February 21, 2023 |
The Rawlins community bus has run its course and needs to be replaced.
Community Development Director Lou Lascano told the governing body at its meeting in early February that he has found a replacement vehicle that meets the required specifications.
The CATS bus is popular with residents. The Community Access Transit System provides reliable and affordable transportation for low-income residents. Lascano said the bus everyone relies on is becoming less reliable with age.
Lascano said many residents use the bus daily. When the bus began to have mechanical troubles, Lascano requested a replacement. Starting in July of last year, Lascano advertised for bids on three separate occasions, but every bid was either over budget or for a vehicle that was too small. He said the best bid was still over the Choke Cherry impact assistance limit, but it met their needs.
Lascano said the community bus is seeing more and more use. Besides transporting people, Lascano said CATS the bus driver also delivers food to the needy.
The new 20-seat bus is ready for delivery once the child seats and wheelchair spaces have been installed. Lascano said the factory could apply a city graphics package if the council desired.
The council asked Lascano to bring them quotes for applying logo stickers at the factory. Considering the condition of the CATS bus, Councilman Chris Weisenburg said the new bus would save the city over $12,000 in repairs. The council voted unanimously to approve the purchase.
