Why Vote YES
Voting YES for Urban Transportation District in the May 2nd special election will help HRDC’s Streamline and Galavan services maintain their current levels of service to Gallatin Valley residents and help these programs prepare for our future transit needs.
Vote YES for economic benefits
According to the American Public Transportation Association:
- Every $1 invested in public transportation generates $5 in economic returns.
- 87% of public transportation trips have a direct impact on the local economy.
- Public transit users can save nearly $10K a year vs. driving.
- Home values were up to 24% higher near public transportation than in other areas.
Vote YES to retain crucial transit services
- Approving the UTD is critical to preserving much-needed public transportation services in the Gallatin Valley. Many of our friends and neighbors depend on Streamline and Galavan to connect to shopping, school, medical services and social activities.
- The Streamline bus service operates from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends and includes four Bozeman routes along with weekday commuter service to Belgrade.
- Galavan, HRDC’s paratransit service, offers transport to seniors and people with disabilities or injuries, including veterans, on a flexible basis in Bozeman, Belgrade, Manhattan and Three Forks.
- Streamline and Galavan maintain a zero-fare policy because national models show that this helps bolster ridership and efficiency. Additionally, research shows that the expense of collecting the fare almost entirely outweighs the revenue generated from the fare.
- Voting YES for the UTD will allow these services to continue at their current level without an increase in taxes for Gallatin Valley residents.
Vote YES for services that benefit us all
You don’t need to ride the bus to benefit from public transportation.
Streamline and Galavan:
- Ease traffic congestion and helps free up parking downtown and at MSU by taking cars off the road.
- Connect seniors and people with disabilities to the doctor’s office and grocery store.
- Transport employees to work and customers to stores.
- Bring people to Bobcat games, farmers markets and local events.
- Connect Valley residents to parks, fishing spots and hiking trails.
- Bring Belgrade residents to Bozeman for work, shopping and recreation and connect Bozemanites to activities in Belgrade.
- Provide zero-fare transit for all, regardless of income or ability.
- Helps keep our air clean by keeping cars off the road and reducing emissions.
HRDC Streamline received a national “Connecting Rural Communities” award from the Federal Transit Administration in 2022 for its role in providing critical workforce transportation during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vote YES to create an Urban Transportation District (UTD) in Gallatin Valley
- Due to its rapid population growth, the Gallatin Valley is now categorized as a “small urbanized area” by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). This change means we must create a UTD in order to continue receiving federal funding that helps support the operation of Streamline and Galavan.
- The proposed UTD will include all of Bozeman, Belgrade, and areas in between (click here to see the UTD map on Streamline’s website or view the map below.) In order to place the UTD question on the May 2 special election ballot, organizers submitted over 16,166 valid signatures. This surpassed the required goal of 12,935 signatures by 3,231, which is 25% more than what was needed. The next step is for voters living within the proposed district to vote YES in the May 2 election
