Valley Regional Transit’s new Eagle On-Demand begins full service

Valley Regional Transit (VRT), with the City of Eagle and the Eagle Chamber of Commerce, cut the ribbon Tuesday morning on the 160 Eagle On-Demand.

“The City of Eagle has been working hard to support their residents’ transportation needs,” said VRT CEO Elaine Clegg. “This service is the result of a long planning process between VRT and the City of Eagle, and we commend you for making this investment in your community.”

VRT’s on-demand service is a new way to provide bus service in areas that may not be best served by a fixed bus route. Riders can schedule trips through the “VRT OnDemand” mobile app, online, or by calling VRT’s customer service team. Rather than being picked up at a bus stop using fixed time schedules, riders are picked up near their location and dropped off near their destination within the service zone.

“The Eagle City Council and I are excited about VRT’s 160 Eagle On-Demand transportation service,” said Eagle Mayor Jason Pierce. “The City of Eagle has maintained a great relationship with VRT over the years, especially serving our senior citizens. We appreciate VRT working with us to provide transportation options for our community and we hope it takes off.”

While the service started with a promotional free-fare period in May, Tuesday’s ceremony highlighted a shift to full-fare service. VRT used the summer to both get people interested in the service and to observe ridership, traffic patterns, app usage, and more.

The 160 Eagle OnDemand runs between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The service area includes most of the city of Eagle, with boundaries of Beacon Light Road, Chinden Boulevard, Highway 16, and Horseshoe Bend Road. It also connects to the intersection of Gary & Bunch in Boise, The Village at Meridian, and the St. Luke’s Meridian campus.