The Parachute Area Transit System, or PATS, could expand its on-demand service hours in Rifle next year if Rifle City council approves a proposed funding increase in December.

Since launching its on-demand service in June, PATS has seen substantial ridership growth, helping residents travel throughout Rifle, Parachute and Battlement Mesa.

During Rifle City Council’s Wednesday work session, council discussed increasing its $75,000 contribution to approximately $110,000 to support expanded service hours and rising operational costs.. 

“This increase would make service in Rifle from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., adding an hour of service,” Rifle City Manager Patrick Waller said. “We’re paying for that increase in service but also because everything gets more expensive every year.”

Council directed Waller to prepare an agenda item for council to vote on at a later date. 

“The plan is to add it into our budget for 2027, which will be voted on in the first meeting of December,” Waller said. 

While Rifle could gain an additional hour of service, Parachute could see its afternoon service hours reduced, according to Town Manager Travis Elliott.

“It’s currently 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., but ridership drops off in that later part of the day, and we still haven’t decided how to orient that new schedule, it could be 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.,” Elliott said. “We’re gaining a fixed route connection in Rifle in the middle of the day.”

Elliott said riders have requested the additional connection, which would provide greater flexibility for those relying on public transportation for essential trips.

“It’s for people going to the doctor or the hospital, getting groceries,” he said. “We’ve been able to absorb some fuel and operational costs that have been going up, but we asked Rifle for more because of that added service.”

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The proposed expansion comes as PATS faces rising operating expenses and a projected $59,873 budget deficit in 2027, according to figures Elliott presented to Garfield county commissioners during their Oct. 5 meeting.

Elliott said the system continues to rely heavily on contributions from local governments and grants, with passenger fares projected to account for approximately 3.6% of revenue in 2027.

PATS has also requested that Garfield County maintain its $200,000 annual contribution for 2027. Commissioners are scheduled to discuss the request during a budget work session on Wednesday.

From June to August, on-demand rides in Parachute increased climbing from around 150 in June to almost 300 in August. Rifle saw an even larger increase of 110%with rides rising from 160 in June to more than 330 in August.

Overall, monthly passengers totals have increased from around 760 to 1100 during the same period. 

“It’s a great thing, seeing this service increase, we’re really excited to see it expand,” Elliott said.