[Nfbmt] Fwd: Montana Bus Service Being Restored

[Dan Burke]

Looks very promising!


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Lisa Ballard, Current Transportation Solutions"
<lballard at currenttransportation.com>
Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2013 19:05:46 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Montana Bus Service Being Restored
To: burke.dall at gmail.com

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We were able to give the media some good news, as you can see below.
We are trying
to keep information updated on http://mtndintercity.wordpress.com/
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001u7EOFAJLj97lBfWkArFEsQ79Gq9aBH2D8Z4mZNZYILpODe36R8_8rJqipkDB-tOXfFO3FpauLMXtuW6LGEf_62VjdcIOyaBGvsQ69BGrOcw_6Fr5imH9gvh2tGdjsrSb]
Lisa Ballard, Current Transportation Solutions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Montana Bus Service Being Restored

Minnesota and Idaho companies plan to fill gap in national system

With passengers facing detours over 600 miles and bus companies in
neighboring states
facing financial losses, multiple parties have been scrambling to
restore Montana
bus service since last Friday when Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration (FMCSA)
inspectors shut down the Billings-based Rimrock Stages bus fleet.
Limited service
on I-90 is resuming tomorrow, and additional runs are likely to be reestablished
 next week, much sooner than many had expected thanks to a
Missoula-based transportation
consulting firm that volunteered to step in to help coordinate and expedite the
process.

Jefferson Lines, a Minnesota-based company will begin running one
round trip from
Billings through Butte to Missoula starting on March 30th. Jefferson
will also be
extending its Glendive run from Fargo on into Billings. As early as next Friday,
 Salt Lake Express, based in Rexburg, Idaho, hopes to start two additional round
 trips between Billings and Missoula that Rimrock Stages has been operating. One
 of the trips will go through Helena.

The reopening of the I-90 route will reconnect the Montana link in the
bus service
network for the nation's northern tier. Since the shutdown, a rider planning to
travel between Spokane and Minneapolis would have been forced to detour through
Salt Lake City and Denver. While this would be a minor inconvenience for a plane
 traveler, bus passengers faced greatly increased travel times. Moreover, riders
 in Montana communities with no alternative connections like Great
Falls, Helena,
and Bozeman were completely stranded.

The different players are looking at the logistics of reestablishing connections
 for Rimrock Stages' other routes, including Great Falls-Helena-Butte,
Whitefish-Kalispell-Missoula,
and Billings-Dickinson-Bismark-Fargo.  It appears that most, if not
all, of Rimrock
Stages' intercity routes could be reestablished and Montana
communities could experience
no reduction in service frequency or coverage.  The Whitefish-Kalispell-Missoula
 route will likely be the most difficult to reestablish.

Since last weekend, Lisa Ballard of Current Transportation Solutions
has volunteered
her time to act as a central point of contact and facilitator for the
parties involved.
Ballard's Missoula-based transportation consulting 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). At Rimrock's request, Ballard has provided
Jefferson Lines
and Salt Lake Express with a list of Rimrock's bus drivers so that the
new operators
can choose to hire experienced Montana drivers who know the routes.
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=001u7EOFAJLj97lBfWkArFEsQ79Gq9aBH2D8Z4mZNZYILpODe36R8_8rJqipkDB-tOXfFO3FpauLMXtuW6LGEf_62VjdcIOyaBGvsQ69BGrOcw_6Fr5imH9gvh2tGdjsrSb]

Ballard said that both MDT and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) are also
 working hard to seek solutions.

"I've been working in transit for a long time and I know firsthand
that many riders
depend on bus service and have no alternatives," said Ballard. "In the last week
 I've heard a lot of stories about the hardship this shutdown is
causing and that's
what motivates me to help."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Dan Burke, President
The National Federation of the Blind of Montana
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