STREAMLINE LAUCHES PILOT PROJECT VALLEY WEST
The Streamline bus service recently expanded to western Gallatin County, offering rides to Manhattan and Three Forks.
Streamline bus expanding to Manhattan, Three Forks
By Alyssa Mavor Chronicle Staff Writer
The Streamline bus service recently expanded to western Gallatin County, offering rides to Manhattan and Three Forks.
Streamline began the Valley West Pilot Project on June 14. The trial service will run two days a week. The rides will be three times a day on Tuesdays and Thursdays until Aug. 18. Streamline already offers rides around Bozeman and Belgrade.
The bus service will be temporary, but HRDC hopes to create permanent routes in the future, said HRDC board chairman David Kack.
“You just have to look at the amount of traffic coming in to realize there’s a lot of people commuting from that area,” Kack said.
Kack, who is one of the founders of Streamline, hopes to eventually run the valley west route five or six days a week.
“We’ve recognized demand for service in the west end of the county but can’t fund regular service yet,” he said.
Additionally, he said, there is potential for a reverse commute. Bozeman residents can use the new route to travel to businesses like Blackhawk in Manhattan and Wheat Montana in Three Forks.
Since 1975, HRDC has been providing social services to residents in Gallatin, Park and Meagher counties. Ten years ago, HRDC launched the Streamline bus service to offer free transportation around Bozeman and later Belgrade.
Currently, HRDC pays for vehicles with volunteer drivers who take passengers from western valley communities to Bozeman. One group travels to Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital three days a week for dialysis treatments and another goes to Eagle Mount.
Though Streamline was hotly contested in the beginning, it has grown in popularity in the past 10 years. With over 300,000 rides given in each of the past two fiscal years, HRDC considers Streamline a success.
“We’ve come a long way and we want to keep expanding,” Kack said.
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Alyssa Mavor can be reached at amavor@dailychronicle.com
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