WHITEFISH — A new bus route opened from Whitefish to Billings through a Minnesota-based company earlier this month.
The Jefferson Line bus company filled the void of a previously discontinued route, which will operate Friday through Monday.
The bus will pick up its passengers on those days at 8:30 a.m. and will make 13 stops in the nearly 10-hour ride to Billings.
Whitefish City Manager Dana Smith says this bus route will allow more people to visit the town while reducing traffic.
"It's just a great alternative mode of transportation for those that visit Whitefish," Smith said. "They might come from the train station and want to get down to Missoula or other cities and so we're grateful for that transportation helps get the vehicles off the road, and is better for our environment.
Smith also says having this bus route helps with the growing popularity Whitefish is seeing.
“Whitefish gets very busy in the summertime, we have many visitors coming to Whitefish to visit the parks, so congestion in our streets with traffic is a challenge,” Smith said. “So even a service that's just from Friday to Monday is gonna help get more cars off of our roads and allow that traffic to move more freely.”
The stop for the Jefferson Line bus to Billings is located at the Whitefish Town Pump off Montana Highway 40.
