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Valley Regional Transit board approves final network redesign

CEO Elaine Clegg called it the "first big redesign in 20 years."

BOISE, Idaho — Changes are on the horizon for Treasure Valley Bus Riders. Valley Regional Transit board members passed the 'Better Bus Initiative' system redesign.

VRT serves Boise, Meridian, Caldwell, Nampa, Eagle and some of Garden City. 

"The most important thing to know is that it increases the number of routes that focuses on frequency by almost 10%, which is quite a big deal," Clegg said. 

The system redesign was first proposed in April, and VRT went through various iterations. Originally, Clegg said they were looking to cut several less popular routes and buses to more popular ones. 

VRT currently runs 22 routes. Once the new redesign starts in June 2024, there will be 21. 

However, Clegg said there will actually be an increase in service because they are combining some routes and redesigning others.

"Cities all over the region have told us that this service is so important to them that they're okay paying a little bit more if we can get better service," she said. "So, rather than a cut, we're actually going to see a 14% increase in service." 

Some of that additional money will go toward increasing costs because of inflation, Clegg said. 

Some regular riders, like Becky Sievers, were concerned about VRT's original plan and are happier with the final one. 

"They were looking to replace routes with on-demand services, but they [weren't] ideal with a daily commuter because you can't schedule it in advance," Sievers said. "If they're not canceling any of the routes they were previously canceling, I think that's better for everybody that rides."

VRT predicts a 22% increase in riders once the redesign starts. Right now, around 900,000 people ride VRT buses every year. Clegg wants to get that number to 1 million. 

Clegg said there will be some loss of bus coverage in Boise but thinks people who rely on those stops will be able to find another one nearby. 

"Most likely, you'll be able to find a faster trip wherever you're going on this new system," she said. "You'll have to learn a new route, learn a new connection, something like that. But you should be able to get where you're going." 

VRT plans on reaching out directly to riders about the changes so people can figure out what will work best for them starting next summer, Clegg said. 


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