KTVL News10 (Oregon) - by Jenica Villamor

City officials are looking to increase riders on the city bus.

The answer, they believe, lies in the bus shelter. City leaders are working to build five additional shelters around town and make them decorative.

Grants Pass has received a $400,000 federal grant to build the shelters. However, city managers are asking the city council for an additional $150,000 to add artistic elements to the shelters.

"The nicer they are makes more people want to use public transportation,” said David Reeves, Grants Pass assistant city manager.

Bus riders agree with the concept.

Bus rider Jenna Ashley says it would make waiting for the bus a little better.

“That would be really cool especially if it was of the town. It could be a traditional thing—we do that enough, so why not keep it going?” she said.

But riders don’t just want pretty shelters, they want more of shelters.

“I think that would be a great idea, especially with the cold and rainy weather we have,” passenger Daniel Vasquez said.

Grants Pass officials say increasing bus ridership could help the city address air quality issues.

“All the traffic makes the air quality worse,” Reeves said. “We want to get people off the road to make the air quality better.”

The Grants Pass City Council will discuss the issue at its 6 p.m. Wednesday meeting at the Council Chambers. They will take comments from the public.