Mountain Line reports growth in vanpool and taxi subsidy programs; county funding leverages federal transit dollars

Mountain Line staff briefed the Board of Supervisors on May 27 about two county-supported transit programs that provide door‑to‑door taxi subsidies and employer‑based vanpools that help residents travel in and beyond the Flagstaff area.

Mountain Line said the county’s contribution supports a taxi card program (a declining‑balance card that can be used with taxis or rideshare services) that subsidizes 80% of a monthly load (the rider pays 20% of each trip), and the county contribution leverages federal funding to stretch the program. The board heard that the program is intended for riders who qualify for paratransit-style service or who lack other reliable transportation. Mountain Line estimated roughly five dozen eligible riders currently use the subsidy; staff report the program provides many low‑cost trips compared with county-operated paratransit vehicles.

Mountain Line also described a vanpool program—vehicles are provided under a contractor arrangement and groups of employees with a common origin-destination share the ride. The county contribution offsets the monthly vehicle subsidy (Mountain Line reported $400 per month per van), and federal funds cover the rest. Mountain Line said 14 vanpools were operating in the region, and the program’s monthly reduction in vehicle miles traveled was estimated at more than 61,000 miles; the agency estimated monthly carbon‑dioxide savings and rider cost savings of roughly $600 per rider compared with solo driving.

Supervisors and Mountain Line staff discussed growing service in the Flagstaff area under a new city tax (Prop 488) and the continuing emphasis on leveraging county funding to draw federal transit dollars. Mountain Line said it will expand weekday frequencies on several Flagstaff routes using city tax funding, while county-supported programs will continue to focus on subsidized vanpools and taxi subsidies. No board vote was required.