Public transit funding in Blaine County will get a boost next year, thanks to a federal transportation administration grant.
Mountain Rides Transit in the Wood River Valley is getting $1.5 million from the federal government to buy battery-powered electric buses and to build new charging facilities.
The transit program serves passengers from Ketchum to Bellevue, and sees about 500,000 rides each year. It currently has 19 busses and 17 vans in its fleet.
Mountain Rides was one of 52 transit authorities in 41 states to get federal dollars this year for low or no emissions bus projects. Mountain Rides operates on an annual budget of about $3 million, so the $1.5 million from the FTA represents a big boost for the transportation authority.
Find reporter Amanda Peacher on Twitter @amandapeacher.
Copyright 2018 Boise State Public Radio
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, Yellowstone Public Radio in Montana, KUER in Salt Lake City and KRCC and KUNC in Colorado.
