STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Mountain Rides’ new Winter/Spring Bus Schedule is out. And, for the first time, the schedule and pertinent information is printed in Spanish, as well as English.

Half of the 64-page booklet is published in English. Turn it upside down and you’ll find the same material in Spanish.

Booklets can be picked up in a variety of venues, including the Visitor Center at Starbucks in Ketchum.

Kim MacPherson, spokesperson for Mountain Rides, said that the valley-wide bus service is on track to hit a half-million riders in 2022 as its ridership climbs following a dip during the first two years of the COVID pandemic.

Bus ridership hit 560,000 in 2019 before the pandemic started.

Mountain Rides has offered fare free rides, even between Ketchum and Bellevue, since the pandemic started.