Here at Mountain Line we’re celebrating over four decades of serving Missoula. It’s officially our 45-year anniversary!
We’ve come a long way since 1977 when we started out with three routes and four buses. Almost 20 years later our downtown trolley started running, and then we welcomed a new millennium with the opening of our Downtown Transfer Center.
We followed with the introduction of Zero-Fare bus service and celebrated providing over 1.5 million rides per year. In 2019, we made great strides when the first bus in our growing fleet of electric buses hit the road.
In the last five years we’ve continued to celebrate some big milestones, like expanding service by 30%! Fast forward to 2022 and we’re now offering 7-day/7-night service and have extended weekday, Saturday and paratransit hours.
We’ve followed through on our commitment to sustainability, with a bus fleet that is now over 40% electric with more electric buses on the way. We also upgraded over 60 bus stops, shelters and signs and made Transfer Center improvements. In 2020 we received the Outstanding Safety Record Award and in 2021 we were awarded Outstanding Public Transportation System of the Year.
Where are we going from here? We’re rounding the corner on our Bus Stop Improvement Project, and we’ve got exciting plans for a new facility to house our expanding 100% zero-tailpipe-emissions fleet. We are continuing to build upon the 21% ridership increase we’ve experienced in 2022. Most importantly, we will continue to grow to meet the needs of the community. Ride the Line, are you on board?
