Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transit Development Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Local transit agency outlines 10-year update, route proposals and funding constraints
Summary
Transit staff summarized a 2025 update to the Transit Development Plan with proposed new north–south and east–west routes, microtransit zones and funding risks tied to discretionary federal grants and vehicle/driver availability.
Sunshine, a transit agency representative, told the MPO technical committee that the agency is updating its 10-year Transit Development Plan and is focusing on longer-range route changes rather than low-level tweaks to current service.
Sunshine said the 2020 plan restructured routes to improve bidirectional service, added a new Bozeman route and expanded Belgrade stops from one to eight by moving service onto Frontage Road. For the 2025 update, consultants proposed additional north–south and east–west routes, a South Bozeman route to serve denser areas, expanded transfer locations (Walmart, downtown transfer station, MSU and the mall) and three microtransit pilot zones (Southeast Bozeman, Four Corners and Belgrade).
Sunshine said the agency has conducted stakeholder interviews and a public survey that identified the airport, Four Corners and Billings Clinic as top destinations. Riders asked for more frequent morning service and longer evening service; nonriders most frequently cited the lack of a nearby bus stop or insufficient frequency as reasons for not using transit.
Sunshine cautioned that the plan is paused pending confirmation of discretionary federal funding awarded to the state on the agency’s behalf. "We had... discretionary funds from the Federal Transit Administration awarded to the state on our behalf," Sunshine said, and the agency paused some work because the money had not yet been obligated. Sunshine said the MPO-area transit agency expects to learn about funding obligations in April and that full implementation would require a substantial increase in capital and operations: implementing the plan at once would raise weekday peak buses from 9 to 24 and weekend peak buses from 3 to 14.
The agency is also evaluating phased approaches to avoid losing service in some areas when routes are reconfigured. Staff noted paratransit obligations: expanding fixed-route all-day service between Bozeman and Belgrade could increase the paratransit service area and costs, because ADA paratransit must serve areas within three-quarters of a mile of fixed routes.
Sunshine said the agency will switch to small urban transit funding in July, which may reduce current funding by about $400,000 compared with prior formula allocations, and that staff are pursuing metrics that could qualify for Transit Intensive Cities funding to recover some funding. Staff are also exploring shared-facility options with neighboring providers and considering phased vehicle and driver acquisition because of long manufacturer lead times.
Sunshine asked the committee for feedback as the agency develops long-range recommendations and noted the timing uncertainties tied to federal funding and equipment delivery.
No formal action was taken on the transit development plan during the meeting.
