Streamline Bus seeks community input

As Bozeman’s population continues to grow, the community’s free public bus system, Streamline, is entering a new era of expansion — and it’s asking residents to help guide these improvements by filling out a community survey. 

Streamline Bus currently offers several Bozeman routes, including the Blueline, Goldline, Purpleline and Brownline, as well as commuter service to Belgrade and Livingston. 

Streamline previously operated under the Human Resources Development Council (HRDC), a Bozeman-based private nonprofit that aims to combat poverty and offset the high cost of living in Southwest Montana, according to the HRDC’s website.

However, due to Bozeman’s population hitting 50,000 people the new Gallatin Valley Urban Transportation District (GVUTD) took over the bus system’s operations on July 1, 2025, according to GVUTD Operations Coordinator Todd Wilson. 

According to the survey, GVUTD is updating its Transit Development Plan (TDP), which outlines the anticipated changes to Streamline and Galavan over the next decade. The prior TDP was drafted during the COVID-19 pandemic and the GVUTD is looking for updated recommendations from the community. 

Bozeman’s population growth not only resulted in the creation of the GVUTD, but also prompted Streamline to re-evaluate its transportation priorities with a survey for community members, according to Wilson.

The survey marks the latest step in Streamline’s effort to improve and modernize its services. The proposal includes updated routes and new pilot programs. Both Streamline and MSU representatives say student input is essential for the success of the bus system. 

According to Wilson, the Streamline survey is a continuation of the input-gathering that started last fall. “The survey that was out last fall was used to create proposed routes. The new survey is to get feedback on the proposals and our implementation,” Wilson said. 

The new survey invites community members to weigh in on topics such as underserved neighborhoods or destinations, ideal times of day for services, frequency improvements and how to better market the services offered. 

Although the Streamline is available for the entire Gallatin Valley community, MSU students pay a small fee in their tuition that covers the bus’s operational costs, making it free for riders. 

“We want to bring a culture of riding the bus back to campus,” said Hannah Ferguson, an Associated Students of MSU (ASMSU) senator and liaison to Streamline. ASMSU and Streamline have collaborated to establish a program that will support seasonal student travel, according to Ferguson. 

“The idea is that the Streamline will take students to and from the airport from the SUB before breaks,” Ferguson said. “But we’ll need to see increased ridership to keep that program in the spring.” 

According to Rebecca Eberlin, the program manager for MSU’s Office of Off-Campus Student Life — who also served on the board of directors for the Streamline before taking on her current role — Streamline ridership has been down post-Covid. “We do feel that the expansion efforts would positively impact ridership,” she said. 

Like Ferguson, Eberlin said she believes that creating a culture of riding the bus would benefit the MSU community. “It’s a safe, sustainable option,” she said. 

Some of the proposed changes appear to resonate with students. “I’m excited to hear that the bus system is going to be updated, because I really would like to use it,” said Tia Mercer, a junior at MSU. She hasn’t ridden the Streamline before, but said that she sees it as a potentially valuable resource. Mercer believes the bus would be more useful if there were a stop closer to her house, or if there were late-night routes to and from the bars.

“I’d also love to see a tracking app for Streamline because there’s nothing worse than standing out in the cold not knowing where the bus is,” she said. 

A Streamline bus tracking app is on the way, according to Wilson. “It’s a way to make things much easier for people and Streamline bus operators,” he said. “It’ll make riding a lot more convenient.”   

Wilson encouraged the campus to fill out the survey, as the survey from last year directly informed the current proposal. “I hope students realize that this is a great opportunity to shape the future of Streamline, and it’s a pretty quick survey to fill out,” he said. 

To fill out the Streamline survey, visit https://www.steeringstreamlinebus.com/.