Our Past & Our Future
01.
In 1994, Bonneville County voters established a public transportation authority (PTA). These entities are established under Idaho Code Title 40, Chapter 21 and are created with the explicit intent of providing public transportation services.
02.
In May 2019, the Targhee Regional Public Transportation Authority (TRPTA), ceased services due to funding challenges.
03.
In August 2019, the TRPTA Board of Directors executed a letter of intent to begin bankruptcy proceedings under the representation of Idaho Falls-based law firm, Maynes Taggart, PLLC.
04.
In December 2019, our legal representation filed a petition to approve Shane Murphy of Venture One Properties as our real estate representative to sell TRPTA's physical property on W. Broadway in Idaho Falls. Proceeds from this sale will pay for the debts listed in the bankruptcy filing.
05.
In May 2020, an offer was made on the W. Broadway property and was accepted. An addendum to extend closing was received and accepted in October 2020 and we expect the sale to finalize/close in December 2020 or January 2021.
06.
In October 2020, the Board of Directors approved the Doing Business As (DBA or Assumed Business Name) of Greater Idaho Falls Transit (GIFT). This was approved by the Idaho Secretary of State's office in November 2020.
07.
The Idaho Falls City Council approved the creation of a new position within the City - a Transit Coordinator - to manage the third-party transit provider contract. This position will be wholly reimbursed by a $4,191,157 grant to the Idaho Transportation Department from the Section 5307 Small Urbanized Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Interviews for the position began in December 2021.
08.
In cooperation with ITD and FTA, the request for proposal (RFP) was launched to contract for third-party micro-transit services. All proposals were due to the City of Idaho Falls no later than 4:00 P.M. MST on February 10, 2022.
09.
The RFP process was completed, scored, and the contract for public transit was awarded to the company Downtowner on March 7, 2022. The service began in June 2022 and has since served the Idaho Falls city limits.
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