Proposition 488 will be on the November 2024 ballot in the city of Flagstaff, Ariz., asking voters to consider renewing the existing transit tax (29.5 cents on a $100 purchase) and increasing it to $0.50 on a $100 purchase to fund transit improvements through 2040.
Mountain Line currently operates fixed-route bus service on nine routes, paratransit service, vanpool, and seasonal Mountain Express service to Arizona Snowbowl. Established in 2001, Mountain Line has grown into a system that employs more than 100 people and transports nearly two million riders a year.
The current transit tax rate was established in 2008 and Mountain Line says it has delivered on the service improvements promised in that ballot proposition. Proposition 488 would allow Mountain Line to accommodate the rising costs associated with continuing to deliver the service, along with expanding transit to better serve the community. Proposition 488 transit improvements would include:
- Frequency: Mountain Line would increase frequency on most routes to make transit a more convenient choice for the community.
- Service hours: Mountain Line would extend service hours on several days of the week to offer more transit service for employees who don’t work traditional schedules.
- Service to new areas: Mountain Line’s current budget can only accommodate the service it currently offers and does not give the agency the opportunity to respond to community growth and development patterns by expanding its areas of service. The agency says new funding would allow Mountain Line to bring transit to new areas in Flagstaff.
- Electric buses: New funding would allow Mountain Line to continue the transition to electric buses as its hybrid electric buses reach the end of their useful life.
Mountain Line will join the city of Flagstaff and Coconino County for an open house on Sept. 26 at the Flagstaff Aquaplex.
More information on the proposition can be found here.
