Missoula in Motion promotes biking, bus rides, carpooling and incentives at Home Resource event

Katherine, program manager for Missoula in Motion, told a Home Resource audience that the program — part of the city’s transportation planning department and funded in part by federal congestion mitigation air quality grant funding — focuses on encouraging people to walk, bike, ride transit and carpool to reduce congestion and emissions.

Katherine said the program pairs education and encouragement with infrastructure: “We need safe bike lanes that people feel comfortable using. We need good bus service that gets people to where they need to go in a convenient way,” she said, adding that infrastructure alone won’t change deeply ingrained driving habits.

Missoula in Motion described several resources for residents. Claire outlined bicycling options, saying the city’s map shows protected bike lanes, neighborhood greenways and shared-use paths. Claire also promoted a free online bike registration tool that links a bicycle’s serial number and a photo to an owner to assist police in reuniting recovered bikes with their owners.

Speakers highlighted transit options: Mountain Line and Udash operate free services and use apps for real-time arrival information. Staff explained the free-fare model began with community partners and that removing fares helped increase ridership and operational efficiency. Claire confirmed an upcoming change on local routes: “That is true,” she said in response to a question about Line 8, adding that in July 2026 it will be replaced by Route 10 with revised downtown alignment.

Stacy described Way to Go, Missoula in Motion’s free program for logging sustainable trips and earning rewards from local businesses. She said monthly incentives vary and gave a March example: log 10 sustainable trips to receive a buy-one-get-one pass to the Butterfly House. Stacy also summarized a guaranteed-ride-home benefit for Way to Go members that reimburses emergency trips described as available up to about once a month (characterized in the session as up to 12 times a year).

The presenters encouraged employers to consider commuter benefits, carpool matching and workplace commuter challenges that offer prizes and team incentives, and they offered ride-alongs and route-planning help for riders new to the bus. The session closed with reminders about free bike lights available at City Hall and online resources to learn routes, register bikes and sign up for Way to Go.

The presentation did not include formal votes or policy decisions; speakers referred listeners to project open houses and the city’s engaged Missoula pages for details and timelines.