Gallatin Valley UTD

Streamline services officially commenced in August 2006, following a decade-long comprehensive study by Montana State University’s College of Engineering, which identified a growing need for public transit in Gallatin County. The results of this and other similar studies culminated in the Greater Bozeman Area Transit Development Plan, which laid the foundation for a public transit system and supplied the information needed to request federal funding for a rural transit system from the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT).

Soon after these feasibility studies concluded the local Public Transportation Stakeholder Committee selected the Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) to operate the new fixed route service. HRDC successfully obtained Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5311 Program funding and launched Streamline service, alongside its existing paratransit service called Galavan. By combining it with the University’s seasonal Transit Service it allowed HRDC to secure enough local match to leverage the funding. 

HRDC successfully operated Streamline for many years without any major service adjustments and saw increases in ridership year over year. However, due to rapid population growth between 2010 and 2019, HRDC launched the Redesign Streamline 2020 planning process to evaluate the current routes and the future transit service. The project involved a comprehensive study of Streamline service and operations, and culminated in a Transit Development Plan that details recommendations and implementation strategies for near- and long-term service changes. HRDC implemented the short-term service recommendations from this plan in the fall of 2021. 

The 2020 Census demonstrated a significant population increase in Gallatin County. In Bozeman, this population increase triggered a change in classification from a rural area to a small urban area and in federal transit funding. Eligible recipients of the small urban, FTA Section 5307 Program, do not include non-profit agencies such as HRDC. In order to continue receiving federal funding, which makes up a significant portion of the budget, a new funding structure was needed. Knowing this population change was coming, local stakeholders, and multiple planning studies recommended the formation of an Urban Transportation District (UTD) to ensure Streamline and Galavan could continue receiving federal funding and that it was the best option for the community to allow for continuity of services.

A UTD is an entity used to operate a transit system, accompanied by a governing board charged with managing the operations, infrastructure, and activities of a public transportation system. It operates a single purpose entity with a focus on regional collaboration and representation, and has no significant geographical constraints. Stakeholders believed that creating a UTD to oversee transit operations would continue to maintain a collaborative and community-focused approach to public transit that allows for equal representation from all participating communities and governments in Gallatin County.

Montana State Law regarding the creation of a new UTD requires that 20% of registered voters living within the boundaries of the proposed UTD sign a petition stating they wish to place the initiative on the ballot during a Special District election. Following a widely successful signature gathering initiative in the fall of 2022, voters approved the formation of the Gallatin Valley UTD on May 2nd, 2023 by 79%.