To boost the number of buses that serve the Bishop Paiute Reservation, the Tribe donated a brand new bus to the Eastern Sierra Transit Authority.

esta_busOn Tuesday, Tribal Chairman William Vega turned over the bus keys to ESTA director John Helm in front of the Tribal Offices. We took a quick ride through the reservation in the new bus, which we can say was air conditioned and a smooth ride. The new bus also has a wheelchair lift for those who can use it.

Tribal Grant Administrator Bruce Klein explained that the Federal Transit Administration recently started a Tribal Transit Program. The Tribe applied for and received a $55,000 grant for the bus. The ESTA board chipped in the rest of the $65,000 total new vehicle cost.

The plan is to use this new bus to serve the Reservation by way of the Blue Route and Dial-a-Ride. Tribal staff is also looking into grants to fix up the bus stops on the Reservation, possibly building plexiglas enclosures to shelter riders in cold or windy weather.

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