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 offers a contactlesssmart 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 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]
Rides must be booked online or through the phone. Replaces three previous fixed-route services[5][6][7]
Intercounty
Route
Name
From
Via
To
Notes
40
Nampa/Meridian Express
Happy Day Transit Center
CWI, Idaho & 9th or Main & 8th (near Main Street Station)
Boise State Transit Center
Runs clockwise within downtown Boise in the morning, counterclockwise in the afternoon
42
Happy Day Transit Center/Towne Square Mall
Happy Day Transit Center
CWI
Towne Square Mall
43
Caldwell Express
Jefferson Middle School
Idaho & 9th or Main & 8th (near Main Street Station), Boise State Transit Center
University & Earle
Runs four times per day during peak times
45
Boise State/CWI via Fairview
CWI
The Village at Meridian
Boise State Transit Center
Facilities
Main Street Station
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
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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