Valley Regional Transit will reopen Main Street Station and begin collecting bus fares
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Beginning Monday, November 9, Valley Regional Transit will begin collecting fares and reopen Main Street Station in downtown Boise. VRT closed Main Street Station and suspended fares in June when Central District Health moved Ada County back to Stage 3 for COVID‐19 response. By following improved passenger and operator safety protocols (approved by Central District Health), VRT will be able to safely reopen Main Street Station and continue to provide essential transportation services in the Treasure Valley.
Updated Main Street Station protocols include:
- Signage to customers stressing the importance of face masks and social distancing
- Limiting elevator use to one person at a time
- Shutting down high contact touch points such as water fountains, vending machines, and keypad door access
- Touchless payment systems at customer service window
- Cleaning and disinfecting high‐touch points within Main Street Station multiple times throughout the day
Updated fare payment protocols include:
- Clear protective shields between bus operators and riders
- Signage on the bus stressing the importance of wearing a mask
- Providing masks on the bus for riders that don’t have one
- Encouraging use of mobile ticketing
- Cleaning and disinfecting of high‐touch areas on each vehicle multiple times throughout the day
- Nightly cleaning of all vehicles
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Touchless fare option for bus passengers
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To help provide a safe experience for everyone, bus passengers are encouraged to use VRT's mobile ticketing app for fare payment. This reduces contact between drivers and passengers when possible.
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Register now for Cranksgiving
Cranksgiving, the annual Thanksgiving-themed bicycle scavenger hunt, returns on Saturday, November 21st with new COVID-19 protocols.
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Socially-distanced teams (up to six people per team) will collect the items needed to fill Thanksgiving food boxes to donate to St. Vincent de Paul while performing fun tasks all over Boise. More details about the event can be found on the Cranksgiving Facebook page. The event is also looking for volunteers.
A big thank you to City Go for sponsoring this year's event!
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Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is a program designed to encourage students to walk and bike to school to promote a healthy lifestyle, reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality and enhance quality of life in our communities. Now housed within Valley Regional Transit, the program helps to make routes safer, children and parents more knowledgeable, and the community more engaged so that more children will walk and bike to school.
SRTS currently works with the Boise, West Ada, Kuna, Nampa, Vallivue, and Caldwell School Districts along with many other partners across the Treasure Valley.
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What safety measures are happening across shared transportation?
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Valley Regional Transit:
- Drivers and riders are required to wear masks.
- Clear protective shields will be placed between operators and riders.
- Riders are asked to use the Valley Connect mobile ticketing app for payment, when possible.
- Staff will continue to wipe down the inside of the buses between trips.
- Every in-service bus is cleaned and disinfected every night.
- Cleaning crews are paying special attention to frequently touched areas, like handrails and seat backs, and utilizing foggers to treat the insides of the buses.
- Riders are asked to sit as far apart from other riders as possible.
- Riders are asked not to use public transit if sick or have recently been sick.
- Main Street Station in downtown Boise is currently closed until November 9th, while the Happy Day Transit Center in Caldwell remains open.
- Fare collection will begin on Monday, November 9th.
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Club Red:
- Vans are sanitized and are equipped with medical-grade disinfectant.
- Vans may run with as few as 3 passengers for the time being to allow distance between riders.
- Riders are asked to sit as far apart from other riders as possible.
- Riders are asked to practice good hygiene, wash hands, and/or use sanitizer before entering the van.
- Riders are required to wear a face-covering while riding in vans.
- If you need a face-covering, please contact Commuteride at 208-345-7665.
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Boise State Bronco Shuttle:
- The Boise State Bronco Shuttles are operating at reduced service. Accessible students will be prioritized so please walk or bike, if possible.
- Only the Blue and Orange routes are running. The Blue on-campus route and the Orange downtown route run Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm.
Bronco Shuttle Rules:
- Riders are responsible for their personal safety.
- Riders must wear a cloth face-covering at all times.
- No food or drinks allowed on the shuttle.
- No more than 10 passengers are allowed in a shuttle at any time.
- Riders are asked to space themselves out and to not sit on seats with an ‘X’.
- Riders will occasionally be asked to exit and transfer to another shuttle for COVID-19 cleaning protocols.
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How are communities doing around the Valley?
As of November 4th, there are 68,314 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state of Idaho. The following is the latest report from Central Health District and Southwest District Health for Ada and Canyon counties. (Data current as of 11/4/20.)
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Confirmed |
Probable |
Combined |
Deaths |
| Ada County |
15,828 |
2,345 |
18,173 |
179 |
| Canyon County |
9,929 |
920 |
10,849 |
116 |
| Total |
25,757 |
3,265 |
29,022 |
295 |
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Rider safety tip of the week:
Keep your distance
Stay healthy and safe by maintaining social distance
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