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Valley Regional Transit previews ridership gains, asks Nampa council for May workshop data
Summary
Valley Regional Transit told the Nampa City Council it saw ridership gains in fiscal 2024 and asked the council what information it wants for an in-depth May workshop that will review FY26 planning and first-half FY25 performance.
Valley Regional Transit officials told the Nampa City Council on Monday that overall ridership rose in fiscal 2024 and asked the council to identify data and topics they want addressed at a May workshop.
The agency’s chief development officer, Stephen Hunt, said fixed-route and specialized services posted the largest increases in FY24 while on-demand service suffered a drop earlier in the year and is recovering. Hunt said the system saw particularly large gains in trips to medical appointments under programs such as Rides to Wellness and Beyond Access.
Hunt said VRT will present a fuller service report in May that will include line‑by‑line performance, funding sources, and potential innovative funding strategies. He asked council members to specify the presentation detail they want, including daily counts and which days have peak ridership, so VRT can bring the requested metrics.
Council members asked for more granular ridership data (daily or weekday averages, peak days), earlier distribution of the May packet so members can review it in advance, and background on state and federal programs such as Go Beyond and Beyond Access. Hunt said VRT will try to provide reports several days before the workshop and that the agency is working with its on‑demand technology provider to regain ridership in that product.
Hunt also told council members that VRT is consolidating some fixed‑route service through Nampa to maximize resources, bringing advertising sales in‑house to increase local revenue, and seeking private partnerships to help maintain the Happy Day Transit Center. He estimated in his presentation that transit services provide roughly $6.5 million in annual benefit to the City of Nampa, a figure VRT uses to illustrate return on investment.
What’s next: VRT will return in May with a detailed FY26 discussion and first‑half FY25 performance; council members asked for advance distribution of materials and specific daily/weekday ridership breakdowns to inform that discussion.
