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Mountain Climber Transit reports ridership surge, new tablet inspections and high on‑time service
Summary
Mountain Climber Transit reported system upgrades to tablet-based vehicle inspections, staffing improvements and rising ridership—51,975 rides last fiscal year and 15,684 in the first quarter—while maintaining a ~96% met-demand rate through August; annual public meetings were scheduled in December.
Elizabeth Wood, director for Mountain Climber Transit, presented the transit agency's bimonthly update to the commissioners, highlighting a recent software upgrade to tablet-based driver vehicle inspection reports (DVIRs) and a streamlined maintenance-notification workflow that routes flagged items directly to fleet maintenance.
Wood said the system completed 51,975 rides in the last fiscal year and recorded 15,684 rides in the first quarter of the current fiscal year. She reported ridership increases of about 52% in Columbia Falls, 24% in Whitefish and 36% in Kalispell compared with the prior year. "Our drivers love it, and Gerald loves it, so it's a win win," Wood said of the maintenance-software upgrade.
Wood added that trip duration and wait times remain favorable (average on‑bus time about 13.8 minutes and trips generally under 20 minutes). She said the met‑demand rate through August was about 96%; Wood noted the agency monitors that rate and would be concerned if it dropped toward the low 90s. The agency is fully staffed with a recent part‑time hire moving into a full‑time role when another driver retires next month.
Mountain Climber is beginning a transportation coordination plan and grant-application process for the coming fiscal year and will hold annual public meetings in Whitefish (Dec. 4), Kalispell (Dec. 11) and Columbia Falls (Dec. 18).
