Mountain Line will be running on a Sunday schedule on Monday, September 2, in observance of Labor Day. Please see Sunday schedules here and get in touch with any questions!
Author: Mountain Line
August 26: Water Main Construction 34th St
Due to water main construction, closures on 34th Street and Stephens will require Route 6 buses to detour in both directions beginning the week of August 26. The stops at 34th & Bancroft Pond and 34th & Stephens will not be serviced.
There are temporary stops at Bancroft & 34th (heading south) and Bancroft just north of Hollis (heading north).
The closure is expected to last about three weeks, but please see the Bus Tracker for updated detour information as circumstances change.
MUTD Board Selects Jordan Hess as CEO/GM
July 26, 2024
MISSOULA, Mont.—The Missoula Urban Transportation District (MUTD) Board of Directors announced on July 25 that they have selected Jordan Hess as the next CEO and General Manager of the agency after conducting a national search to fill the position.
Hess is a local government and transportation professional who served as an elected official for ten years, first on the Missoula City Council and recently as the city’s 51st mayor.
Concurrent with his City Council service, Hess spent nearly a decade as Director of Transportation at the University of Montana, where he led UM to be the first college campus in the nation to purchase and operate modern, fast-charging battery electric buses.
“The Board values Jordan’s deep knowledge of Missoula and his experience running a transit system, and we are eager to welcome his expertise and vision to this role,” says Board Vice Chair Amy Cilimburg, who was involved in the search committee for MUTD’s new leadership. “We’re also profoundly grateful to Interim General Manager Jennifer Sweten for deftly stewarding Mountain Line through this transition.”
Sweten has served as Interim GM since previous CEO & GM Corey Aldridge’s departure in April and will resume her role as Director of Operations once Hess joins the Mountain Line staff.
“The team at Mountain Line is doing so much great work, and I’m excited to join them,” says Hess. “Public transit has immense power to make lives better, and I’m honored to become part of such a committed staff to work on something I’m passionate about in a place I love.”
This change comes during a busy season for Mountain Line. The public transit agency has partnered with the Missoula Metropolitan Planning Organization for a strategic planning process to update the city’s Long-Range Transit Plan and develop a new Transit Strategic Plan that will account for changes in the transit industry and ridership habits in recent years and build on the successes from the 2018 Strategic Plan.
Meanwhile, MUTD’s electrification efforts continue with delivery of four new electric buses this summer to replace aging diesel vehicles. These buses will make the fixed-route fleet 55% electric, a milestone in Mountain Line’s commitment to a zero-tailpipe emissions fleet by 2035.
About Mountain Line:
Mountain Line connects Missoulians to the community through safe, sustainable, and innovative transportation solutions. Operated by the Missoula Urban Transportation District (MUTD) since 1976, Mountain Line provides zero-fare fixed-route bus and Paratransit service in and around Missoula seven days a week.
Mountain Line was recognized as the top public transit agency of its size in North America in 2021 by the American Public Transportation Association and named System of the Year in 2023 by the Montana Transit Association.
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July 25: Office Phones Down
Please note that incoming calls are not working this morning, so use [email protected] or the Contact Us page (https://mountainline.com/about/contact-us/) to get in touch.
July 25: Storm Detour Updates
Routes 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, and 14 are running normally.
Route 9 is not running today due to road obstacles and downed power lines.
Route 12 is missing the inbound 39th & Barbara stop due to a downed power line. Outbound Route 12 is running normally.
Routes 2 and 3 are detouring to avoid a downed tree and power line on Scott Street and will miss the Scott & Sherwood and Phillips & Scott stops.
While Routes 1 and 2 are running at their normal schedule, please note that the TC departures at the top and bottom of the hour may be less consistent than the :15 and :45 departures to ensure that transfers can be completed as easily as possible.
For any questions, call us at 406-215-2464 (normal phone numbers are not working, but this number is getting through) or through our Contact Us page, and see the Transit app for updated alerts and real-time bus locations.
With multiple operators unable to reach base safely and trees and power lines down all over town, circumstances are tricky and may be stressful, so please be kind to your drivers and fellow passengers, and stay safe.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate this challenge!
July 24: Weather Disruptions
📢 Rider Alert: Route 2 is being redirected at St. Pat’s due to a fallen tree. There’s a tree down at Scott & Broadway as well, and additional detours may be required in the morning if roads remain obstructed.
Multiple employees have reported downed trees and other obstacles that will keep them from being able to access the bus barn safely in the morning, so service reductions are possible depending on operator availability.
If implemented, Routes 1 and 2 would likely move to half-hour service. More detail will be available if service changes are in effect.
Operations staff will determine whether a reduction is necessary early on 7/25, so please check back in the morning for updates.
July 4: No Service
Mountain Line will be closed on Thursday, July 4, with no fixed-route or Paratransit service available. Normal weekday service resumes on Friday, July 5.
(Did you know? We are on the road 361 days a year, with an extra day on leap years! July 4 is one of just four days with no service.)
June 28 & 29: Marathon Weekend Detours
Missoula Marathon weekend events will require some detours on the morning of Saturday, June 28, and from morning through mid-afternoon on Sunday, June 29.
Saturday
The outbound Route 6 (heading south) will miss all Higgins Avenue stops between Broadway and Beckwith for the first run of the day.
Inbound Route 6 (heading north) is expected to resume normal routing but may need to detour and miss Higgins Ave stops between Beckwith and downtown. Please see the Bus Tracker for current information.
Outbound Route 8 (leaving the Music Building) will miss stops at Arthur & Eddy and along 5th Street between Arthur and Orange for the first run of the day.
Inbound Route 8 (going toward the Music Building) is expected to run normally but may need to detour and miss stops along 6th between Orange & Arthur.
Sunday
Route 6 will run with a detour in both directions until 3:45 p.m. All Higgins Avenue stops between downtown and Beckwith Avenue will be closed until then.
Other routes are expected to run with delays due to traffic control along the race route. Please see the Missoula Marathon page for detailed course information.
Feel free to call us at 721-3333 with any questions.
June 19: Website Maintenance
The Mountain Line website may experience some disruption between 1 and 2 p.m. on June 19th during planned maintenance. Please make note of our customer service line at 721-3333 in case you need assistance during that time. The Transit app and the Bus Tracker will continue working normally. To see schedules ahead of time or download a PDF map for offline use, please visit the Maps & Schedules page.
May 27: Sunday Schedule for Memorial Day
Mountain Line will be running on a Sunday schedule on Monday, May 27, in observance of Memorial Day.
