HomeMy WebLinkAbout6-22-2020 Public Comment - S. Ross - Streamline Funding
June 22, 2020
City of Bozeman
121 North Rouse Ave.
Bozeman, MT 59715
Dear Honorable Mayor and Commissioners,
As always, I want to thank the City for its continued partnership with Streamline in support of
public transportation in the greater Bozeman area.
Budget Discussion
I am asking the City of Bozeman Commission to show that they prioritize public transportation
as an essential service by fully funding Streamline’s request of $300,000 in this year’s budget.
This amount will help sustain current service levels as operating costs have substantially
increased this past year.
For example, Streamline recently decided that the most fiscally responsible, long-term approach
to providing fleet insurance coverage was to bring it in under the HRDC umbrella. HRDC has
successfully obtained insurance coverage with a regional carrier for the Streamline buses. This
new coverage is more robust, with a significantly lower deductible, but it comes with a much
higher premium. The increased premiums associated with fleet insurance is a fixed cost and will
likely remain at this higher rate long into the future. Since the federal funding rate remains fairly
flat every year, Streamline’s only option is to increase and diversify its local funding sources to
help pay for these increased operating costs.
In addition to helping Streamline cover the cost of the increased insurance premiums, the
additional funding provided by the City of Bozeman would help Streamline continue to pay its
drivers competitive wages to help foster greater recruitment and retention. We want to ensure
our drivers can afford to stay in our community, despite the ever increasing cost of living. The
City of Bozeman has recently stated that they, as an organization, are committed to paying their
staff a living wage. Streamline wants to follow the City’s example but must have stronger
funding support to do so.
Furthermore, Streamline is currently undergoing a major route redesign project called Redesign
Streamline 2020. The purpose of this project is to evaluate how Streamline could use its existing
resources to better serve the community through its bus routes. Many of the findings from this
project will be implemented in the next 1-2 years. However, new costs will come up as
Streamline implements these changes, such as the costs of installing new bus
stop amenities and infrastructure. The City’s full $300,000 contribution will
Streamline is a program of HRDC.
p: 406.587.2434
e: info@streamlinebus.com
a: 1812 North Rouse
Bozeman, Montana 59715
help Streamline implement the short-term recommendations associated with the Redesign
Streamline 2020 project. These new routes are expected to 1) increase ridership by better
aligning routes to key community origins and destinations, 2) foster new economic development
by increasing public transit frequency and/or coverage, and 3) promote greater access to
affordable housing developments in Bozeman and the surrounding communities.
Because of the large increase in operating costs and the anticipated upcoming changes
associated with the route redesign, now is a critical time to invest in the City of Bozeman’s
public transportation system.
We believe it is also to important to note how the current pandemic will affect Streamline funding
this year and in future years. In addition to the City of Bozeman’s contribution, the other two
primary sources of Streamline’s local match are from MSU’s President’s Office, which is tied to
state funding, and a student fee collected by the Associated Students of MSU, tied to on-
campus enrollment. Both of these revenue sources are uncertain as we look to the future. If
MSU experiences a reduction in enrollment, Streamline’s ASMSU funding will decrease.
Furthermore, if the State funding MSU decreases in upcoming years, Streamline’s funding from
the MSU’s president’s office will also decrease. These reductions will have a significant impact
on Streamline service, especially if the City of Bozeman does not increase its contribution to
Streamline to the full $300,000.
Because MSU moved to online only classes following spring break and the Governor
implemented a Stay At Home order, Streamline saw a significant decrease in ridership over the
past few months. However, even with this reduction in ridership, more than 4,000 critical rides
were provided during the month of April, and even more in May and June. The majority of these
rides were for people who worked for essential services or for people who needed to access
essential services. Thus, public transit proved to be an essential service to the community as it
ensured all individuals could access necessary goods and services. After being thanked for
being an essential worker during this crisis, one Streamline driver commented that he feels like
his job is even more meaningful now because he knew that the people riding the bus were
those that had no other transportation choice. Furthermore, because COVID-19 has created
economic uncertainty in our community, Streamline may gain many new riders in the upcoming
months and years as residents identify ways to reduce household expenses.
With no control over federal funding levels, our best option is to diversify local funding. Without
adequate local funding Streamline will be forced to reduce service in order to balance the
budget. Streamline is valuable to several areas such as the streets department, parking,
sustainability, parks and trails, and more. Making the public bus system better often starts with
redrawing a map, such as we are currently doing with the Redesign Streamline 2020 project,
but it also means changing how streets are designed, and how budgets are prioritized.
If Streamline does not receive the full $300,000 in funding from the City of Bozeman, difficult
decisions will need to be made regarding Streamline service. The easiest way to
reduce operating costs would be to cut half-hour frequency service and/or weekend service.
Cutting service would be detrimental to the entire community, especially essential service
workers and low income individuals who have no alternative means of transportation.
Community Plans Relevant to Public Transportation
Public transportation is prioritized in multiple City plans such as the Bozeman Community Plan,
the Downtown Plan, the Transportation Master Plan, the Triangle Plan, and the Strategic Plan.
Streamline strives to promote environmental sustainability, to lessen traffic congestion, and to
reduce economic disparities by providing an alternative to the single occupancy vehicle.
Transportation is now the largest contributor to Greenhouse Gas emissions in the U.S. To
reduce carbon emissions we need to reduce the number of people driving personal cars, which
typically carry 1 or 2 people. If you’re thinking in terms of space, this is the least efficient way to
move people around the city.
The City of Bozeman’s Strategic Plan is intended to support the everyday work to provide
critical services to the community. The following sections discuss specific areas in the plan that
tie directly to the public transportation services provided by Streamline.
A Well-Planned City including the High Quality Urban Approach, Strategic Infrastructure
Choices, and preparation for a Metropolitan Planning Organization Designation. In addition to
the High Quality Urban Approach, public transportation also ties directly to Housing and
Transportation Choices and a Sustainable Environment.
In addition to the City’s Strategic Plan, the Triangle Plan, the Downtown Bozeman Plan, the
Transportation Master Plan, the Climate Plan, and the Bozeman Community Plan all incorporate
public transportation in some way. For example, the Downtown Bozeman Plan states,
“Downtowns across the country are grappling with similar concerns about transportation
demands and are pushing solutions for sustainable growth that do not rely solely on
automobiles. Integrated transit systems are a critical part of this puzzle.” Furthermore, the
Bozeman Climate Plan is currently being drafted; however, it is certain that public transportation
will play an important role in that plan since automobiles are the number one source of
greenhouse gas emissions in Gallatin County.
Streamline’s Community Role
Since its inception in 2006, Streamline has given nearly 3,500,000 rides to the residents,
students, and visitors of Bozeman. It provides rides every day of the week to high school
students, college students, professionals, service workers, and so many others.
Furthermore, this year the need for public transportation was strongly demonstrated during the
COVID-19 pandemic as Streamline provided nearly 22,000 rides in the months of March - April
2020 and an estimated 11,000 in the period of May – June 2020. The majority
of these riders were people who worked for essential services or for people who needed to
access essential services. Thus, public transit proved to be an essential service to Bozeman as
it ensured all individuals could access necessary goods and services.
As the City, County, and country grapple with the economic effects of COVID-19, we believe
that Streamline can be key in helping community members reduce transportation-related
expenses. This unique time in our City’s history could be an important turning point where
residents realize that public transportation is a cost-effective, efficient, and sustainable way to
travel to and from their various destinations.
Streamline wants to be a sustainable service long into the future. We want to maintain our
existing service and have the funding available to make necessary adjustments to better serve
the community in the upcoming year. Thus, we respectfully ask you to consider funding
Streamline’s $300,000 funding request in this next fiscal year.
Sincerely,
Sunshine Ross
HRDC/Streamline Transportation Director