The successful Free Ride Bus is looking for help with funding for the upcoming winter season.
They will be using www.basincrowdsource.com to take donations. Basin Crowdsource is a new, local funding platform designed for projects within the Columbia Basin and Boundary region.
Donations can also be made by talking to Deanne Steven at Tourism Rossland, which is perfect for companies wanting to help out.
There will also be a donation box on the bus. As of now, there is almost enough money for the bus to get started for another winter.
Since it is a non-profit service, they cannot charge people for riding the bus, but the money needs to come from somewhere.
The bus was greatly appreciated last year and Tourism Rossland hopes it will continue to run for many more years. They collected statistics during its previous run, and therefore know exactly how the bus was used last winter and where improvements can be made.
“We know exactly where and when every person got on the bus,” said Deanne Steven.
Lower Rossland is now a part of the new route that will go faster through town. The bus will pass by Black Jack Ski Club six times a day to help out cross-country skiers. The different needs of other groups such as employees of Red Mountain Resort and Big Red Cats, and of ski racers, will also be addressed.
“We realized that our one hour break was at the wrong time last year. It happened to be right when the early riders wanted to head back into town,” added Steven.
Many improvements will be made for this winter and Steven says they are excited for another season of the Free Ride Bus.