Bozeman, Mont. — Streamline buses marked 20 years of free public transportation in the Gallatin Valley on Thursday, as local leaders and riders gathered to celebrate the buses' history, and plans for the future.
The system has become a regular part of life for many riders, from college students to workers heading home, and everyone in between.
Community member Ricky Burns II says the service has improved during his time in Bozeman.
"I have ridden the bus, and in the beginning when I first moved to Bozeman, it was kind of interesting to learn how the schedules worked and how the different stops were, and over the years in my time here in Bozeman, I've seen it get better and better. We're increasing stops and we're increasing access and so that's been really, really exciting," Burns said.
Burns explained that as Bozeman grows, transportation needs to grow with it. He said expanded transit helps more people reach what the city offers.
"Those two things go hand in hand. As we increase our population, we must increase our transportation, because only then are we able to make sure that people can get the full scope of what we offer here in Bozeman," Burns said.
The milestone in Bozeman comes as another major Montana bus system also expands. In Missoula, Mountain Line reported nearly 1.3 million passenger rides in 2024, its most recent data, and broke ground this month on a new operations base.
Along with the celebration around the history of Streamline, officials in Bozeman also spoke about changes coming to the bus system. City Commissioner Emma Bode announced that streamline will be re-introducing their late-night bus route.
Bode said that this route will mainly operate in Downtown Bozeman, and according to streamline's website, the route will operate on Thursday's, Friday's, and Saturday's from 8:00pm to 2:25am.
Fuel prices are also part of the conversation around streamline and other Montana transportation systems. Gas in Montana stands at $4.39 per gallon as of August 20 according to Triple A, and Streamline representatives say those rising costs could give more people a reason to consider public transit as an alternative to driving.
Streamline Operations Coordinator Todd Wilson is encouraging Montanans to try the service and said help is available for first-time riders if they are unsure of where to start.
"Just give it a shot. We do trainings, too. We're happy to kind of help anyone get over that hurdle but just hop on; it's zero fare, you don't need a card or anything and kind of see where it takes you," Wilson said.
If you are interested in learning more about streamline or the mountain line bus systems, visit the following websites: www.streamlinebus.com and www.mountainline.com