ROARING FORK BROADCASTING COMPANY
Robert S. Hopper, 56, of Basalt, was driving the Basalt Connect passenger van on west Two Rivers Road at about 8:15 p.m. Thursday when he allegedly advanced through the intersection with Highway 82 despite a red light, according to the Basalt Police Department’s accident report. The van “T-boned” a Volkswagen passenger vehicle in the driver’s front quarter panel. There were no passengers in the van at the time, authorities said.
The emergency dispatch center received multiple calls about the accident and first responders were initially told the driver of the Volkswagen was “pinned in the vehicle,” according to Richard Cornelius, deputy chief of operations for Roaring Fork Fire Rescue. The driver had self-extricated from the vehicle by the time the ambulance crew and firefighters arrived, Cornelius said.
The driver was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Cornelius. The car passenger and Hopper were uninjured.
The upvalley lanes of Highway 82 at the intersection with Two Rivers Road were littered with debris and both vehicles were disabled and had to be towed, the police report said. The upvalley lanes of Highway 82 were closed for two hours and traffic was detoured onto Two Rivers Road. The highway reopened at 10:15 p.m.
The accident was investigated by Basalt officers because the intersection is within the town limits. “During the investigation, (the officers) observed what they deemed to be signs of intoxication,” according to a summary of the report.
Hopper agreed to perform a roadside sobriety test, which he failed, according to the report. He allegedly refused to take a chemical test for the presence of drugs or alcohol, the report said.
Hopper received a summons on suspicion of failing to obey a traffic control device and careless driving as well as suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the report said. He was released to a sober person and allowed to return to his home in Basalt, as is standard procedure in such cases. His first court appearance was set for July 12.
Basalt Connect is a free, on-demand ride provider that has been operating in Basalt since 2022. It is operated by Aspen Downtowner Group LLC of Florida. The company also has a contract with the city of Aspen to operate the Aspen Downtowner service and is negotiating to operate the internal circulator service in Carbondale.
The Aspen Daily News was unable to reach Hopper for comment. Ryan Spaargaren, head of finance and operations for Aspen Downtowner Group, the company that operates the service, said Hopper has been suspended while the company investigates Thursday night’s accident.
“The driver was on duty, but not answering a call” at the time of the accident, Spaargaren said. “There were no passengers in the vehicle.”
He said his firm’s contracts with Basalt and Aspen both require drug and alcohol policies and testing.
“Driver screening consists of motor vehicle record, lifetime criminal background and reference checks,” Spaargaren said in an email. “Drivers are trained over three days which includes classroom, ride-alongs and in-vehicle training. They also go through a 90-day probationary period. Ongoing training and driver tracking and monitoring continue throughout their employment.
“Drivers adhere to a drug and alcohol policy that includes but is not limited to pre-employment, random and reasonable-suspicion testing. Local supervisors conduct randomized, on-site, pre-shift breathalyzer testing on a routine basis. All supervisors have been trained in drug and alcohol testing and reasonable suspicion determination and testing.”
Basalt’s current contract with Aspen Downtowner Group calls for the service to operate from 7-10 a.m. and 3-10 p.m. daily from January through May and from October through December, according to the service’s website. The schedule is expanded on weekend days during the summer months.
Basalt Connect operates with two vans so the destruction of one vehicle won’t disrupt service, officials said Friday.
The service is viewed by Basalt officials as a vital way to help people navigate within the town when they don’t have a private vehicle or don’t want to use one. The Basalt Connect vans can provide rides to locations within Willits, Southside and old town where buses operated by the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority cannot reach. For example, a resident of the Hill District in Basalt can use the app to arrange a ride to Whole Foods and then return on the van with groceries.
“Funding alternative transportation options like Basalt Connect for the community is one of many solutions that the town is implementing as part of its strategic environmental leadership goals,” the Basalt town government website says.
Service has been expanded since the pilot program in 2022, when it operated for only eight months of the year. The town’s latest contract with Aspen Downtowner Group is for $45,101 per month or $541,221 annually. RFTA reimburses Basalt for half of the contract expense.
In Aspen, the Downtowner service was started in 2016 and has proven popular for rides on demand throughout the core. It has served 480,440 riders since 2016, according to information presented to the Aspen City Council in a February work session on the micro-transit service.
In 2023, the service provided 74,141 rides with an average length of 0.69 miles, a city staff memo said. The council is considering an expansion of the service to areas such as Mountain Valley, Cemetery Lane and the North 40 neighborhoods.
The city’s contract for 2024, with rides provided by two passenger cars and a van, is about $679,000, according to the memo.