Eagle Transit eliminates Evergreen stops

Officials with Area IX Agency on Aging in Kalispell have modified the routes for its Eagle Transit bus service — most notably halting regular commuter stops in Evergreen and adding an orange-line city route in Kalispell, as of the first of the year.

The decision, which was discussed at multiple committee meetings in 2018, came down to low ridership with an expensive price tag.

According to Tom Schneider, transportation program manager for Eagle Transit, regular services into Evergreen absorbed a large percentage of the service’s total budget, but only accounted for about 3 percent of the nearly 100,000 rides accrued in 2018.

Schneider pointed to multiple issues in Evergreen that made regular routes challenging. He said the area’s proximity to popular stops such as Hutton Ranch and Kalispell Regional Medical Center called for more resources and longer ride times. He also highlighted how sprawled Evergreen is compared to Kalispell, Whitefish and Columbia Falls.

The funding formula for Eagle Transit is reliant on consistent ridership. About 70 percent of the $1.2 million budget comes from federal funds and if rider numbers drop significantly, the agency can fall out of terms with federal compliance, thus losing funding.

“There is a lot of need out there for public transportation and we want to be able to provide for everyone, but we also have to stay within compliance,” Schneider said. “We had to look at where our population was the most dense, where we could get enough riders to meet those requirements.”

Officials say the choice to eliminate routes into Evergreen was not an easy one.

“For a handful of people, these changes have been really negative for them and we are not insensitive to that” Agency on Aging Director Lisa Sheppard said. “We were jeopardizing our federal funding with low ridership.”

Although the commuter stops in Evergreen have been eliminated, the agency has expanded its premium Dial-A-Ride hours from 7a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays to accommodate demand in the area. The option is an appointment-based door-to-door service available to individuals who fall outside of paratransit service boundaries, or anywhere within three-quarters of a mile around Kalispell, Whitefish and Columbia Falls city routes.

According to Sheppard, since the commuter route was eliminated at the start of the year, Dial-A-Ride so far has been able to accommodate ride requests in Evergreen. She said the agency will continue to think of ways to better serve the public transportation needs of Evergreen.

At the same time commuter routes were eliminated, a new orange-line city route was incorporated. It was designed to expand neighborhood service in Kalispell and stops in front of more densely populated areas such as apartment complexes. The new route has created options for high school students and added a third run to Hutton Ranch, the most popular destination for riders.

Sheppard said Kalispell is better suited to public transportation in terms of fixed routes because of population density and the proximity of people compared to the places they need to go.

Schneider said rider projections for this year are around 108,000.

“If we had the means we would provide transit 24/7, 365 days a year,” Sheppard said. “We are passionate about it, but we can’t do it without community support.”

Other funding for Eagle Transit is provided by partners such as the city of Kalispell, city of Whitefish, Kalispell Regional Medical Center and others. But according to the 2020 transportation coordination plan, many popular route destinations do not currently contribute, such as Flathead Valley Community College, Gateway Community Center and others.

Sheppard and Schneider hope future funding and collaboration with partners will allow them to better accommodate underserved areas.

Eagle Transit, operated by the Area IX Agency on Aging, now offers two fixed routes in Kalispell, Dial-A-Ride in parts of Whitefish, Kalispell, Columbia Falls and Evergreen, commuter service to Glacier National Park and between the tri-city area, and more. For more information on Eagle Transit routes and services go to flathead.mt.gov/eagle or call 758-2426.

Reporter Kianna Gardner can be reached at 758-4439 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com