Valley Regional Transit

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Valley Regional Transit
A VRT bus departing from the underground Main Street Station in downtown Boise
Founded1999
Headquarters700 NE 2nd St. #100
LocaleMeridian, Idaho
Service areaAda County, Idaho
Canyon County, Idaho
Service typebus service
Routes21[1]
StationsMain Street Station, Happy Day Transit Center
FleetAbout 50 Buses
Annual ridership893,935 (2022)
Fuel typeCNG & Diesel
OperatorFirst Transit
Chief executiveElaine Clegg
WebsiteValley Regional Transit

Valley Regional Transit (abbreviated VRT) is a public agency which is the main provider of mass transit service in metropolitan Boise, Idaho. Nineteen routes operate in Ada County with seven of these providing six-day-per-week service in Boise. An on-demand service is provided in Canyon County. Four intercounty commuter lines are also offered. Both a peak hour express route and an all-day limited-stop incarnation of the same route connect Nampa and Meridian. Service also connects Boise State University with the College of Western Idaho in Nampa in which a third route directly links the two. A fourth express route only runs twice per day in each direction connecting Caldwell and Boise.[1]

VRT also operates Boise GreenBike, the city's bicycle-sharing system that was launched in 2015.[2]

Fares[edit]

VRT offers a contactless smart card and mobile app under the City Go brand as methods to pay for rides, and also accepts cash and preloaded stored-value cards. The City Go app can be used to purchase passes, while the card can store a reloadable balance and features fare capping.[3]

As of March 2023, fares are as follows:

Fare Type Local Universal
Single ride $1.50 $4.50
Day pass $2.50 $7.50
31-day pass $42 $90
Year pass $282 $594

Local fares apply to all routes except for 40. This express intercounty routes requires a universal fare. For youth, seniors, and people with disabilities, the single ride, day pass, and 31-day passes are offered for half price.[4]

Routes[edit]

Ada County[edit]

Routes within Ada County mainly originate from Main Street Station or nearby along Main Street, although some routes originate from shopping centers.[1]

Route Name From Via To Notes
  2 Broadway Main Street Station Boise Airport Has Saturday service
  3 Vista Main Street Station Boise Airport Has Saturday service
  4 Franklin Main Street Station Towne Square Mall
  5 Emerald Main Street Station Towne Square Mall Has Saturday service
  7 Fairview Main Street Station Towne Square Mall Has Saturday service
  8 Chinden Main Street Station Discovery & Chinden
  9 State Street Main Street Station Gary & Bunch Has Saturday service
  10 Hill Road Main Street Station State & Ellens Ferry
  16 VA/15th Street Main Street Station VA Medical Center Parkhill & Bogus
  17 Warm Springs/Parkcenter Main Street Station Millspur Way
  20 Orchard Boise Airport 36th & Shasta Has Saturday service
  21 Cole/Glenwood Towne Square Mall Gary & Bunch Has Saturday service
  24 Ustick/Maple Grove Towne Square Mall The Village at Meridian
  28 Cole/Victory Towne Square Mall Pro Tech at Frank Church High School
  29 Overland Main Street Station Boise State Transit Center Towne Square Mall Has Saturday service
  30 Pine The Village at Meridian Ten Mile Crossing
  160 Eagle On-Demand On-demand route in and around Eagle Rides must be booked online or through the phone

Canyon County[edit]

Route Name From Via To Notes
  150 Nampa/Caldwell On-Demand On-demand route in and around Nampa and Caldwell Rides must be booked online or through the phone. Replaces three previous fixed-route services[5][6][7]

Intercounty[edit]

Route Name From Via To Notes
  40 Caldwell/Boise Express College of Idaho Happy Day Transit Center, Idaho & 9th, Main Street Station Boise State Transit Center Runs clockwise within downtown Boise in the morning, counterclockwise in the afternoon
  42 Happy Day to Towne Square Mall Happy Day Transit Center College of Western Idaho Towne Square Mall
  45 Boise State/CWI College of Western Idaho Ten Mile Crossing, The Village at Meridian Boise State Transit Center

Facilities[edit]

Main Street Station[edit]

The lobby of Main Street Station

Located underground beneath City Center Plaza in downtown Boise, Main Street Station serves as Boise's main transit center. The majority of services within the city arrive underground at the station, although some arrive above ground on Main Street.[8][9] In addition to VRT buses, Boise State University shuttle buses also serve the station, as the university's computer science department occupies two floors of the City Center Plaza building. These free shuttle buses run in a loop between Main Street Station and the Boise State Transit Center.[10][11]

History[edit]

In 1994, the Idaho Legislature passed a law that allows cities or counties to place the creation of regional public transportation authorities on the ballot to request voter approval.[12] In November 1998, voters in Ada and Canyon Counties approved creating an RPTA for their respective counties. A few months later, in January 1999, The boards of directors of the Ada County and Canyon County RPTAs voted to merge the two organizations, creating the Treasure Valley Regional Transportation Authority. The organization went through a few more name changes, becoming VIATrans, short for Valley InterArea Transportation,[13] and then ValleyRide in June 2002. In July of that year, ValleyRide took over operations of Boise Urban Stages, which had been the operator of bus service in the city of Boise since 1973. By 2003, ValleyRide also operated service in Garden City previously offered by Garden City Interline, and had agreements with Treasure Valley Transit and Commuters Bus for the operation of the intercounty routes.[14] In November 2004, the organization was renamed to Valley Regional Transit, with the ValleyRide name being used to describe the services offered. On March 1, 2005, the agreements with Treasure Valley Transit and Commuters Bus for the intercounty routes expired, and VRT began using First Transit to provide service on intercounty routes as well as routes within Canyon County.[15]

On April 15, 2015, VRT launched Boise Greenbike, the city's bicycle-sharing system.[2][16] At the end of September 2020, VRT suspended the program, with plans to restart it in the spring of 2021 using electric-assist bikes.[17]

Future Projects[edit]

A VRT electric bus

In January 2020, Valley Regional Transit agreed to buy 12 battery electric buses from Proterra. The first of these are expected to go into service in 2021 on a new route in Meridian.[18] This route, linking Kleiner Park with a business center at the intersection of Ten Mile Road and Franklin Road, would be VRT's first to serve the downtown Meridian area.[19][20]

Longer-term plans include increasing frequency on its most used routes, upgrading its maintenance facility, improving bus stops, and introducing an integrated fare payment system.[21][22] Additionally, depending on the success of the on-demand pilot in Canyon County, a similar program could be considered for Boise.[23]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Routes Archive - Valley Regional Transit". Valley Regional Transit. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  2. ^ a b Jaszewski, Joe (April 15, 2015). "Get a first look at Boise GreenBike, the new bike-sharing system". Idaho Statesman. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  3. ^ "Valley Regional Transit Launches City Go Wallet, Boise, ID 2021". Mobility Learning Center. Shared-Use Mobility Center. 2021-11-15. Archived from the original on 2022-05-26. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  4. ^ "Fares and Passes - Valley Regional Transit". Valley Regional Transit. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  5. ^ "Long-Term Service Changes - Valley Regional Transit". Valley Regional Transit. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  6. ^ "Nampa / Caldwell OnDemand Service - Valley Regional Transit". Valley Regional Transit. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  7. ^ "ValleyRide bus service in Nampa/Caldwell moves to on-demand". KTVB-TV. 2020-10-05. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  8. ^ "Treasure Valley Bus Stations, Locations, & Offices - Valley Regional Transit". Valley Regional Transit. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  9. ^ Berg, Sven (2016-10-24). "Boise's new Downtown transit center is open. Here's how to use it". Idaho Statesman. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  10. ^ "CCP Building Information - Computer Science". Boise State University. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  11. ^ "Bronco Shuttle - Transportation and Parking". Boise State University. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  12. ^ "Idaho Statutes (40-2105)". State of Idaho. 1994. Archived from the original on 2021-02-01. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  13. ^ "Valley InterArea Transportation's Transit Development Plan" (PDF). Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-03-04. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  14. ^ "Our History". ValleyRide. Archived from the original on 2003-07-13.
  15. ^ "Our History". ValleyRide. Archived from the original on 2006-02-13.
  16. ^ "Boise GreenBike FY2016 Annual Report" (PDF). Boise Bike Share. Valley Regional Transit. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-06-14. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  17. ^ "Pushing the pause button with Boise GreenBike - Valley Regional Transit". Valley Regional Transit. 2020-03-16. Archived from the original on 2021-01-19. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  18. ^ "Some Valley Regional Transit buses going electric". KIVI. 2020-01-28. Archived from the original on 2020-02-01. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  19. ^ "Valley Regional Transit seeks public opinion on bus service in Meridian". KIVI. 2020-01-28. Archived from the original on 2020-03-13. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  20. ^ "Meridian Fixed-Route Service". Valley Regional Transit. Archived from the original on 2021-02-05. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  21. ^ "Capital & Service Planning". Valley Regional Transit. Archived from the original on 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  22. ^ "Executive Board Meeting Agenda" (PDF). Valley Regional Transit. 2021-02-01. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  23. ^ "Draft FY2021-25 Transportation Development Plan" (PDF). Valley Regional Transit. November 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-02-02. Retrieved 2021-02-01.

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