Mountain Climber sees leadership change with eye on future growth

A transition is underway at Flathead County’s public transportation system, the Mountain Climber.

The leadership of the Flathead County Public Transit is shifting as Dale Novak retires as director of the department, while Elizabeth Wood is taking over in the driver's seat.

Mountain Climber is also looking to continue its rebranding efforts and improve its services for riders.

Novak this week is wrapping up his second stint as a director, with 10 years total at the department. Besides being director, he has also served as a bus driver for the service.

“I’ve enjoyed seeing the growth we’ve had, especially coming out of the ashes of Covid and getting to the point where we are now with a total rebranding,” he said, noting the service’s change from Eagle Transit to Mountain Climber.

The system provides on-demand rides Monday through Friday.

“Our focus is on our core ridership, those who are transit-dependent,” he said. “That’s who we want to help first. We have riders who have no other means to get to work and that’s been amazing.”

Wood, who has spent five years with the service handling marketing and ride dispatch, is moving into the role of director. She spent a summer overseeing the bus service in Glacier National Park when it operated a shuttle service in the park.

“I feel good about the skills I can bring to the table because I know the community and the riders,” she said. “I know where we’ve been, where we’re at now and the goals that we want to achieve.”

Novak says the department continues to educate folks about the transition the ride service has made from Eagle Transit to Mountain Climber. In addition to the new name, the transit system expanded its fleet including new designs on buses and adjusted its routes.

“People have a limited view of what we do because before they felt it was for the elderly and disabled, but now with Mountain Climber the general public can ride,” he said.

Novak said service has shifted as the need has grown to provide rides in the early morning and later in the day as folks rely on the service to get to and from work. Drivers report they are taking riders to job interviews and then eventually to their permanent jobs, he notes, often picking up riders from the Samaritan House and the Flathead Warming Shelter.

“It’s exciting to see that,” Novak said. “I don’t think people know what a difference the service is making and how much it really helps people.”

The addition of the Mountain Climber app has allowed riders to book their rides through their smartphone in addition to calling the ride dispatch. About half of the riders are now using the app to schedule service.

Mountain Climber continues to see strong ridership, averaging about 6,000 riders per month. It’s also seeing increased ridership this year already over last year. On a recent day, the Whitefish route saw a record 58 riders taking the bus.

In addition to basic ride service, Mountain Climber offers field trip services that are often utilized by childcare services and senior centers as they take group trips to locations like the library or Glacier National Park. The bus service also provides children rides to the S.P.A.R.K. after school program at the Summit.

THE TRANSIT service is looking at areas where it can better serve riders in the future. With climbing gas prices that means examining a future need for a commuter bus service to run between Kalispell, Whitefish and Columbia Falls.

Wood says determining if a commuter bus service would be viable will be one of the areas Mountain Climber is watching for in the future as it increases services.

“We want to continue to serve the people of our community while keeping our pulse on their needs and the bigger picture of the future,” she said. “Our goals are to keep an eye on the needs and where we can change.”

Meanwhile, Wood says the focus remains on providing quality on-demand service for rides, which also comes with its own benefits. She notes that 94% of people who request service are provided with a ride.

“What’s nice about demand service is that we pick people up at their location, they don’t have to walk five or six blocks to the bus stop,” she said. “That’s pretty beneficial to the community.”

On-demand services also mean that drivers get to know the riders who frequent the services. One driver called for a welfare check after noticing a frequent rider hadn’t requested service only to find out that rider was ill at home.

Features editor Heidi Desch may be reached at 758-4421 or hdesch@dailyinterlake.com.