Mountain Line moves toward almost all-electric fleet, cites zero-fare gains and new facility plans

Mountain Line has converted almost its entire fixed-route fleet to battery-electric buses and is planning a new, federally funded operations facility to accommodate further expansion, Mountain Line representative Jordan Hess said during a Missoula County Commissionerspodcast conversation.

"Were up to 26 out of our 29 buses are electric at this time," Jordan Hess said. He told Commissioners Josh Slotnick and Juanita Vero the agency took delivery of 10 electric buses this summer and four last fall, after beginning a pilot of multiple manufacturers in 2018.

Hess said the agency chose a single vendor after testing several manufacturers for winter performance, efficiency and maintenance needs. He said electric buses reduce many routine maintenance tasks: regenerative braking reduces brake wear and there are no oil changes, although the vehicles cost more up front.

The agency has installed chargers at its existing facility but is "maxed out" on the electrical feed there, Hess said. Mountain Line plans a new facility near the airport using about $40,000,000 in federal funds; Hess said land closing was imminent and the agency hopes to break ground in 2026 on a project he estimated would take about 21/2 to 3 years to construct. He characterized the new site as necessary both to expand charging capacity and to provide room for buses, maintenance and administrative staff.

Hess described how Mountain Line built maintenance capacity internally, saying one long-time mechanic became the training foreman and led shop staff through the new technology. "He's our training foreman," Hess said, and that in-house training has helped the agency maintain older diesel buses while bringing electric vehicles online.

Mountain Line also discussed service pilots aimed at recreational access. Hess described a seven-week pilot this fall that ran weekend service to Marshall Mountain with a bike trailer behind one bus. The pilot had mixed daily ridership depending on weather; on some days the agency saw several dozen passengers, he said. Mountain Line also provided funding this year to sustain the Udash river shuttle, a summer service used by students and community members.

On fares, Hess said Mountain Line has operated a zero-fare system since a 2015 pilot and that a 2020 public vote sustained the program by roughly 60% to 40%. "Ridership immediately spiked by about 45%," he said, noting that removing the fare also speeds boarding and reduces bottlenecks. Hess estimated a mechanical farebox costs roughly $30,000 to $50,000 per bus and cited additional staffing and cash-handling overhead as further costs of collecting fares.

Hess said safety benefits factored into the decision to maintain zero-fare: he cited a national trend linking assaults on bus drivers to fare disputes and said eliminating fares removes that source of conflict.

On procurement and local economic impacts, Hess cited Buy America requirements for federally funded vehicles and told commissioners Mountain Line employs about 125 people from Western Montana, saying parts, maintenance and staffing create local economic benefit.

Mountain Line recently completed a transit service plan and will introduce a new Route 10 next summer, Hess said. The route will provide a one-seat connection between the Franklin/Fort neighborhoods and downtown by reallocating existing service hours rather than adding net hours. Hess also described a bus-stop improvement program informed by the NACTO Transit Street Design Guide that will add seating, lighting, trash receptacles and shelters where appropriate.

Commissioner Josh Slotnick asked how a person who does not ride transit benefits from a robust system; Hess replied that transit reduces parking demand and can improve air quality, and cited an American Public Transportation Association estimate that every dollar invested in public transit yields $5 in economic benefit.

For more information, Hess directed listeners to mountainline.com and recommended the Transit app for route planning. He also noted Mountain Lines social media and customer service at the downtown transfer center for travel training and rider help.

The Missoula County Commissioners podcast indicated contact details for county communications and posted a link to county updates during the closing of the episode.