40
February 03 7:00 AM
Route 40 is running 11 minutes late
VRT seeks public input on potential service changes, cuts in Canyon County
VRT funding in Canyon County uncertain
As city budgets in Idaho continue to face shortages due to legislative actions, transit funding remains a challenge. VRT hosted Canyon County Transit Day on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 to gather community feedback about the future of public transit in Canyon County and work with partners and the public to find a path toward more stable funding.
The City of Nampa’s decisions are especially critical, as changes to Nampa’s transit funding would impact service within Nampa and across Canyon County. This would affect local on-demand rides and specialized services for seniors and individuals with disabilities. It would also impact commuter routes between Caldwell, Nampa, Meridian, and Boise.
This year, the City of Nampa asked VRT to evaluate the impacts of four service choices*:
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1. Keep what we have
In this scenario, no changes would made to either fixed route service in Nampa and Caldwell or to the On-Demand service.
- Route 40 Caldwell/Boise Express operates every 30 minutes during the morning and afternoon commute, with three trips in the morning to Boise and one to Caldwell, and four trips in the afternoon to Caldwell and one to Boise Monday through Friday.
- Route 42 Happy Day to Towne Square operates every 60 minutes from 6:20a.m. to 7:55 p.m., Monday through Friday.
- Route 45 Boise State/CWI operates every 60 minutes during the morning and afternoon commute, with three trips between CWI and Boise State in both directions in the morning and four trips in the afternoon.
View an interactive map here.
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2. Reduce service
This option proposes two alternatives to reduce service in Nampa.
Alternative A: Eliminates On-Demand service in Nampa
Alternative A would eliminate VRT On-Demand service in the City of Nampa.
- The remaining VRT On-Demand service would provide the same coverage to the City of Caldwell as the 150 does today, in addition to the College of Western Idaho Campuses on Caldwell Boulevard and Idaho Center Boulevard/Franklin Road.
- No changes would be made to routes 40, 42 and 45.
View the map here.
Alternative B: Eliminates Fixed Route service in Nampa.
Alternative B would eliminate fixed route service in the City of Nampa.
- No changes would be made to the 150 Nampa/Caldwell On-Demand.
- Route 40 Caldwell/Boise Express would start service at Happy Day Transit Center before heading West on Caldwell Boulevard to 12th Avenue. From 12th Avenue it would take I-84 to to Ten Mile where it would follow its current pattern to Boise, skipping Nampa.
- Route 42 Happy Day to Towne Square would start service at College of Western Idaho before following its current path to Boise.
- No changes are proposed for the Route 45 Boise State/CWI.
- The changes to the fixed route services would reduce the Access Paratransit services in Nampa and Caldwell.
View an interactive map here.
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3. Expand service
In this scenario, we show the full expansion of services across the Treasure Valley as outlined in ValleyConnect 3.0, Valley Regional Transit’s long range plan (currently in development).
Below is a table of the proposed expansion of services, with their frequencies, operating days and communities served.
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4. Eliminate general public transit in Nampa
In this scenario, all fixed route service and on-demand services are eliminated from the City of Nampa.
- VRT On-Demand in Nampa would be eliminated in this scenario. The remaining On-Demand service will provide the same coverage to the City of Caldwell as the 150 does today, in addition to College of Western Idaho Campuses on Caldwell Boulevard and Idaho Center Boulevard/Franklin Road.
- Route 40 Caldwell/Boise Express would serve Caldwell only before continuing on to Meridian and Boise.
- Route 42 Happy Day to Towne Square would only serving the stops at the College of Western Idaho before continuing to Meridian.
- No changes are proposed for Route 45 Boise State/CWI.
- The changes to the fixed route services will effect the Access Paratransit services in Nampa and Caldwell.
View an interactive map here.
The Nampa City Council considered cutting service last year but ultimately voted to maintain service.
In fiscal year 2024 (October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024), VRT provided more than 58,000 trips originating in Canyon County through commuter bus services (Route 40 and 45), an all-day bus route (Route 42), and VRT On-Demand, VRT Access, Beyond Access, VRT Late Night (scheduled ride services), and other specialized programs. See below for more details on services provided.
Local contributions, like those from the City of Nampa, provide the local match that VRT uses to secure federal funding for many local services.
VRT will present these scenarios and community feedback at the City of Nampa’s May 15th City Council Workshop.
View the memo
How to participate
YOUR VOICE MATTERS
You can share your feedback on these scenarios directly with the Nampa City Council on through the City Clerk’s office.
Contact Nampa City Clerk
A word about funding
Spring and summer is budget outreach season for VRT. During these seasons we connect and present—often numerous times—with our 25 funding partners. Lacking our own taxing authority, VRT depends on voluntary contributions. We strive to build respect and support by consistently providing solid, specific and current information to our partners. Their voluntary contributions are highly valued, and we respect the gravity of the decision to support us with scarce funding.
An inherent weakness of these disparate annual budget decisions is the impact on our ability to plan for and provide service every year. VRT works to integrate budgets built by dozens of organizations into a connected service network that aligns with our federal responsibilities and provides reliable service to riders. Sometimes, choices to reduce funding catch us by surprise and don’t consider input from constituents affected. As a result, it becomes challenging to make informed, long-term plans to grow a public transportation system that people can count on.
This process is broken. It doesn’t work well for VRT or our partners and it doesn’t serve constituents in ways they need. Most importantly, since so much staff time is used on inefficient budget process and our funding for operations is so unpredictable, it inhibits our ability to do our most important work — providing our best services to the public.
The current model leaves us with inconsistent funding, which makes it nearly impossible to plan and provide reliable transportation services and burdens the strained budgets of our city and county partners. I look forward to working with our state leaders to find common sense solutions that allow all stakeholders a voice in a more consistent and reliable method to fund these vital services.
– Elaine Clegg, CEO
Transit service in Canyon County
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Caldwell/Boise Express
In June of 2024, VRT consolidated routes 40 and 43. Monday through Friday the 40 has four morning and afternoon express trips connecting Caldwell, Nampa, Meridian and Boise.
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Happy Day - Towne Square Mall
In June of 2024, VRT added service and changed the routing of the 42 to provide all day local connections between Caldwell, Nampa, Meridian and Boise. Monday through Friday the 42 to runs hourly between 6 am and 8 pm
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Boise State - CWI
In June of 2024, VRT added service and changed the routing of the 45 to provide peak connections between CWI, downtown Meridian, West Boise and Boise State University. Monday through Friday the 45 has 3 am trips and 4 pm trips.
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Nampa/Caldwell On-Demand
In June of 2024, VRT simplified the service are for the 150 which provides on-demand transportation, similar to uber or lyft to the general public throughout Nampa and Caldwell. The service is available Monday through Friday between 6 am and 8 pm.
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VRT Access
Access is a paratransit transportation service operated by Valley Regional Transit through the tax support of local municipalities. Designed to complement the fixed-route bus system, this service is available to people who are unable to utilize the fixed-route or on-demand bus systems because of a disability. Eligibility may be limited on a conditional basis, and each trip can be reviewed.
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VRT Beyond Access
Available in Ada and Canyon Counties, Beyond Access provides no-cost curb-to-curb transportation for older adults and people with disabilities. This service is constrained by limited local funding, which comes primarily from the Area Agency on Aging.
Connected Canyon County
From January 2021 to January 2023, VRT worked with more than 50 community organizations on an initiative called Connected Canyon County. Recognizing the gaps in service, the effort set out to design and implement mobility solutions that improved access to important destinations and activities in Canyon County.
