It appears bus riders are in luck, temporarily, after Greyhound decided to continue serving Taos; the company earlier had announced it would not stop there after April 8.

Greyhound spokeswoman Abby Wambaugh said a lack of riders almost led to the shutdown. She said the Taos stop is only included in one route, which runs between Salt Lake City and Albuquerque.

"It had extremely low ridership," she said. Wambaugh said the route fell below a 10-passenger average.

"I think it's been low for a while," she said. "We do constantly evaluate our routes."

Wambaugh said the stop may still be discontinued "in the near future," though she did not have a concrete timeline. "It is not a permanent continuation," she said.

One pair of Taoseños would be especially hard-hit by a closure. Jonathan Karadeema and Joe Jensen have served as Greyhound's booking agents in Taos for the last two years. They said, much to their surprise, they learned of the stop's threatened closure March 14. Jensen said business had been good.

"We've been pretty steady," he said. "This is the best we've done in the winter."

Jensen said he thinks more people are riding the bus because it's a good way to save.

"As the economy goes down, more people take the bus," he said.

Karadeema said he got a call from Greyhound on March 23 asking if the pair wants to keep its contract with the company.

Karadeema said people ride from Taos all over the country, though the regular crowd includes many veterans who ride the bus to the VA Medical Center in Albuquerque.

Jensen and Karadeema also run JD's Pawn Shop and Firearms. Jensen said the businesses complement each other well, as the pawn business picks up in the winter when bus ticket sales are slow, and tickets go faster in summer when the shop slows down.

Karadeema said he and his partner make a percentage of the ticket sales, which sometimes translates to $7 a day. However, Jensen said they sometimes bring in $1,000 a week during the summer.

"It really varies," Karadeema said.

Branden Valdez of Taos was riding the Greyhound on March 16. He said he owns cars but rides the Greyhound several times a month for business.

"It's a good system to save fuel," he said.

Valdez said he sees both locals and tourists on the bus to and from Taos, and people lack other options, as flying into Taos is too expensive for many. He sees it as a good economic opportunity for the town, and he was not sure what he will do if Greyhound stops serving the area.

"That'll be hell," he said.

Alan Alexander was also on the bus March 16. He said he travels all over the country for his business, Lone Wolf Tattoos.

"(Taos) is one of my yearly stops," he said.

Alexander said he wouldn't be able to return to Taos regularly if Greyhound eliminates the stop. He said he enjoys meeting new people on the bus and hearing about local legends and folklore while watching New Mexico's scenery whiz by.

"Where else are you gonna get that?" he asked.