Eagle Transit may restructure bus routes

Eagle Transit hopes to pin down by July how it will rearrange its bus routes.

The new bus lines likely will form the shape of a cross north-south along Main Street plus east-west along Idaho Street before swinging north along U.S. 2.

There also is a chance that bus service might increase in Whitefish and Columbia Falls.

Today, Kalispell's primary bus route follows Main Street south from Flathead Valley Community College to downtown, then makes a loop before heading back north.

The bus route changes are the primary near-future recommendations in a study looking at the next six years for Eagle Transit.

Flathead County commissioners recently told Eagle Transit to see which recommendations in a draft study report can be tackled. Those recommendations came after the transit authority held neighborhood meetings to get feedback from the public.

Eagle Transit Director Cheryl Talley said budget considerations will determine how much the bus authority can realistically accomplish. Those budget figures should be somewhat nailed down by July 1, she said.

Right now, Eagle Transit has a roughly $460,000 annual budget for 10 employees (including seven drivers), plus nine buses of which five usually are on the road at one time.

Talley estimated that the most realistic additions would almost double Eagle Transit's current budget.

However, the majority of the extra money would come from federal funds, which Talley is currently applying to get. And she noted that the federal requirements for local matching funds for Eagle Transit have decreased, meaning less local money will have to be raised to be eligible for federal dollars.

"It's looking optimistic. The [new] differences in matches makes a big difference for us," Talley said.

When Eagle Transit's new fiscal year begins on July 1, the most likely immediate changes will be increasing bus service in Whitefish and Columbia Falls, Talley said.

Currently, bus service runs in Columbia Falls from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays, and in Whitefish on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The draft report recommends increasing the Columbia Falls service on Mondays through Fridays to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the Whitefish service to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

With the increased services, there is a chance of adding a few bus runs between those towns and Kalispell, Talley speculated.

In Kalispell, Eagle Transit is seriously looking at extending the Main Street route north to West Reserve Drive where the Home Depot and Lowe's shopping complexes are located. The southern part of that route might be rearranged among the current and potentially new downtown stops.

And the transit authority is considering adding an east-west route that could extend from western Kalispell along Idaho Street to U.S. 2 and then north along U.S. 2 to Evergreen Drive.

Talley hopes that the Kalispell and Evergreen route changes would be accomplished by the end of this year.

The Dial-A-Ride program would remain in place.

Other possible changes under consideration for the next six years include:

-Adding shelters at the bus stops for roughly $8,000 each.

. Buying up to 10 buses, all equipped with bike racks.

-Setting up a marketing program with a budget of $15,000.

Reporter John Stang may be reached at 758-4429 or by e-mail at jstang@dailyinterlake.com