[Nfbmt] [NFB] Fwd.: Salt Lake Express Restoring Montana Bus Routes

Sat Apr 6 13:46:52 UTC 2013

Yes, I remember riding both of those routes in the days gone by. In
2000, I recall about 6 or 8 blind folks on the Missoula-Great Falls
bus at once, on our way to the convention.

But we are only talking about restoring the routes that Rimrock was
running as recently as last month.

There were two routes between Missoula and Billings - one passed
through Butte, and the other through Helena.    These have been
restored.

There was a bus from Great Falls to Helena to conect with the buses
there, and theat is still being worked on.

If you want to go to Great Falls from Billings, there is a morning bus
that gets to Helena about 1:30, and you change buses to Great Falls
there.  In Helena, not Butte.

Dan

On 4/5/13, Bruce&Joy Breslauer <bjb5757 at bresnan.net> wrote:
> We miss that straight through bus, too.  They used to run one twice a day,
> morning and evening.  I also miss the evening one straight to Missoula
> through Lincoln.  I used to be able to take it to Clearwater Junction which
> is 18 miles from the family cabin.  I could go up there on a Friday night
> after work and get there by nine, and come back on Sunday afternoon and be
> home by six.  Great way to spend the week end.  I hardly ever get up there
> now.  Joy
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nfbmt [mailto:nfbmt-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of d m gina
> Sent: Friday, April 05, 2013 7:55 PM
> To: nfbmt at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [Nfbmt] Fwd: Salt Lake Express Restoring Montana Bus Routes
>
> OK so Grate Falls would go to Bute then transfer to Billings?
> Now I get those mixed up.
> No that would be nice if there was a straight threw route.
> I miss those folks over there, they know who they are.
>
> Original message:
>> I don't think there will be a bus from Great Falls to Billings
>> directly. They are just trying to reinstate the Rimrock rutes we just
>> lost.
>
>> I have no idea if Rimrock will get back on the road. No information on
> that.
>
>> Dan
>
>
>> On 4/5/13, d m Gina <dmgina at samobile.net> wrote:
>>> If I understood correctly grate falls is still trying to get to
>>> Billings.
>>> Do you think Rim Rock will be canceled out?
>>> Or another company will take over the routing.
>
>>> Original message:
>>>> They already started up Missoula to Billings this week.  You were
>>>> the first thing on the list!
>
>
>>>> On 4/5/13, d m gina <dmgina at samobile.net> wrote:
>>>>> Now if they would come to Billings, we are on the map ya know?
>>>>> Well maybe giggle.
>
>>>>> Original message:
>>>>>> Great news!
>
>
>>>>>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>>>>>> From: "Lisa Ballard, Current Transportation Solutions"
>>>>>> <lballard at currenttransportation.com>
>>>>>> Date: Fri, 5 Apr 2013 19:35:14 -0400 (EDT)
>>>>>> Subject: Salt Lake Express Restoring Montana Bus Routes
>>>>>> To: burke.dall at gmail.com
>
>
>
>>>>>> Yesterday all services between Missoula and Billings were
>>>>>> restored, and starting  April 15th Great Falls to Butte will have
>>>>>> service. See below for the press release.
>>>>>> We are trying to keep information updated on
>>>>>> http://mtndintercity.wordpress.com/
>
>>>>>> [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001FE0eWrFG8Qd2_ycNPperQRaJMop7xMZMMx
>>>>>> dr3vAeMoaHmuFL4XLdMZ1JCj5wZpAhyo-CDarwHJMstOGzhoz0yYVxy8atjpoXNVAF
>>>>>> Y6T5gXQKspDVMWkkmE8_xczBiJM8] Lisa Ballard, Current Transportation
>>>>>> Solutions
>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>>>>>> Salt Lake Express Restoring Montana Bus Routes
>
>>>>>> Companies working together to restore service to six of Montana's
>>>>>> seven largest cities
>
>>>>>> Yesterday April 4th Salt Lake Express (SLE) began running two
>>>>>> roundtrip routes a  day from Billings to Missoula; one of these
>>>>>> schedules will service Helena with the other connecting through
>>>>>> Butte. Starting April 15th, the Rexburg, Idaho based business will
>>>>>> begin offering bus service in and out of Great Falls twice a day
>>>>>> with one shuttle going to Helena and the other passing through
>>>>>> Helena and connecting on to Butte. Great Falls and Helena have
>>>>>> been without intercity bus service since March 22, when Federal
>>>>>> Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) inspectors shut down
>>>>>> the Billings-based Rimrock Stages bus fleet.
>
>>>>>> "We are thrilled to be able to help out in the interim covering
>>>>>> several of the routes previously serviced by Rimrock Stages," said
>>>>>> Jacob Price, Operations Manager at Salt Lake Express (SLE). "SLE
>>>>>> believes Rimrock Stages may resume operations in the future. If
>>>>>> this occurs, these lines will be picked up again by Rimrock."
>>>>>> Price says SLE will be hiring 10 to 15 local Montana drivers to
>>>>>> cover these routes. All ticket agency and boarding locations will
>>>>>> remain at the same locations that have served  Rimrock Stages.
>
>>>>>> SLE and Minnesota-based Jefferson Lines are working together to
>>>>>> restore service to six of Montana's seven largest cities. They
>>>>>> have been assisted by Lisa Ballard of the Missoula-based transit
>>>>>> consulting company Current Transportation Solutions, who has been
>>>>>> volunteering her time to act as a central point of contact and
>>>>>> facilitator for the parties involved. Ballard said that Montana
>>>>>> Department of Transportation  (MDT), North Dakota Department of
>>>>>> Transportation (NDDOT), and the Federal Transit Administration
>>>>>> (FTA) are also working hard to seek solutions.
>
>>>>>> On Saturday, March 30 Jefferson Lines began one round trip from
>>>>>> Billings through  Butte to Missoula and extended its Glendive run
>>>>>> from Fargo on into Billings. In  combination, Salt Lake Express
>>>>>> and Jefferson have been able to restore most of Montana and North
>>>>>> Dakota intercity bus service to previous levels. US
>>>>>> 93 from Missoula
>>>>>> to Kalispell, and I-94 between Glendive and Bismarck remain
>>>>>> without service. This restored service allows daytime bus travel
>>>>>> to many Montana destinations, and removes 12-hour layovers for
>>>>>> cross country travelers.
>
>>>>>> "As a progressive business with great customer service we feel
>>>>>> privileged to be able to help passengers by making national
>>>>>> connections through our main express routes between Montana and
>>>>>> Salt Lake City," said Price.
>
>>>>>> All SLE's schedules are programmed to link with Greyhound, Arrow
>>>>>> Stages and Jefferson Lines. Salt Lake Express currently provides a
>>>>>> bus connection from Southeastern Idaho to Butte, Montana and Salt
>>>>>> Lake Valley in Utah. They also serve West Yellowstone, Pocatello,
>>>>>> Boise and the Cache Valley in Utah. By April 21st, their express
>>>>>> routes will service Moab, UT and Richfield, UT.
>
>>>>>> Current Transportation Solutions has been involved because the
>>>>>> company has worked closely with Rimrock Stages, gaining a detailed
>>>>>> knowledge of the Montana bus service through development of a 2011
>>>>>> transit plan completed under contract with the Montana Department
>>>>>> of Transportation (MDT). Current Transportation Solutions has also
>>>>>> created a temporary website with updates and information about the
>>>>>> situation:
>>>>>> http://mtndintercity.wordpress.com/
>>>>>> [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001FE0eWrFG8Qd2_ycNPperQRaJMop7xMZMMx
>>>>>> dr3vAeMoaHmuFL4XLdMZ1JCj5wZpAhyo-CDarwHJMstOGzhoz0yYVxy8atjpoXNVAF
>>>>>> Y6T5gXQKspDVMWkkmE8_xczBiJM8]
>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>>>>>> Forward this email
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>>>>>> 65082&ea=burke.dall at gmail.com&a=1112990155170
>
>
>>>>>> This email was sent to burke.dall at gmail.com by
>>>>>> lballard at currenttransportation.com.
>
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>
>>>>>> Current Transportation Solutions | 10 Sweetgrass Ave | Bozeman |
>>>>>> MT |
>>>>>> 59718
>
>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Dan Burke, President
>>>>>> The National Federation of the Blind of Montana www.nfbmontana.org
>>>>>> Visit us on Face Book at http://bit.ly/nfbmtfb My Cell:
>>>>>> 406.546.8546
>
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>>>>> --
>>>>> --Dar
>>>>> skype: dmgina23
>>>>>   FB: dmgina
>>>>> www.twitter.com/dmgina
>>>>> every saint has a past
>>>>> every sinner has a future
>
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>
>>>> --
>>>> Dan Burke, President
>>>> The National Federation of the Blind of Montana www.nfbmontana.org
>>>> Visit us on Face Book at http://bit.ly/nfbmtfb My Cell:
>>>> 406.546.8546
>
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>>> --
>>> --Dar
>>> skype: dmgina23
>>>   FB: dmgina
>>> www.twitter.com/dmgina
>>> every saint has a past
>>> every sinner has a future
>
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>> --
>> Dan Burke, President
>> The National Federation of the Blind of Montana www.nfbmontana.org
>> Visit us on Face Book at http://bit.ly/nfbmtfb My Cell:  406.546.8546
>
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> --
> --Dar
> skype: dmgina23
>   FB: dmgina
> www.twitter.com/dmgina
> every saint has a past
> every sinner has a future
>
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-- 
Dan Burke, President
The National Federation of the Blind of Montana
www.nfbmontana.org
Visit us on Face Book at http://bit.ly/nfbmtfb
My Cell:  406.546.8546