New Cibola transit vans ready to roll

By Helen Davis
Cibola County Bureau

MILAN — The long-awaited Cibola County public transportation system will see the rubber meet the road in early February.

The village of Milan, where the vans for the transit system are garaged, announced that vans are ready after a test drive last Friday.

Heather Iule of Cibola Transit Authority said that the authority is hoping for Feb. 1 to open the service to the public. She added that the actual launch date depends on when the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission approves the application the authority has filed.

The 14-person vans may be on the street by the target date if all goes well, but the authority will keep the public informed, Iule said.

The initial routes for the bus service include Grants, Milan, and two loops into San Rafael daily. Of the three vans the authority has purchased, two will run on a set schedule starting at 6:30 a.m. and running until 7 p.m. and are expected to arrive every 15 minutes.

The third van is handicapped equipped and will run on a “demand response” basis, providing transportation in response to rider requests. This third van will make the loop into San Rafael once in the morning and once in the afternoon, said Iule. She noted that last Friday’s test-drive turned up some impracticalities in the proposed routing and that adjustments are under consideration.

The authority expects additional changes in routing as drivers and passengers learn what works and does not work. Right now transit planners expect one scheduled van will serve the area along Roosevelt Avenue in Grants near Cibola General Hospital and other medical facilities, as well as New Mexico State University-Grants branch.

Another van will serve Northwest New Mexico Visitor Center and the Cibola County Senior Center in the east end of Grants along with other stops. All vans are routed to stop at the Mother Whiteside Library on High Street in Grants, which will serve as a transfer point from one line to another.

Iule said that the system’s four drivers have completed training in handling blood-borne diseases and defensive driving. They all have first aid and CPR certificates at this time, and the authority will provide additional first aid and CPR classes to insure that drivers remain certified if their current certificates should expire while they are employed as drivers.

The Cibola Transit Authority holds regular planning meetings. The public is welcome and may participate in the public comment part of the meeting.

Meetings are held at the Grants/Cibola County Chamber of Commerce headquarters in the New Mexico Mining Museum, 100 N. Iron, in Grants. Meeting start at 9:30 a.m. The next meeting date is to be announced.