Valley Regional Transit

{{Infobox Bus transit

| name = Valley Regional Transit

| logo = Valley Regional Transit updated logo.png

| logo_size =

| image = Valley Regional Transit 731 leaving Boise Main Street Station (30233608887).jpg

| image_caption = A VRT bus departing from the underground Main Street Station in downtown Boise

| company_slogan =

| parent =

| founded = 1999

| headquarters = 700 NE 2nd St. #100

| locale = Meridian, Idaho

| service_area = Ada County, Idaho
Canyon County, Idaho

| service_type = bus service

| alliance =

| routes = 21{{cite web |title=Routes Archive - Valley Regional Transit |url=https://valleyregionaltransit.org/routes/ |publisher=Valley Regional Transit |access-date=June 3, 2024}}

| destinations =

| stops =

| hubs =

| stations = Main Street Station, Happy Day Transit Center

| lounge =

| fleet = About 50 Buses

| ridership =

| fuel_type = CNG & Diesel

| operator = First Transit

| ceo =Elaine Clegg

| website = [http://www.valleyregionaltransit.org/ Valley Regional Transit]

|annual ridership=893,935 (2022)}}

Valley Regional Transit (abbreviated VRT) is a public agency which is the main provider of mass transit service in metropolitan Boise, Idaho. It operates 19 fixed-route services, mostly in Ada County, as well as two on-demand services in Canyon County and the city of Eagle.{{cite web |title=Routes Archive - Valley Regional Transit |url=https://valleyregionaltransit.org/routes/ |publisher=Valley Regional Transit |access-date=June 3, 2024}}

VRT also operates Boise GreenBike, the city's bicycle-sharing system that was launched in 2015.{{cite news |last=Jaszewski |first=Joe |date=April 15, 2015 |title=Get a first look at Boise GreenBike, the new bike-sharing system |url=http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/community/boise/article40853529.html |work=Idaho Statesman |accessdate=July 12, 2017}}

Fares

VRT offers a contactless smart card and mobile app under the City Go brand as methods to pay for rides, and also accepts cash and preloaded stored-value cards. The City Go app can be used to purchase passes, while the card can store a reloadable balance and features fare capping.{{cite web |date=November 15, 2021 |title=Valley Regional Transit Launches City Go Wallet, Boise, ID 2021 |url=https://learn.sharedusemobilitycenter.org/overview/valley-regional-transit-launches-city-go-wallet-boise-id-2021/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526015626/https://learn.sharedusemobilitycenter.org/overview/valley-regional-transit-launches-city-go-wallet-boise-id-2021/ |archive-date=May 26, 2022 |access-date=May 25, 2022 |website=Mobility Learning Center |publisher=Shared-Use Mobility Center}}

As of March 2023, fares are as follows:

class="wikitable"

!Fare Type

!Local

!Universal

Single ride

|$1.50

|$4.50

Day pass

|$2.50

|$7.50

31-day pass

|$42

|$90

Year pass

|$282

|$594

Local fares apply to all routes except for 40. This express intercounty route requires a universal fare. For youth, seniors, and people with disabilities, the single ride, day pass, and 31-day passes are offered for half price.{{cite web |title=Fares and Passes - Valley Regional Transit |url=https://valleyregionaltransit.org/fares-passes/ |publisher=Valley Regional Transit |access-date=March 23, 2023}}

Routes

=Ada County=

Routes within Ada County mainly originate from Main Street Station or nearby along Main Street, although some routes originate from shopping centers.{{cite web |title=Routes Archive - Valley Regional Transit |url=https://valleyregionaltransit.org/routes/ |publisher=Valley Regional Transit |access-date=June 3, 2024}}

colspan=2\| Route !Name	From !Via !To	Notes
class="wikitable"
style="background-color: #253c80" \| \| 2 \|Broadway	Main Street Station \|	Boise Airport	Has Saturday service
style="background-color: #76c043" \| \| 3 \|Vista	Main Street Station \|	Boise Airport	Has Saturday service
style="background-color: #253c80" \| \| 4 \|Franklin	Main Street Station \|	Towne Square Mall
style="background-color: #253c80" \| \|5 \|Emerald \| Main Street Station \|	Towne Square Mall	Has Saturday service
style="background-color: #76c043" \| \|7 \|Fairview \| Main Street Station \|	Towne Square Mall	Has Saturday service
style="background-color: #a54499" \| \|8 \|Chinden \| Main Street Station \|	Discovery & Chinden
style="background-color: #76c043" \| \|9 \|State Street \| Main Street Station \|	Gary & Bunch	Has Saturday service
style="background-color: #a54499" \| \|10 \|Hill Road \| Main Street Station \|	State & Ellens Ferry
style="background-color: #253c80" \| \|16 \|VA/15th Street \|Main Street Station \| VA Medical Center	Parkhill & Bogus \|
style="background-color: #253c80" \| \|17 \|Warm Springs/Parkcenter \|Main Street Station \|	Millspur Way
style="background-color: #253c80" \| \|20 \|Orchard \|Boise Airport \|	36th & Shasta	Has Saturday service
style="background-color: #253c80" \| \|21 \|Cole/Glenwood \|Towne Square Mall \|	Gary & Bunch	Has Saturday service
style="background-color: #253c80" \| \|24 \|Ustick/Maple Grove \|Towne Square Mall \|	The Village at Meridian
style="background-color: #253c80" \| \|28 \|Cole/Victory \|Towne Square Mall \|	Pro Tech at Frank Church High School
style="background-color: #253c80" \| \|29 \|Overland \|Main Street Station \| Boise State Transit Center	Towne Square Mall	Has Saturday service
style="background-color: #a54499" \| \|30 \|Pine \|The Village at Meridian \|	Ten Mile Crossing
style="background-color: #253c80" \| \|160 \|Eagle On-Demand \|colspan=3\|On-demand route in and around Eagle	Rides must be booked online or through the phone

=Canyon County=

class="wikitable"
colspan=2\| Route ! Name	From !Via !To	Notes
style="background-color: #253c80" \| \|150 \|Nampa/Caldwell On-Demand \|colspan=3\|On-demand route in and around Nampa and Caldwell	Rides must be booked online or through the phone. Replaces three previous fixed-route services{{Cite web\|title=Long-Term Service Changes - Valley Regional Transit\|url=https://www.valleyregionaltransit.org/planning/service-changes/\|access-date=January 18, 2021\|publisher=Valley Regional Transit}}{{Cite web\|title=Nampa / Caldwell OnDemand Service - Valley Regional Transit\|url=https://www.valleyregionaltransit.org/routes/nampa-caldwell-ondemand/\|access-date=January 18, 2021\|publisher=Valley Regional Transit}}{{cite news \|author= \|title=ValleyRide bus service in Nampa/Caldwell moves to on-demand \|url=https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/valleyride-bus-service-nampa-caldwell-going-to-on-demand/277-242d2c55-2436-4477-8034-2847bfd72923 \|access-date=January 20, 2021 \|publisher=KTVB-TV \|date=October 5, 2020}}

class="wikitable"

colspan=2| Route

! Name

From

!Via

!To

Notes

style="background-color: #253c80" |

|150

|Nampa/Caldwell On-Demand

|colspan=3|On-demand route in and around Nampa and Caldwell

Rides must be booked online or through the phone. Replaces three previous fixed-route services{{Cite web|title=Long-Term Service Changes - Valley Regional Transit|url=https://www.valleyregionaltransit.org/planning/service-changes/|access-date=January 18, 2021|publisher=Valley Regional Transit}}{{Cite web|title=Nampa / Caldwell OnDemand Service - Valley Regional Transit|url=https://www.valleyregionaltransit.org/routes/nampa-caldwell-ondemand/|access-date=January 18, 2021|publisher=Valley Regional Transit}}{{cite news |author= |title=ValleyRide bus service in Nampa/Caldwell moves to on-demand |url=https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/valleyride-bus-service-nampa-caldwell-going-to-on-demand/277-242d2c55-2436-4477-8034-2847bfd72923 |access-date=January 20, 2021 |publisher=KTVB-TV |date=October 5, 2020}}

=Intercounty=

colspan=2\| Route ! Name	From !Via !To	Notes
class="wikitable"
style="background-color: #a54499" \| \|40 \|Caldwell/Boise Express \| College of Idaho \|Happy Day Transit Center, Idaho & 9th, Main Street Station	Boise State Transit Center	Runs clockwise within downtown Boise in the morning, counterclockwise in the afternoon
style="background-color: #253c80" \| \|42 \|Happy Day to Towne Square Mall \| Happy Day Transit Center \|College of Western Idaho	Towne Square Mall
style="background-color: #a54499" \| \|45 \|Boise State/CWI \| College of Western Idaho \| Ten Mile Crossing, The Village at Meridian \| Boise State Transit Center

Facilities

=Main Street Station=

File:Boise Main Street Station interior (31298511448).jpg

Located underground beneath City Center Plaza in downtown Boise, Main Street Station serves as Boise's main transit center. The majority of services within the city arrive underground at the station's eight bays, although some arrive above ground on Main Street.{{cite web |title=Treasure Valley Bus Stations, Locations, & Offices - Valley Regional Transit |url=https://www.valleyregionaltransit.org/stations/ |publisher=Valley Regional Transit |access-date=January 18, 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Berg |first1=Sven |title=Boise's new Downtown transit center is open. Here's how to use it. |url=https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/community/boise/article110203587.html |access-date=January 18, 2021 |publisher=Idaho Statesman |date=October 24, 2016}} In addition to VRT buses, Boise State University shuttle buses also serve the station, as the university's computer science department occupies two floors of the City Center Plaza building. These free shuttle buses run in a loop between Main Street Station and the Boise State Transit Center.{{cite web |title=CCP Building Information - Computer Science |url=https://www.boisestate.edu/coen-cs/currentstudents/aboutccp/ |publisher=Boise State University |access-date=January 18, 2021}}{{cite web |title=Bronco Shuttle - Transportation and Parking |url=https://www.boisestate.edu/publicsafety-transportation/bronco-shuttle/ |publisher=Boise State University |access-date=January 18, 2021}} Main Street Station opened on October 24, 2016.

History

In 1994, the Idaho Legislature passed a law that allows cities or counties to place the creation of regional public transportation authorities on the ballot to request voter approval.{{cite web|title=Idaho Statutes (40-2105)|publisher=State of Idaho|year=1994|url=https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title40/T40CH21/SECT40-2105/|access-date=January 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201042313/https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title40/T40CH21/SECT40-2105/|archive-date=February 1, 2021|url-status=live}} In November 1998, voters in Ada and Canyon Counties approved creating an RPTA for their respective counties. A few months later, in January 1999, The boards of directors of the Ada County and Canyon County RPTAs voted to merge the two organizations, creating the Treasure Valley Regional Transportation Authority. The organization went through a few more name changes, becoming VIATrans, short for Valley InterArea Transportation,{{cite web |title=Valley InterArea Transportation's Transit Development Plan |url=https://www.compassidaho.org/documents/planning/studies/TransitDevelopmentPlan.pdf |publisher=Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho |access-date=January 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170304061521/https://www.compassidaho.org/documents/planning/studies/TransitDevelopmentPlan.pdf |archive-date=March 4, 2017 |url-status=live}} and then ValleyRide in June 2002. In July of that year, ValleyRide took over operations of Boise Urban Stages, which had been the operator of bus service in the city of Boise since 1973. By 2003, ValleyRide also operated service in Garden City previously offered by Garden City Interline, and had agreements with Treasure Valley Transit and Commuters Bus for the operation of the intercounty routes.{{cite web |title=Our History |url=http://valleyride.org/history.htm |publisher=ValleyRide |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030713224113/http://www.valleyride.org:80/history.htm |archive-date=July 13, 2003 |url-status=dead}} In November 2004, the organization was renamed to Valley Regional Transit, with the ValleyRide name being used to describe the services offered. On March 1, 2005, the agreements with Treasure Valley Transit and Commuters Bus for the intercounty routes expired, and VRT began using First Transit to provide service on intercounty routes as well as routes within Canyon County.{{cite web |title=Our History |url=http://valleyride.org/history.htm |publisher=ValleyRide |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060213162918/http://valleyride.org:80/history.htm |archive-date=February 13, 2006 |url-status=dead}}

On April 15, 2015, VRT launched Boise Greenbike, the city's bicycle-sharing system.{{cite web |title=Boise GreenBike FY2016 Annual Report |url=https://boisebikeshare.org/uploads/3/4/5/9/34595580/bgb_annual_report_2016_web.pdf |website=Boise Bike Share |publisher=Valley Regional Transit |access-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614053734/https://boisebikeshare.org/uploads/3/4/5/9/34595580/bgb_annual_report_2016_web.pdf |archive-date=June 14, 2018 |url-status=live}} At the end of September 2020, VRT suspended the program, with plans to restart it in the spring of 2021 using electric-assist bikes.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=March 16, 2020 |title=Pushing the pause button with Boise GreenBike - Valley Regional Transit |url=https://www.valleyregionaltransit.org/news/pushing-the-pause-button-with-boise-greenbike/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119012330/https://www.valleyregionaltransit.org/news/pushing-the-pause-button-with-boise-greenbike/ |archive-date=January 19, 2021 |access-date=January 18, 2021 |publisher=Valley Regional Transit}}

File:Valley Regional Transit 4003 at the Downtown Boise Father's Day Car Show.jpg

In January 2020, Valley Regional Transit agreed to buy 12 battery electric buses from Proterra.{{cite news |title=Some Valley Regional Transit buses going electric |url=https://www.kivitv.com/news/some-valley-regional-transit-buses-going-electric |access-date=February 1, 2021 |publisher=KIVI |date=January 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201045936/https://www.kivitv.com/news/some-valley-regional-transit-buses-going-electric |archive-date=February 1, 2020 |url-status=live}} The buses were expected to enter service in 2021 on a new route in Meridian; it was to be the first to serve the downtown Meridian area.{{cite news |title=Valley Regional Transit seeks public opinion on bus service in Meridian |url=https://www.kivitv.com/news/valley-regional-transit-seeks-public-opinion-on-bus-service-in-meridian |access-date=February 1, 2021 |publisher=KIVI |date=January 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200313044543/https://www.kivitv.com/news/valley-regional-transit-seeks-public-opinion-on-bus-service-in-meridian |archive-date=March 13, 2020 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Meridian Fixed-Route Service |url=https://www.valleyregionaltransit.org/planning/meridian-fixed-route-service/ |publisher=Valley Regional Transit |access-date=February 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205223835/https://www.valleyregionaltransit.org/planning/meridian-fixed-route-service/ |archive-date=February 5, 2021 |url-status=live}} The first four electric buses debuted in October 2021.{{cite news |last=Stevens |first=Alx |date=September 29, 2021 |title=Transportation representatives, partners cut ribbon for new electric buses |url=https://idahobusinessreview.com/2021/09/29/transportation-reps-city-officials-cut-ribbon-for-new-electric-buses/ |work=Idaho Business Review |accessdate=June 12, 2025}}

Valley Regional Transit introduced the City Go integrated fare payment system in November 2021. It uses the Umo platform and comprises a smart card and mobile ticketing app.{{cite news |last=Descant |first=Skip |date=November 5, 2021 |title=Boise Transit Adopts Digital Fare Payment Technology |url=https://www.govtech.com/fs/boise-transit-adopts-digital-fare-payment-technology |work=Government Technology |accessdate=June 12, 2025}} Longer-term plans for the agency include increasing frequency on its most used routes, upgrading its maintenance facility, and improving bus stops.{{cite web |title=Capital & Service Planning |url=https://www.valleyregionaltransit.org/planning/ |publisher=Valley Regional Transit |access-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128171625/https://www.valleyregionaltransit.org/planning/ |archive-date=January 28, 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Executive Board Meeting Agenda |url=https://www.valleyregionaltransit.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/PACKET-Executive-Board-Meeting-02-01-2021.pdf |publisher=Valley Regional Transit |date=February 1, 2021 |access-date=February 1, 2021}} Additionally, depending on the success of the on-demand pilot in Canyon County, a similar program could be considered for Boise.{{cite web |title=Draft FY2021-25 Transportation Development Plan |url=https://www.valleyregionaltransit.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/draft_tdp2021-25.pdf |publisher=Valley Regional Transit |date=November 2020 |access-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202035858/https://www.valleyregionaltransit.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/draft_tdp2021-25.pdf |archive-date=February 2, 2021 |url-status=live}}

References

External links

{{Official website|http://www.valleyregionaltransit.org/}}

Category:Transit agencies in Idaho

Category:Bus transportation in Idaho

Category:Organizations based in Boise, Idaho

Category:Transportation in Ada County, Idaho

Category:Transportation in Canyon County, Idaho

Category:Meridian, Idaho