Hutchinson ? The launch of a new bus route between Kansas and Colorado and a smaller route in Kansas have been delayed because of a lack of bus stops, a delay in getting federal approval for an operating permit and a need for buses.

A daily service between Wichita and Pueblo, Colo., was expected to begin in July, but will be delayed at least two months because a suitable bus stop has not been found in Hutchinson, one of the larger cities along the route, according to the company that is contracting with the state to run the service.

A proposed twice daily route from Wichita to Salina also is delayed because no bus stop has been found in McPherson.

The routes are to be funded by federal stimulus dollars and a state subsidy, The Hutchinson News reported Wednesday.

“We thought we had someone (to provide a bus stop in Hutchinson), but they backed out,” said Dave Rockey, chief executive officer of Prestige Charters, which will run the service.

The bus stops on the route must be staffed 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week, to sell tickets and provide a waiting area for customers. Typically the stop is a convenience store or a gas station, said Lisa Koch, with the Kansas Department of Transportation.

“It’s a gift horse for whoever does it,” Rockey said. “We provide the ticketing system; all they need is Internet access.”

The owners of the bus stop also get to keep some of the revenue from ticket sales, typically about 10 percent, and can collect on freight shipped from the stop, Rockey said.

The company also is still waiting for approval of its operating permit for the new routes from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

“It’s been in the works for weeks,” Rockey said. “They told me verbally it’s going to be this month, but I’m not holding my breath.”

Prestige also wants the company making its new buses to provide leased equipment until the new buses are delivered, but that hasn’t happened because the bus company wants its money up front, Rockey said.

Stimulus dollars from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will help buy two new 55-passenger buses for each route and help with expenses such as fuel, personnel and maintenance.

If everything else gets done and no bus stop is found in Hutchinson, the town could be a “flag stop,” meaning riders would have to buy tickets online or at another location and then board the bus in Hutchinson.

While Rockey said service could be “30 to 60 days out,” Koch said it likely would be 60 days. Greyhound, which will be the ticketing agency, has 60 days after all locations are finalized to set up its software and route schedules.

Stops along the route that will follow U.S. 50 will include Wichita, Hutchinson, Dodge City, Garden City and Syracuse in Kansas, as well as Granada, Lamar, Las Animas, La Junta, Rocky Ford, Fowler and Pueblo in Colorado.

The Wichita to Salina route has stops finalized in Salina, Lindsborg, Newton and Wichita.