The bus system in the Treasure Valley is partnering with a rideshare company in an effort to get more riders.
For $2, a Lyft driver will pick you up and drop you off at a bus stop, where you can take a bus to your destination in Boise. The new service launches January 28, and will serve people within a two-mile radius of stops on the Fairview Avenue line and the State Street line.
"The City of Boise has put in $100,000 to the pilot and then Valley Regional Transit has matched that with an additional $100,000 from federal funds," says Kaite Justice with Valley Regional Transit.
She says they’re launching the pilot program after receiving feedback from people who say the nearest stop is too far from their homes, so many just end up driving themselves. Justice says that’s because the state does not fund public transportation.
“So needless to say, it’s incredibly underfunded compared to other cities around the country our size. And because of that, it doesn’t have the geographical reach that might be more desirable.”
She says another city that’s launched a similar program with Lyft is Monrovia, California – a city with a much smaller population than Boise.
Find reporter Frankie Barnhill on Twitter @FABarnhill
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