MEL keeps comin’ round the Mountain.

The Mountain Express Line – the local bus system which provides service
along the Hwy. 26 corridor – continues to roll in impressive fashion.

The ridership numbers speak for themselves: 2,313 in 2004; 10,065 in 2005;
11,668 in 2006; 10,250 in 2007; 13,900 in 2008; and 15,295 in 2009.

Through October of 2010, the numbers keep coming in: 14,071 riders with
two months more to go.

“We’re having another good year,” said Bob Reeves, chair of the MEL
committee and an integral part of the early planning. “From the beginning, I
knew it would work.”

Not everyone was on board when the idea started kicking around. Reeves
remembers a certain county commissioner – who he chose not to name, but is
no longer a commissioner – told him they’d be lucky to get 400 riders.
“He was wrong,” Reeves said. “He later admitted he was wrong. That was
very gratifying.”

MEL grew from a single bus when a second vehicle went on the road in July
2009 – just another part of the growth that has added routes and times over
its seven-year history.

The line currently operates Monday through Friday with six daily runs between
the hours of 6:20 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. providing transportation to students,
job-seekers, seniors, persons with disabilities and the general public. The fare
is $2 with discount books available at various locations on the Mountain.
MEL operates in conjunction with Sandy Area Metro linking service to Estacada
so when a SAM bus rolls up Hwy. 26, “it’s still the Mountain Express,” Reeves
said.

But Reeves is quick to say that two buses are not adequate for local residents.
“More frequent runs would be nice,” he said. “Adding Saturday service would
help out tremendously. Naturally, it’s a funding issue.”

To that end, Reeves and other members of the MEL committee – who prefer
to remain behind the scenes and let the bus be front and center – are not
resting on their wheels, but looking to the future.

Fundraisers, bus ads, and other funding sources such as grants (other than
the initial grant that started MEL) are part of the long-term strategy.
A drive is now underway to raise $10,000 in the community to usher in
Saturday service. If the committee is successful, the state will match those
funds and that will provide the Saturday service for a 15-month period.
The short-term goal is to raise $5,000 by March 15 – an act that will launch
the Saturday service in April 2011.

Donations can be made by making checks payable to: SS of CC, PO Box 142,
Welches 97067.

Committee members are also needed. To do so, meetings occur at 4:30 p.m.,
the third Thursday of the month at the Hoodland Fire Station.

And if Saturday becomes a reality, Reeves and his committee partners won’t
stop there. On the burner is a service to the ski resorts in partnership with the
Forest Service and lodge operators.

“If we want to talk about sustainability, we need to provide services for the
people, and get people to the services,” Reeves said.