Plans are in the works to expand the Kalispell city bus routes on the north and west ends of Kalispell and Evergreen.

Dave Polansky, Eagle Transit program manager, is aiming for a July 1 start for the expanded routes.

The north-south route will be expanded to the Hutton Ranch and Spring Prairie shopping complexes on U.S. 93 in north Kalispell. Today that route stops at Flathead Valley Community College.

“We’ll add another mile to that route and plan to add five stops” on the north end, Polansky said. The exact locations of the five stops haven’t been finalized, he said.

 A second east-west bus route also will be created. It will incorporate many of the existing bus stops around Meridian Road and will expand west to Evergreen Drive. Today, the west route ends at Smith’s on Idaho Street. Polansky continues to identify stops for that route, too.

The expansion was prompted by requests from bus users and by recent changes in the communities, he said.

“The 93 North development changed what we need to supply our riders,” Polansky said of the recent retail expansion on U.S. 93 North.

Bus ridership in Flathead County is up, Polansky said. During the last quarter of 2011, 23,337 people rode an Eagle Transit bus. The breakdown was 10,779 general public riders, 6,164 senior citizens and 6,394 disabled riders.

Those numbers increased from 19,471 riders in the same quarter of 2010. The breakdown that year was 8,524 general public riders, 5,280 senior citizens and 5,667 disabled riders.

During the third quarter of 2009, total ridership was 17,367.

He attributes the increased usage to several factors, including higher fuel prices, increased awareness and the savings to people who ride the bus instead of driving their own vehicles.

No price changes are planned as the routes expand, Polansky said. Most people can ride any city bus for $1 one way. City buses run in Kalispell, Columbia Falls and Whitefish. People 60 and older aren’t required to pay, but are asked to donate $1 for their city bus rides.

The Dial-a-Ride service, open only to senior citizens and people with disabilities, carries a $1.50 one-way ride charge. It offers door-to-door service for customers who schedule their rides in advance by calling 758-5728.

That program doesn’t service every single address in Flathead County, Polansky said. A country Dial-a-Ride service runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays for people who are outside the daily route area.

Fees vary, based on travel distance. People need to call 758-5728 to determine their eligibility for Dial-a-Ride.

A one-way commuter bus ride costs $1. Commuter buses run between Kalispell and Whitefish and Kalispell and Columbia Falls.

Generally, the commuter buses run in the morning and late afternoon, “primarily to support the beginning and end of the work day,” Polansky said.

The city and commuter buses run Monday through Friday. Dial-a-Ride operates Monday through Saturday.

Bus schedules are available for all buses on Eagle Transit’s website at flathead.mt.gov/eagle/, at the Eagle Transit office at 1333 Willow Glen Drive in Kalispell and at most Chamber of Commerce offices in the county.

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.