[NFBMT] Montana Transportation

[BRUCE&JOY BRESLAUER]

Here is a memo I received regarding transportation in Montana in October,
2016.  Yes, that was awhile ago, and yes, I am going through ridiculously old
emails.  I had sent the Governor our most recent resolution on transportation
in 2016. 

 

Montana Department of Transportation   Michael T Today, Director 

2701 Prospect   Steve Bullock, Governor 

PO Box 201001 

 Helena M7 59820-1001 

        

Memorandum 

 

To:   The Honorable Steve Bullock, Governor 

From: Mike Tooley, Director 

Date: October 24, 2016 

Subject: Intrastate Transportation Access 

 

Thank you for sharing your correspondence from Ms. Joy Breslauer, President
of the National Federation of the Blind of Montana. The following serves as
information from the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) in response
to Ms. Breslauers concerns regarding intrastate air and ground transportation
in Montana. 

        

The concern of available intrastate air and ground transportation is a
complex issue that depends largely on the participation of for-profit
transportation providers. Beginning with air service, previous attempts by a
number of air carriers to provide Montana intrastate service have not been
successful due to ridership and cost. Airlines typically do not support a tag
operation (combining cities), and the number of intrastate passengers would
not support a 50 seat aircraft, which is the smallest pressurized aircraft
serving the public in Montana. 

        

Cape Air does provide direct intrastate service from Billings to Wolf Point,
Sidney, Havre, Glendive, and Glasgow by utilizing a nine-seat Cessna 402
aircraft. This size aircraft is desirable for intrastate service, but is
non-pressurized so it is unable to reach minimum altitudes over the
mountains. Neptune Aviation in Missoula provides scheduled service from
Missoula to Billings two times a week with a pressurized Beechcraft King Air
100. 

        

In regards to intrastate transit, Montana currently has service available on
all major routes (see attached map). There are two major carriers in Montana,
Jefferson Lines and Salt Lake Express. Jefferson Lines provides two trips per
day across the 1-90 route and Salt Lake Express provides one route per day on
the 1-15 route. 

        

       MDT provides federal transit grant funding to all of the intrastate
providers to help subsidize the cost of travel. However, as Montana is a
state with a lower population and ridership, this results in less than ideal
stop and wait times. Most intrastate carriers are private for-profit
companies that develop their routes on a national scale and cater to meeting
the designated times in highly populated cities where ridership numbers are
much higher. 

 

MDT continuously works with the intercity providers to try and eliminate long
wait times for the traveling public, but significant changes are difficult to
implement as they affect all other stops across the many states these
providers serve. 

        

Copies: Debbie Alke, MDT Aeronautics Division Administrator 

 

      Lynn Zanto, MDT Rail Transit and Planning Division Administrator 

 

Director's Office 

 

      Phone' (406)444-6201 

Fey. (406)449-7613 

 

       Web Page: wWW.mdtmtgov 

        

Reed Roped (800)226-7623 et 511 

        

 

17 (e00)335-7592 

        

Joy Breslauer, President

National Federation of the Blind of Montana 

Web Site: http://www.nfbofmt.org

 

Live the life you want

 

The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends
who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation's blind. Every day we work
together to help blind people live the lives they want.