What you need to know:
- Mat-Su’s public bus service will come under borough oversight starting Oct. 1, but routes, fares and schedules will remain unchanged through at least June 2026 while officials collect rider data and evaluate the program.
- A nine-month, $2.2 million contract is set to go before the Mat-Su Assembly for approval this week. The funding would come from the borough and a federal grant, pending Assembly approval.
- Bus service in Mat-Su was previously funded almost entirely by federal grants. A change in funding rules triggered by population growth now requires the borough to contribute about half of the program’s costs.
PALMER — Mat-Su’s public bus service will come under borough oversight this fall, but riders are unlikely to see any changes as officials collect data and study potential updates as part of the transition.
Valley Transit will shift from its longstanding independent operations to a contract administered by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough starting Oct. 1, said Jason Ortiz, the borough’s planning and land-use director overseeing the effort.
Bus routes, fares and schedules will likely remain unchanged through at least next June, Ortiz said…