NAMPA, Idaho — At Monday night's public hearing, riders voiced concerns about their daily commutes as Valley Regional Transit considers major service changes across Canyon County after the city of Nampa requested significant funding cuts.
VRT originally asked Nampa for about $860,000 to fund service next year. The city asked the agency to lower that request to less than $500,000.
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To close the gap, VRT is proposing several service reductions. Caldwell riders would lose direct access to the College of Western Idaho. Route 40 would no longer stop in Nampa, meaning riders would lose direct access to downtown Boise and Boise State University.
"We know it's a change. We know it has some impact on Nampa riders. It's the one service we have in this region that's not growing," VRT CEO Elaine Clegg said.
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VRT is also looking to change its on-demand service, using smaller vans and a different operating model that could reduce costs by more than 40%.
Andrew Mills, a Caldwell resident who relies on VRT services, said the current on-demand system can be unreliable.
"I actually got stranded because I stayed on the bus too long. My mom, not VRT was able to provide a ride home for her," Mills said. “Even one person losing their transportation is one too many.”
But the agency said the proposed changes could expand service and reduce wait times.
“We're hoping that this will attract more riders in the long run than what we have today,” Clegg said.
VRT is also considering a ride-hail option, like Uber or Lyft, for individual trips. Those rides would cost about 50 cents more than a standard fare — a difference some riders say could be hard to afford.
"Those of us that are on fixed incomes may not have that extra one to two dollars, whatever the difference is, to be able to take that Lyft or Uber to get them to where they need to be," Nampa resident Hone Kammerman said.
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Nampa City Councilman Sebastian Griffin questioned whether the proposed cuts could deliver better service.
"I don't know why we were paying twice the amount for those exact same goals, so there's a lot of emotions that you feel through the process. Have we been getting taken advantage of is a frank question that I feel," Griffin said.
Griffin said as the city works through its budget, his priority is focusing spending on new infrastructure.
"Right now we're at that critical moment of what's essential, and we need to be funding what's essential, not the extras," Griffin said.
For now, Nampa riders who rely on Route 42 won't see any changes, as the route is expected to stay the same. Officials said there has been discussion about what its future could look like and urged residents to share their feedback through an online survey that closes July 3.
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