Two providers vie for north-south bus service
Two bus providers are proposing to provide service from Bonners Ferry to Boise starting Oct. 1.
Northwestern Trailways currently provides service from Coeur d'Alene to Boise and has another route from Sandpoint to Spokane via Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls that will be eliminated due to low ridership.
Spokane-based Northwestern Trailways and Rexburg-based Salt Lake Express have submitted proposals to the state to provide service starting this fall that will replace the existing routes.
"It will be more of a revamping of what currently exists," said Clif Warren of the Community Transportation Association of Idaho.
The Bonners-to-Sandpoint portion will be new.
Both companies will be represented at today's open house seeking public comment at the Idaho Transportation Department, 600 W. Prairie Ave., Hayden, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Information on the proposals will be available.
The Bonners-to-Boise service is separate from Citylink that provides routes in the Coeur d'Alene metro area and to the Coeur d'Alene Casino.
The north-south route essentially provides the same service in the region as Greyhound does for east-west travelers, except it's partially subsidized by the state and Greyhound isn't.
A major difference between the two north-south plans is that Northwestern Trailways is proposing one roundtrip per day, while Salt Lake is proposing two. Both would operate 365 days a year.
Northwestern's southbound service would depart Bonners at 5:15 a.m. and arrive in Boise at 5:15 p.m. The northbound bus would depart Boise at 7:15 a.m. and arrive in Bonners at 5:25 p.m.
Current passenger fares range from 25 to 30 cents per mile, according to Northwestern's proposal.
Salt Lake's northbound rides would leave Boise at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. and arrive in Bonners at 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. respectively. The southbound routes would leave Bonners at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. and arrive in Boise at 6:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. respectively.
The average cost per ticket would be $35, according to Salt Lake's proposal.
Both providers would make several stops between Bonners and Boise.
Warren said many residents are unaware that a current north-south bus service even exists, but a requirement will be made to the winning provider to spend 5 percent of the subsidy on marketing.
"The state's goal is for the route to eventually pay for itself," Warren said.
The providers will be allowed to refine their proposals based on public input and re-submit them to the state, Warren said. ITD will then choose a provider.
The open house will also include information in the Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization transportation plan and how Citylink users can connect with the Bonners-to-Boise route.
If you want to comment
Public comments on two proposals for bus service from Bonners Ferry to Boise starting Oct. 1 will be sought at an open house today from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Idaho Transportation Department office, 600 W. Prairie Ave., Hayden. Comments can also be emailed to [email protected], sent online at I-way.org/publicnotices or mailed to CTAI, 913 W. River, Ste. 440, Boise, ID 83702 before May 30.