Valley Regional Transit

Last updated
Valley Regional Transit
Valley Regional Transit updated logo.png
Valley Regional Transit 731 leaving Boise Main Street Station (30233608887).jpg
A VRT bus departing from the underground Main Street Station in downtown Boise
Founded1999
Headquarters700 NE 2nd St. #100
Locale Meridian, Idaho
Service area Ada County, Idaho
Canyon County, Idaho
Service type bus service
Routes24 [1]
StationsMain Street Station, Happy Day Transit Center
FleetAbout 50 Buses
Annual ridership893,935 (2022)
Fuel typeCNG & Diesel
Operator First Transit
Chief executiveElaine Clegg
Website Valley 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]

Contents

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

Fares

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 TypeLocalUniversal
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 and 43. These express intercounty routes require 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

Ada County

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

RouteNameFromViaToNotes
 1Harris Ranch via ParkcenterMain Street Station Boise State Transit CenterMillspur Loop
 2BroadwayMain Street Station Boise Airport Has Saturday service
 3VistaMain Street StationBoise AirportHas Saturday service
 4RooseveltMain Street StationBoise Airport
 5EmeraldMain Street Station Towne Square Mall Has Saturday service
 6OrchardMain Street StationCurtis & FranklinHas Saturday service
 7AFairview/UstickMain Street StationCole & UstickHas Saturday service, serves additional stops north to Goddard Road twice per day
 7BFairview/Towne Square MallMain Street StationTowne Square MallHas Saturday service
 8Five MileTowne Square MallState of Idaho Campus
 8XFive Mile/Chinden ExpressTowne Square MallState of Idaho Campus, Main Street StationTowne Square MallRuns clockwise in the morning, counterclockwise in the afternoon
 9State StreetMain Street StationGary & BunchHas Saturday service, serves State & Ballantyne P&R seven times per day during weekdays
 10Hill RoadMain Street StationState & Ellens Ferry
 12Maple GroveTowne Square MallGillis & Gary
 16VA/Hyde ParkMain & 8th (near Main Street Station) VA Medical Center 13th & Ridenbaugh
 17Warm SpringsMain & 8th (near Main Street Station) Old Penitentiary at Botanical Gardens
 28Cole/VictoryTowne Square MallPro Tech at Frank Church High School
 29OverlandTowne Square MallBoise State Transit CenterHas Saturday service
 30PineThe Village at MeridianTen Mile Crossing
 160Eagle OnDemandOn-demand route in and around Eagle Rides must be booked online or through the phone

Canyon County

RouteNameFromViaToNotes
 150Nampa/Caldwell OnDemandOn-demand route in and around Nampa and CaldwellRides must be booked online or through the phone. Replaces three previous fixed-route services [5] [6] [7]

Intercounty

RouteNameFromViaToNotes
 40Nampa/Meridian ExpressHappy Day Transit Center CWI, Idaho & 9th or Main & 8th (near Main Street Station)Boise State Transit CenterRuns clockwise within downtown Boise in the morning, counterclockwise in the afternoon
 42Happy Day Transit Center/Towne Square MallHappy Day Transit CenterCWITowne Square Mall
 43Caldwell ExpressJefferson Middle SchoolIdaho & 9th or Main & 8th (near Main Street Station), Boise State Transit CenterUniversity & EarleRuns four times per day during peak times
 45Boise State/CWI via FairviewCWIThe Village at MeridianBoise State Transit Center

Facilities

Main Street Station

The lobby of Main Street Station Boise Main Street Station interior (31298511448).jpg
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

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

A VRT electric bus Valley Regional Transit 4003 at the Downtown Boise Father's Day Car Show.jpg
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]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Routes Archive - Valley Regional Transit". Valley Regional Transit. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
  2. 1 2 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 2022-05-25. 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 2021-01-18. 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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