Council approves $300,000 stopgap for Service Basin transit after discussion on federal funding loss and longer-term options

The Minot City Council voted unanimously on June 2 to appropriate up to $300,000 to Service Basin Transportation to cover demand-response transit service inside the city for the remainder of 2025.

Council members and staff described the funding as a stopgap measure. Service Basin and city staff told the council that a change to an "urban" designation for federal transit funding made the nonprofit ineligible for the federal operating dollars it previously used to run demand-response services inside Minot. Without alternative support, Service Basin warned that service could be disrupted. Service Basin manager Daryl Francis said the organization delivers tens of thousands of rides a year and that a portion of those riders—many elderly or mobility-limited—would lose access without a local…