Opportunity Link Public Transportation Implementation Plan

The objective of this project is to develop a plan for implementing a public transportation (transit) service that would serve Blaine and Hill counties in Montana.

Frontier areas of Montana face many challenges, including transportation within, and to small communities (towns), as well as transportation to larger communities. People living and traveling in frontier areas need reliable transportation for a variety of purposes, including employment and educational opportunities, as well as for medical, recreation and other “life” purposes. The goal of this research project, which will be conducted by the Western Transportation Institute working in cooperation with Opportunity Link, is to develop a plan for implementing a public transportation (transit) service that would serve Blaine and Hill counties; including submitting an application to the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT), to obtain funding for a transit system. A secondary goal is to ensure coordination between the proposed system and any other public transportation systems in the area. The Western Transportation Institute will collaborate with Opportunity Link to develop the plan by reviewing current information and communicating with other relevant stakeholders, including other public transportation systems in the area, the Montana Department of Transportation, counties, and tribal organizations.