation, call (575) 751-4459 or visit http://www.taosexpress.com. The Taos Express customer service hours of operation are Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. After hours and on weekends, please call (575) 770-1097.

For a complete schedule list of connections from Santa Fe, the New Mexico Railrunner or the Santa Fe Municipal Airport, please visit http://www.taosexpress.com.

Contact:
Erica Asmus-Otero
(505) 259-2202

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