Press Releases
Released : February 18, 2008
START Continues to Break Records and Plans for the Future
“START Bus is very excited to be able to continue to break records,” said Michael Wackerly, START administrator. “Carrying over 125,000 riders in one month is something to be proud of; it means that more people every year are choosing to ride the bus and we want to make sure that everyone will have a seat as we continue to grow and move into the future.”
Total ridership this January is up 16% from last year, with ridership on the Teton Village routes up 15%, Town Shuttle routes up 13% and the Star Valley route up 37%.
“The buses running between Town and Teton Village have been overcrowded during peak hours this season with a lot of people having to stand for the trip or some even occasionally being left at a stop and asked to wait for the next bus,” Wackerly said. “Even the Star Valley commuter route has come close to capacity and any further increase in ridership will require that more buses be added to that route, in order to accommodate everyone.”
“START is actively pursuing alternatives that will allow us to continue to meet the needs for public transportation,” Wackerly said. “We are working with the Town, County and Wyoming Congressional delegates to try and procure funding for a new facility, new buses and increased operating expenses. All of these will be essential to ensuring we can keep up with current and future demand. START will be looking to the entire Jackson Hole Community for support on the funding needed to provide effective public transit in the future. ”
START Bus is also proud of its contribution to reducing the carbon footprint of the Jackson Hole community and would like to increase that contribution moving into the future. Currently, START must keep its buses running all night when the temperatures are low because they are stored outside.“START Bus would be much more effective in the Town and County’s efforts to meet the 10x10 goal (a joint initiative to reduce both organization’s fuel and electrical consumption 10% by the year 2010) if it had a new facility,” said Wackerly. “We are serious about reducing energy and fuel emissions in this community and a bus storage and maintenance facility would be a huge step in that direction.”
The Town of Jackson and Teton County’s ongoing support of START Bus has been an essential part of the success of the system. START is jointly funded by the Town, County and the Federal government. The START Board and START staffers are working with all these funding agencies to develop a plan to provide for a new facility and other resources START will need in the future.
Released : January 23, 2008
Another Record to START the Year
Jackson, WY – START Bus broke another ridership record by carrying 712,562 people in 2007 and continues to be a convenient and green solution for the Jackson Hole community.
“We are really thrilled to be able to celebrate another record breaking year at START Bus and we look forward to continued success,” said Michael Wackerly, START administrator. “It is interesting how the numbers are matching up each year. In 2003 we carried over 300,000 riders, in 2004 over 400,000, in 2005 over 500,000, in 2006 over 600,000 and our numbers this year keep us on the same pace. We are on track to carry over a million riders in 2010 if resources allow us to increase service. START has always been committed to meeting the needs of the community and each year the numbers indicate that we are accomplishing that goal.”
“I want to thank our drivers, mechanics and all the employees in the Transit and Public Works departments with the Town of Jackson,” said Wackerly, “without their hard work and innovation it would not be possible for us to reach this level. I would also like to thank our partners in the community, particularly the Town of Jackson, Teton County, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and the Teton Village Association whose ongoing support is integral to the success of START Bus.”
“I believe the community sees the environmental benefits of choosing to ride the bus over driving their cars,” Wackerly said. “Our community is conscious of its impacts and makes choices to reduce them. We all understand the unique environment in which we live and are striving to preserve it.”
Released : November 16, 2007
Off-Season Numbers Indicate Record in 2007
Jackson, WY. START Bus had 39% more riders in October 2007 than in
October 2006. Those numbers help to put START on pace to serve over
700,000 riders this year.
Not only are the fall numbers up, but in April 2007 START carried
62% more riders than the same month in 2006. These numbers indicate
START’s services are being used more throughout the entire year
than in the past. April and October show the largest increase in
ridership of all the months, so far this year.
Some of this success can be attributed to the addition of the new
Teton Valley commuter service, however in October the Town shuttle
numbers increased 24% and trips between town and Teton Village had
47% more riders than last year.
START thanks everyone for doing their part by riding the bus.
Released : April 26, 2007
START Bus Starts Service Between Driggs and Jackson
Jackson, WY. START Bus officials announced April 1 the beginning of year-round service between Driggs and Jackson with stops in Victor and Wilson. Service began Monday, April 16.
“We've worked very closely with the Idaho Department of Transportation, the Wyoming Department of Transportation, elected officials from Teton County, Idaho and Wyoming, as well as elected officials from the town's of Jackson, Victor, and Driggs," said Michael Wackerly, Transit Administrator. "It took the coordinated effort of citizens and the hardworking officials of multiple agencies over several years to make this a reality. We're providing a long needed service and we are extremely excited to begin," stated Wackerly.
"We will have bus stops in Driggs and Victor at the Driggs Community Center, the Victor Park and Ride, and the Victor Gateway. There will be a stop at Nora's if you need to go to Wilson. Riders will be able to get to Teton Village or the Aspens via the Stilson Park and Ride. You can also get to Jackson Hole High School, the Middle School, Summit High School or any other Town Shuttle stop by transferring at Albertson's,” said Wackerly.
"We're encouraging people to use the service by letting them ride free in April if they purchase a pass for May. We think if you are committing to using the START Bus instead of your car, six weeks should be long enough to determine if the service is going to work for you. We want to make this viable for as many people as possible so there are several fare options including a monthly pass for $125, a one-way ticket for $7 or a book of ten tickets for $52. Passes can be purchased at Jackson Town Hall or by sending us a check with a self-addressed/stamped envelope," Wackerly said. "The bus schedule is posted on our website at www.startbus.com and we're publishing it in the Teton Valley News, the Planet, and the JH Daily and Weekly, so make sure and pick up one of those papers if you'd like to ride."
People having questions about the new service can contact START Bus at 307-733-4521 or online at www.startbus.com.
Released : April 5, 2007
START Bus Announces New Town Shuttle Route
Jackson, WY. START Bus officials announced today changes to the Town Shuttle route serving the Town of Jackson. Service on the revised route begins Monday, April 9.
“The START staff and Board has worked very hard to identify a Town Shuttle route that we believe maximizes the safety and efficiency of START’s Town Shuttle” said Michael Wackerly, Transit Administrator. “This route has been designed to provides the best service possible in the Town of Jackson with the amount of funding available. Though the bus will no longer stop on Town Square it will provide several stops within two blocks of the square.
Safety and efficiency will be improved by avoiding the congestion on Cache St at the square. Service will be improved by making the route use the same streets in both directions, with stops serving the eastbound route located across the street from stops serving the route headed westbound. Service will also be improved by increasing frequency of buses on the route from 30 minutes to 20 minutes (from noon to 6 PM).”
The new START Town Shuttle route serves the center of town by turning right on Willow as it is headed west on Broadway. It would then go north to Deloney where it would turn left to North King and then turn right to Gill. Then left past the Home Ranch parking lot. It will cross Cache and turn right on Glenwood to Mercill where it will turn left past the Historical Center. Then it travels west to Millward where it turns left and heads south all the way to Pearl where it turns right and is back on the existing route. It will operate on these same streets both when it is west bound and when it is eastbound. It will require new bus stops at Millward & Deloney, Mercill & Glenwood, Gill & Cache and Willow & Deloney. The Town Shuttle route east of Willow and west of Millward will not be changed from the existing route.
People having questions about the new service can contact START Bus at 307-733-4521 or online at www.startbus.com .
START Wraps New Buses
January 23, 2006 - START Bus announced today that four recently purchased buses would be sporting new graphics selected from the entries in its community bus graphics program. Last fall, the transit agency invited local non-profit organizations to submit photographs that reflect the character of Jackson Hole to be considered for a new program aimed at displaying community messages on the sides of buses. The program called for non-profits to submit images without text, logos, or illustrations. "The challenge for non-profits was to come up with an idea that conveyed their message and the essence of Jackson Hole without using the standard marketing strategies such as logos. People really had to think outside the box, and as a result we received a lot of very creative entries," said Michelle Feaver, Marketing Assistant.
Initially, the program was set up to place two images from the selected non-profits on each side of the new buses. When the entries were received, however, the agency decided to take a different approach. "We were so impressed with the quality and the creativity of the photographs that we had to figure out how to include as many images as possible on our buses. So we decided to select as many as we could that met the technical criteria," said Feaver. Selected entries include the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, Dancer's Workshop, Jackson Community Recycling, the Conservation Alliance, the Chamber of Commerce and the National Museum of Wildlife Art.
START Bus will spend all of this week wrapping the buses. "It takes about a day to wrap an entire bus" said Steve Ainslie, Operations Manager. By the end of the week, START plans on having all four buses wrapped. By the weekend, Jackson residents should be able to spot all the new buses. START Bus will continue the community bus graphics program indefinitely. "We hope that any non-profit that wants to have their message on our buses will eventually have an opportunity to do so, " said Michael Wackerly, Transit Administrator. For more information on the community bus graphics program, call 732-8651.
START Selects Half-Millionth Rider
January 13, 2006 - START Bus held its first board meeting of the year with a celebration of sorts. START board members were drawing the ticket for the half-millionth rider award. The board announced that out of the hundreds of entries it received, 28-year old Wilson resident Patrick McDermott had been selected as its half-millionth rider. "We actually far surpassed the half-millionth rider mark," said Transit Administrator, Michael Wackerly. "We ended the year with 530,638 riders which is a record for START. We carried 21% more riders this year than we did last year," Wackerly said.
Patrick in many ways is a typical START bus rider. He works at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort as a winter trail groomer full-time. With his employee pass he rides the bus five-days a week. "The resort has been very supportive in our efforts to reduce traffic along the Village Road by encouraging their employees to ride the bus," said Wackerly. "They engage in an active campaign to entice their employees to ride the bus by purchasing them bus passes." Eventually, the free bus pass becomes a strong incentive to ride the bus. As McDermott says, "I didn't ride for the first three-years, but then I noticed that all my friends were riding, so I thought I might as well give the bus a try. It's so easy and convenient, I plan on continuing to ride," said McDermott.
As the half-millionth rider, McDermott had several prize options including a yearlong Star Valley commuter pass, Village Road pass or $200 cash. McDermott selected the $200 cash prize. "I'll definitely take the cash! This is cool! Thank you START bus!"
START Surpasses the Half-Millionth Rider Mark
December 20th, 2005 - START Bus announced today that it will carry more than half a million riders this year. "When I first arrived here, we were carrying just over 300,000 riders. We knew we could do better than that, but I never expected to be celebrating our half-millionth rider in just over three years! We are always trying to do a better job and I think it shows in our ridership numbers", said Michael Wackerly, Transit Administrator. This year START Bus beefed up service to Teton Village and now makes more than 77 round-trips a day. Transit officials mentioned that as soon as funding becomes available START is planning on adding commuter service to the Victor and Driggs, Idaho area.
Reaching the half-millionth rider is a major milestone for transit agencies. As is customary in the industry, START bus will celebrate this achievement by recognizing one of its riders as the half-millionth passenger. On Thursday, December 29th, bus riders, system wide, are eligible to enter into the drawing to be selected as the half-millionth rider. Riders boarding the bus on any START bus route will be given a numbered ticket to enter into the drawing. The winning rider will be selected at the START Board meeting in early January. The winner will choose between a Star Valley annual pass, an annual pass to Teton Village or $200 cash. "We would like to thank all our dedicated and wonderful riders for helping make the transit system such a tremendous success," said Michael Wackerly. If you would like more information on how you can ride the bus, call 733-4521.
START Named 2005 WYTRANS Agency of the Year
June 28th, 2005 - The 17th Annual WYTRANS (Wyoming Public Transit Association) Conference and Bus Roadeo was held June 22-25, in Casper. WYTRANS announced its annual awards at a banquet held after the bus roadeo on Saturday, June 25 at the Casper Senior Center.
Southern Teton Area Rapid Transit (START) was named the 2005 WYTRANS Agency of the Year. The award nomination was written by START’s Transit Administrator, Michael Wackerly.
START takes pride in the following accomplishments this past year.
1. START purchased two new buses, making a total of eight new buses in the last 18 months. These buses are wrapped with beautiful scenes depicting the natural splendor and varied outdoor activities that make Jackson Hole unique. The infusion of these buses into the START fleet has dramatically improved START’s image in the community.
2. Commuter service from Lincoln County (Alpine), implemented in December 2003, was expanded in December of 2004 to include service from Etna. Ridership has grown from 772 in the first month to the current level of 1,400 per month.
3. START’s total ridership for the 12 months at the end of this winter season has reached a total of 488,000. This is 25 percent increase in ridership from one year ago and a 44 percent increase in ridership compared to two years ago.
4. START has strengthened and improved its relationships with local businesses. For the first time ever, the president of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) spoke to START bus drivers during training about their important role as ambassadors to Jackson Hole.
START also worked with JHMR and other local businesses on a promotion to kick off the winter season. During the first week of winter service, START offered free bus service to all riders. Bus riders entered a drawing for a JHMR season ski pass each time they rode the bus and START bus “ambassadors” rode random buses throughout the week handing out gifts that were all donated by the many local businesses that have become START’s partners. Strong relationships with START’s business partners have helped increase ridership through delivery of exceptional customer service.
WYTRANS is an association of 50 Wyoming transit providers funded in part through the Wyoming Department of Transportation. WTYRANS provides training, coordination, and support for public transit drivers, dispatchers, and managers.
CATC served as host agency for the statewide conference. Faye Nash of Nash Transportation Training and Consulting in Casper was the Conference Coordinator. Several local and statewide people and businesses gave generous donations to support the conference.
