SHELBY — For 20 years, a north-central Montana nonprofit has been quietly solving one of rural Montana's biggest challenges — getting people where they need to go, for free.
Northern Transit Interlocal is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month. What started as a one or two bus operation has grown into a fleet of 12 buses, carrying 21,000 riders a year across routes stretching from Browning and Augusta to Kalispell and even Lethbridge, Alberta.
(WATCH: Northern Transit Interlocal has been a lifeline for rural Montana)
For Martin Kienas, the service has been a lifeline.
"The drivers are always beyond exceptional. They always help me. I've been pretty sick, and they always help me get on and off," Kienas said.
Martin has been riding the bus in Shelby for 16 years. As he has gotten older, Northern Transit has been his connection to his pulmonologist in Great Falls — a trip that would otherwise be impossible without a reliable ride.
For elderly residents in care facilities, the impact goes even deeper. Jana Judisch of Logan Health says her residents light up when the bus arrives.
"You know, you sit in a wheelchair, and you look out the window when I'm in with them one on ones and it's like, this is the best gift they can ever have, is just to get out and see Shelby," Judisch said.
Those residents get the chance to be part of the Shelby parade, take trips across the state, and simply experience the world outside their walls. For the 12 part-time employees who keep Northern Transit running, moments like that are exactly why they show up.
Driver Randy Shepherd says the gratitude from riders never gets old.
"It seems like every time I take somebody, they always say, we really appreciate this. What you guys are doing for us and stuff. And they said, I don't know what we'd be doing — if we'd be lost without us is what they say," Shepherd said.
The service is free to riders and funded through sponsors including Benefis Health System, Town Pump, and Logan Health of Kalispell. The organization is always looking for additional sponsors as it works to keep the program running without relying on local taxpayer dollars.
For Kienas, what sets Northern Transit apart is not just the ride — it is the people behind the wheel.
"The big thing is the compassion the drivers put into the people that are on the bus. If they have a medical condition, they go beyond," he said.
Riders can make a reservation the previous business day and be picked up at their home or a specified location. For more information about Northern Transit Interlocal or sponsorship opportunities, contact Promotions Director Kim Moore.
Twenty years. Twelve buses. Twenty-one thousand riders a year. And for the people who depend on it most — it is so much more than a bus ride.
