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Tri Valley Transit warns federal uncertainty may shrink commuter service to schools
Summary
At a Braintree meeting, Tri Valley Transit representative Paul Bridal told board members federal funding shifts have led to trimmed commuter routes — affecting runs that served Sharon Academy and local middle/high schools — and that planned facility projects are at risk of delay.
Paul Bridal, identified in the meeting packet as Tri Valley Transit’s reporter, told the board that recent federal funding changes have already prompted reductions on commuter routes that served Sharon Academy and the White Bear Valley middle and high schools. "They all trimmed it by saying, well, we don't have to run those things off," Bridal said, describing route cuts tied to constrained funding.
Bridal said capital funding for facility projects is uncertain and that some design-ready projects on the Madison County side are effectively on hold after expected federal dollars failed to materialize. He told members the delays could push projects into 2026 or later and that Tri Valley Transit staff are carefully weighing whether to accept operational responsibility for neighboring Washington County routes given the financial risks.
Board members pressed on operational details and volunteer-driver reliance for Medicaid and Medicare trips, including dialysis transport. Bridal described volunteer drivers as critical to sustaining paratransit-like runs and said service decisions will increasingly be driven by passenger counts and cost metrics. "If it's still only 4 people, it doesn't make sense to do it," he said.
The board thanked Bridal for the report and noted the town will monitor any regional requests for Tri Valley to expand operations. No formal action or vote was taken; the presentation served as an informational update.
