Great Falls Transit seeking public input on transportation development plan
Great Falls Transit is currently surveying the public for feedback as it develops its transportation development plan.
The plan address both current and future transportation needs over the next decade by analyzing the current transit network, travel patterns and demographics.
Transit held a popup event at the Great Falls Public Library from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 11 and a public meeting with the consultants from 7-8 p.m. June 11 at the downtown Transfer Center, 326 1st Ave. S. Call 406-727-0382 if you need transportation to the evening meeting.
Great Falls Transit holding budget, mill levy hearing Aug. 23 [2023]
Transit service and demands changed during COVID and the plan will assess those changes, according to GFT.
A common misconception is that Great Falls Transit is a city department.
It is not. Nor is it funded through the City of Great Falls.
The Great Falls Transit district is its own political subdivision under state law, as established by a public vote in the 1970s, according to Nadine Hanning, general manager of the district.
That public vote also established a mill levy to fund the district but it doesn’t cover all of the district’s expenses to provide public transportation.
The transit district has its own board of directors, three of whom are elected by public ballot, which under state law is held in conjunction with the school elections in May when needed.
The other two are appointed, one by the City Commission and one by the County Commission, Hanning said.
The district operates seven fixed bus routes Monday through Saturday.
Great Falls Transit receives $3 million in CARES Act funds to support operations [2020]
The district’s plan consultants have performed the assessment phase of the process and found that the city’s grid-based street network and strong anchors of the downtown Transfer Center and Walmart on the eastside made for direct, efficient bus routes.
The district also operates a paratransit service, door to door, for $2 per trip for those who aren’t able to ride the bus.
Preliminary feedback indicated that Transit serves those with the greatest mobility need and the plan will look at maintaining and strengthening service to those communities, but paratransit is not operating efficiently, Hanning said during an April City Commission work session.
The total number of trips with Transit has increased and locals are looking to travel later into the evening for reasons outside the typical work commute, according to Transit.
Ridership on fixed route services hasn’t fully recovered from COVID, but “it’s rate of recovery is strong and has exceeded levels seen in peer agencies,” according to Transit.
Ridership on paratransit services has grown to levels greater than pre-COVID.
Challenges facing Transit found in the early stages of the planning process include increased costs and high ridership and traffic often delaying Route 1 during the afternoon peak, negatively impacting the entire system and the plan will look at mitigation measures.
Great Falls transit service resumes June 1 [2020]
So far in the transportation development plan process, Transit and their consultants held in-person meetings, a rider and community survey and are now sharing the draft plan with the community at pop-up events and public meetings, plus another community survey.
The 2023 survey received 357 responses, of which 111 were riders and 246 were community members, according to Transit.
Asked to suggest one change or improvement to Transit services during the 2023 survey, participants asked for fixed stops, better bus amenities and investment in sidewalk infrastructure; and asked for clear, real-time information about Transit services, as well as Sunday and later evening services.
So far, Transit and its consultants have come up with four goals and objectives to help shape short, medium and long term recommendations for the transportation development plan.
They are:
- improve pre-trip infrastructure for customers
- provide better trip planning tools to riders
- increase service span and frequency
- improve reliability of bus routes
In the draft plan, the following recommendations are included:
- short-term
- add one additional inbound trip to Route 1 which would depart from Walmart East at 2:02 p.m. to keep the route on-time
- operate a pilot Route 8 during morning and afternoon peak service hours to help alleviate heavy loads and improve on time performance
- mid-term
- provide real time bus arrival information to customers which will allow them to better plan their trips
- long-term
- replace the flag stop system with fixed bus stops with amenities and transit information
- increase weekday peak hour service on Route 7 to 30 minutes which will match the service of the rest of the routes in the system
- operate Sunday service for all routes
- provide 30-minute service on all routes all day
- operate 15-minute service on Route 1 during the peak morning and afternoon hours
- provide evening and late-night microtransit service in the transit district service area for people making trips after fixed route service ends
Hanning said during an April city work session that a 2010 transportation development plan was done that recommended expanding service, separating the existing Route 1 into two routes, but nothing was implemented for various meetings.
Great Falls Transit District was established by a 1978 public vote and operations began in 1982, according to Nadine Hanning, district manager.
Paratransit services suspended, community agencies filling gaps [2020]
The operation moved into its current building in 1986 and opened the downtown Transfer Center in 2001.
In 2002, bus fares increased from 50 to 75 cents for adults, Hanning told City Commissioners during an April 16 work session.
In 2003, Transit brought paratransit services under their roof. Those services had previously been contracted to a local taxi company, she said.
Bus fares increased from 75 cents to $1 in 2006 and the rate has remained ever since for fixed route service.
Since beginning service in 1982, GFT has provided more than 18 million passenger rides or an average of 36,000 trips per month, Hanning told commissioners.
The average monthly ridership for the current fiscal year, which runs through June 30, has been 30,000 on fixed routes, which was still down due to the effects of COVID, Hanning told commissioners in April.
Since paratransit came in-house in 2003, Transit has provided 741,000 rides, with an average of 2,850 trips per month, Hanning said.
The average monthly paratransit rides for the current fiscal year is 4,800, she said.
Open house upcoming for transportation plan
The district’s main facility on North Star Boulevard is nearing the end of its useful life, Hanning said, and of 19 buses, eight exceed their useful life.
The downtown Transfer Center was constructed originally in 1947 as a Greyhound bus depot and is on the historic register, she said. It was rehabilitated in 2001.
The district’s most recent bus purchase was in 2021 for $440,000.
The district has a fleet of 15 paratransit vans, seven of which have exceeded their useful life.
Hanning said that in 2019, the cost of a paratransit van was $38,000. By 2021, that cost was $53,000 and by 2023, it was $75,000.
“The cost of vans is something that’s of concern for us,” she told commissioners, as well as their limited supply.
Great Falls Transit is largely funded by federal programs, some through the Montana Department of Transportation, as well as some competitive funding opportunities. Most federal funding requires a local match of 15 percent for ADA compliant vehicle purchases or 20 percent matches for other capital projects.
The district also gets funding through the local property tax mill levy established by voters in the 1970s.
Passenger fare revenues make up about five percent of the operating budget.
Hanning said based on expenses and ridership, it cost $104.57 hourly to run fixed service transit and $10.96 actual cost per bus ride in February.
She said they often hear comments on how the public will react to any changes to existing services and fares; people wanting the service to be easier to use with improved maps and website, including real time bus tracking; and complaints that buses are too big and loud, empty and dangerous in traffic; and that people don’t want to pay taxes.
Looking long-term, she said the district might consider a fare increase, but the board doesn’t want to do that if they can help it because there’s already enough tax burden on locals; electronic fare collection options; fleet transition to low or no emission vehicles.
Hanning said that Transit might also have to consider contracting for all or part of paratransit since if it continues expanding as fast as it has been, they won’t be able to provide those services inhouse.
Expanding the district boundaries requires a public vote and it wouldn’t guarantee the expansion of services into newly added areas as property tax revenue generated by the expansion likely wouldn’t be adequate to fund a significant expansion, Hanning said.
The board and management are interested in expanding services, but need to know if it’s what the community wants, will support it with a vote and pay for it, she said.
The majority of people using transit currently are transit dependent, Hanning said, and she’d like to see more people using the system because they want to, not because they have to.
