Research Pays Off: Get on the Bus: Connecting Small Communities on Montana’s Hi-Line

In rural and frontier areas, transit is often needed to provide mobility for those who lack access to basic services. Despite this critical need, public agencies traditionally have considered transit systems infeasible and unaffordable in areas with low population densities. With the help of the Western Transportation Institute (WTI) at Montana State University–Bozeman, Opportunity Link, Inc., a nonprofit, developed a plan for implementing public transportation between the communities that make up Montana’s Hi-Line region. As a result of this combined effort, North Central Montana Transit now provides some 1,600 rides per month.