START Board to vote on $1.5M in proposed service reductions

The START Board is set to vote Thursday on Director Mike Toronto’s proposed service reductions to close a projected $1.5 million budget gap tied to federal funding cuts START Board Regular Meeting Agenda Packet.

The packet lays out a menu of cuts that would touch both fixed route and START on-demand service. Proposed changes include trimming Friday morning and afternoon commuter runs for both Teton Valley and Star Valley, dropping town shuttle frequency during parts of the day and after 8 p.m., and cutting winter service to Teton Village by reducing late-night buses and limiting express service to peak commute windows. For on-demand, staff proposes shorter service hours by season, eliminating stops at Albertsons and the library, and reducing vehicles during non-peak times. The same report notes the reductions would mean fewer seasonal positions, and staff says it does not anticipate layoffs.