Mountain Line Transit

MOUNTAIN LINE TRANSIT

By: Erika Mazza, Mountain Line CEO & General Manager

I had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. in early June to meet with our Arizona delegation, and other elected officials from around the country. While my primary responsibility is to keep the wheels moving on our hybridelectric Mountain Line buses in Flagstaff, a critical component of that movement is the federal funding we receive.

The Mountain Line transit story is one that resonates with lawmakers, and I am honored to share our successes on a national level. This story is one of economic growth that is critical to our community’s sustainability. Compared to our counterparts on the east coast, Mountain Line is a relatively young system – only 18 years old. Since its inception, Mountain Line has experienced

year-over-year ridership growth, and in less than 10 years we have grown our ridership by 150 percent. In a community of 75,000 people Mountain Line transports nearly 2.5 million riders a year.

A significant portion of Mountain Line’s federal funding is based on population. This means that a community like Avondale in Maricopa County receives three times the funding we do but has 14 times LESS ridership than Mountain Line.

Our turn to shine comes with the Small Transit Intensive City (STIC) funding, which rewards high-performing small transit systems like Mountain Line with additional funding for meeting or exceeding the performance measures of larger systems. The STIC funds Mountain Line

receives go directly back into the system, benefitting the entire community. By investing in things like higher frequency, new bus stops, and a new Downtown Connection Center, Mountain Line can better connect Flagstaff residents and visitors with the things they need to do on a daily basis. Whether this is getting to a job, a medical appointment, school, or a dinner reservation, a robust transit system is critical to making these connections.

I have two primary messages when I’m meeting with elected officials. First, the transit industry needs consistent, dedicated, and long-term funding, which would provide the necessary federal investments necessary to build, maintain, and operate our public transportation systems.

Second, I am making the case for an increase in STIC funding. This type of funding is not a handout. It is competitive and rewards those transit systems that operate efficiently, and with dynamic targets we can be more effective in improving the performance of our transit system. A 1 percent increase in STIC funding means that a community like Flagstaff could be on par with what Avondale receives, simply for having a larger population.

We are proud to make every dollar we receive go far, and I look forward to continuing to share the story of transit thriving in our mountain town.