We’re on board with taking a good, long look at launching a transportation service in Park County.

The idea of creating such a program was discussed by the Park County Commission last month. Powell Economic Partnership and Forward Cody want to explore the options, according to PEP Executive Director Christine Bekes, who is working with Forward Cody CEO/President James Klessens to have a transportation study done.

Hiring a consultant would be the major step. Then, a report would be produced to indicate if Park County needs and wants more transportation options.

“Is it financially feasible? Would people in Park County ride a bus?” Bekes asked rhetorically. “Our questions are, ‘Would it be more utilized if there were more options for consumers? What schedule would we need?’”

They would also examine if there is a need for a shuttle service in the two towns. Cody has a taxi company; Powell does not.

Bekes said she wonders if offering the shuttle service would “expand the workforce in both directions,” as people in Powell could head to Cody for service jobs, especially in the summer. Some people in Cody may land jobs in Powell if transportation was not a problem.

There are other areas to explore, Bekes said.

“Can it benefit the college?” she asked. “Can it benefit the hospitals? I don’t know what the study’s going to show.”

We agree with the commissioners that it’s something that warrants serious thought before it is approved. The county is seeking a $30,000 Public Transportation Feasibility Study Grant from the Wyoming State Energy Office (an arm of the Wyoming Business Council), with the condition that a 10 percent match could be raised from the private sector.

There is a shuttle service in the county now, but it offers only two trips a day, in the early morning and again in the afternoon.

Linda Downer, the owner of LP Transportation, has operated a 10-seat shuttle service for eight years. It departs Cody at 6:30 a.m. seven days a week — as long as there is at least one passenger — and arrives in Lovell about an hour later.

People can connect with a southbound Black Hills Stage Lines bus in the morning and a northbound one via the afternoon shuttle, which leaves Cody at 5 p.m. People can catch a ride just to Powell in the morning or from Powell to Cody in the afternoon for $13 per round trip, with a discount on multiple trips, Downer said.

Downer said she has spoken with Bekes as well as a county staffer and is not opposed to offering more transportation options. She might be willing to provide the service.

“If they’re going to do the same route at the same time, I think that’s a waste of money,” Downer said. “If they want to offer a different one, come and go several times a day, fine. I think they’re going to lose their shirt on it. The problem is, it’s very expensive.”

What exactly do they want to do, she asked, and what options would riders have?

“That’s the question,” Bekes said. “We need to find out.”

Downer said the state is trying to figure out what’s the best way to be efficient while providing needed transportation options. It subsidizes LP Transportation at $1.81 per mile.

“I told them I would help them in any way I could,” Downer said. “The state is looking into this. In Wyoming, if you don’t have a car, you’re kind of stranded.”

That shouldn’t be the case. Let’s set the wheels in motion to see if additional shuttle trips between Powell and Cody, with possible other stops or in-city service, are justified.