TAOS — In its first year of operation, the town's Taos-Santa Fe shuttle steadily gained ridership and recognition, while battling to stay ahead of frequent schedule changes by the Rail Runner Express train, its primary public transit partner.

"Overall, things went well," said transit chief Delilah García of the Taos Express' inaugural year. "It was a fluid transition from pilot program to full service."

The Santa Fe-to-Albuquerque Rail Runner shifted its hours of operations three times during the past 12 months, forcing García to make adjustments on the run.

"We are fortunate to have good communication with the Rail Runner," she said. "They gave us a heads-up on changes they were thinking about."

As a thanks to riders, the Taos Express is free for the month of June — the final month of the fiscal year.

Figures compiled by the town show 814 people rode from Taos to Santa Fe since operations began in June 2009, and 767 made the trip the other way. The summer months got the most ridership, with a spike in early winter, presumably by skier traffic.

In May, the shuttle transported its highest number of riders, 163. In its first month of operation last June, the vans took 121 either to or from Taos.

Seen as a marketing tool to bring more visitors — and their money — to town, the Taos Express took in $7,500 from its $5 one-way fare, García said, and got about $35,000 from the town budget.

For the 2010-2011 budget, town staff hopes the service will make more money, as the town's contribution will likely drop to $19,800, according to Finance Director Marietta Fambro.

"Right from day one, when we got a few riders, it's continued to go up," said Cathy Connelly, public relations director for the town.

She also pointed to the mid-year addition of runs to the Santa Fe Airport to meet American Eagle service to Dallas and Los Angeles — plus the "eye-catching artwork" on the vans — as indicators of a good first year.

In the coming year, Connelly said she hopes to develop Taos-specific packages with American Airlines and better ground connections into Taos Ski Valley.