In the News

Thank you to everyone in Gallatin County who voted in our recent elections for the creation of the Gallatin Valley Urban Transportation District! I was excited that nearly 80% of our community supported public transportation in Bozeman and Belgrade.

The final numbers released by the Gallatin County elections office showed that nearly 80% of voters supported the creation of the Gallatin Valley Urban Transportation District (GVUTD). This is overwhelming support for a measure that will benefit all Gallatin Valley residents.

HRDC CEO Heather Grenier says Streamline bus and Galavan paratransit services will continue as normal during the two years it will take to transition.

Community advocates for the creation of the Gallatin Valley Urban Transportation District (GVUTD) celebrated voters’ approval of the measure Tuesday night, saying that the newly established district will enable the Streamline bus and Galavan paratransit services to continue to meet the transportation needs of our community.

According to unofficial results released just after 10 p.m. by the Gallatin County Elections Department, 79% of voters supported forming a transportation district, while 21% opposed it. Election results will be finalized on May 12.

We also should vote yes on the creation of a transportation district. This vote will not cost us any money, and it will allow us to continue and design a bus service that is necessary for the environment and for the efficient transportation of all members of our community.

As a regular Streamline rider, I had the pleasure of getting to know the morning and evening Pinkline drivers. It brightened my day to chat with them on the way to and from work, and warmed my heart to see the kindness and respect they showed to all passengers.

Galavan began as a volunteer program in 1973, with HRDC inheriting oversight of its operations in the mid-1980s. Since then, the program has grown immensely and has served thousands of riders.

The numbers say Galavan provides roughly one hundred or more rides a day with 75% of people counting on the service to get to work or doctor’s appointments.

The GVUTD will allow us to maintain our current level of Streamline/Galavan services at no extra cost to taxpayers. As the Chronicle Editorial Board recently observed, “Supporting it should be a no-brainer.”

The Gallatin Valley Urban Transportation District benefits front-line workers, students, people without cars, businesses, and those coping with traffic or parking problems. All around, Streamline helps get people to where they need to go and the GVUTD can continue to make sure that this happens.

I love Streamline. I ride it a lot, like all week. I ride it to work and to meet up with a friend. The drivers are nice and all of the Streamline people are good to me.

Although many students bring vehicles to MSU, there are many others who do not have this ability. For these students, the Streamline bus is essential to their success in college.

My name is Ruth Spinelli and I have a learning disability. I can not drive. My only way to work in the wintertime and sometimes in summer is Streamline. I love Streamline.

In Bozeman, and especially on campus, we often have a need to travel farther than is practical by walking. Some bike, some are privileged enough to own their own reliable vehicles. But for many, the best option for getting around is public transit. And here in Bozeman, public transportation begins and ends with the Streamline bus.

The formation of the UTD is on the May 2 school election ballot for voters in the proposed district, which is roughly the triangle area including and between Bozeman, Belgrade and Four Corners.

Heather Grenier, HRDC’s CEO, emphasized that forming the UTD will not cost taxpayers. If the vote goes through, Grenier said there would be a two-year transition period to get the UTD fully operational, and in the meantime HRDC would continue to run Streamline.

When voters receive their ballots, which were mailed on Friday, they will see an important question about forming the Gallatin Valley Urban Transportation District.

Supporting it should be a no-brainer.

The Streamline and Galavan bus services have been providing safe, reliable, and affordable transportation to the residents of Bozeman and Belgrade for many years.

The Bozeman Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors voted Wednesday, March 22, 2023, to support two school board levy requests for the May 2, 2023, election. The Board also supports the formulation of an Urban Transportation District

Voting YES for the Gallatin Valley Urban Transportation District (GVUTD) in the May 2 special election will not only help people in our community get to work and shop locally, it will help cut down on traffic and parking demand by helping to reduce the number of cars on the road.

Bozeman and Belgrade are growing at a faster rate than many of us could have imagined, causing us all to feel the growing pains that are currently affecting our community. That’s why I support Streamline and am voting yes for the Gallatin Valley Urban Transportation District this May.

The question on whether or not to create a transportation district that includes all of Bozeman and Belgrade and places in between will be on the May 2 special election ballot. The district will provide a new home for the Streamline bus system.

We are a group of Montana WWAMI medical students who are part of the Montana State University Health Equity Circle, a national group committed to promoting systems-level change to increase equity in healthcare. As such, we are voting yes in May to support the UTD and keep Streamline running and accessible to all in and around Bozeman.

The UTD is needed to retain federal transportation funds due the tremendous population growth that’s occurred in the Gallatin Valley.