Which START ride gets the biggest price increase this winter? Most of the public discussion has been about the bus to Teton Village. By the numbers, though, the biggest increase is on in-town rides. The Town Shuttle and START On-Demand cost nothing today, and both are set to become $2 rides with fewer service hours. Meanwhile, the Village fare is the one number still being debated.
The reason is a funding gap. Here is how START covered it, what each kind of rider will pay and which decisions are still open as of early October.
A $1.5 Million Gap From Federal Relief Money Running Out
START's shortfall for fiscal 2027 is $1.5 million. Local reporting ties it to lower funding from FTA Section 5311, the federal rural-transit program, which reaches START through WYDOT. According to Wyoming Public Media, Congress did not cut a program. Carryover from one-time COVID relief money ran out, and Wyoming's allocation went back to its usual annual level. Statewide, 5311 awards were reported at $12.2 million for the current fiscal year and $8.9 million for the fiscal year that began October 1.
The one-time relief money is gone, and START's budget now has to fit the regular allocation. On August 31, the Town Council and County Commission met jointly and weighed several options: covering the whole gap with local general funds, cutting service, raising fares, a mix of those, and longer-term funding alternatives.
They chose the mix. Here is how the plan adopted at the September 14 joint meeting adds up:
| Piece of the gap | Amount | Who carries it |
|---|---|---|
| Service reductions | $633,638 | Riders, through fewer hours |
| Fare revenue | about $117,000 | Riders, at the farebox |
| Reallocated FY27 funds | $750,000 | 48% Teton County, 32% Town of Jackson, 20% partners |
Those three pieces come to just over $1.5 million. The partner share is $150,000, and it was not committed when the plan passed. The News&Guide named the expected partners as the Teton Village Association and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. It put fare revenue at $116,000 instead of $117,000, which looks like a rounding difference.
The Cuts Fall Hardest on In-Town Service
The News&Guide reported that the cuts mainly reduce hours on some bus routes and on START On-Demand. It also confirmed that the Town Shuttle and On-Demand will start charging fares. An August 5 memo to the START Board said the reductions would fall mostly at midday, after 8 p.m. and on weekends. The memo said peak service and the first and last trips would be protected as much as possible. The cuts are spread across the Town Shuttle, the Teton Village Local and Express routes, On-Demand, Van Pool and the commuter routes.
START director Mike Toronto described the approach this way:
"Our goal was to make reductions during times of day where the least amount of people will be affected. Someone will be negatively affected, but the least amount of people will be."
Mayor Arne Jorgensen was the only elected official to vote against the cuts. "I am concerned about the level of reduction of service, and who it's impacting," he told the paper. The route-by-route schedule changes have not been published in anything we reviewed. Midday, late-evening and weekend riders can expect the biggest changes, but exact times are not yet available.
What Each Ride Costs Under the Proposal
Buckrail reports that the new fares take effect November 27. The most detailed version is the Town of Jackson's public notice dated September 10. It lists these proposed fares:
| Service | Current fare | Proposed one-way | Proposed one-day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town Shuttle | Free | $2 | $4 |
| START On-Demand | Free | $2 | $4 |
| Stilson to Teton Village | Free | $2 | $4 |
| Jackson to Teton Village | $3 | $4 | $8 |
| Star Valley and Teton Valley commuters | Not reported | $10 | $20 |
The Village fare is the largest dollar amount, but it rises by a third. The three in-town rides go from no fare at all to $2. The News&Guide had previously reported a $1 fare between Highway 390 and the Village. Buckrail describes Stilson specifically as a free option that is ending.
Passes and ticket books under the proposed table:
- 10-ticket book: $16 for Jackson and Teton Village rides, or $60 for commuter routes. Each ticket covers one one-way ride.
- One month: $50 for Jackson and Teton Village service, or $120 for a universal pass that includes the commuter routes.
- Season: $150. Buckrail describes this as a six-month pass with unlimited rides on On-Demand, the Town Shuttle and the Village routes.
- Universal pass: $499 for six months or $899 for a year.
Here is how those prices compare for an in-town rider. A ticket from the book works out to $1.60 a ride. Someone taking the Town Shuttle to work and back on 22 weekdays would make 44 rides, or $88 at the $2 fare, compared with $50 for the monthly pass. For that rider, the $150 season pass works out to $25 a month. Under the current Village fare, a round trip to the mountain is $6.
According to Buckrail, passes are sold at START headquarters and at Town Hall.
The proposed table also includes discounts. Riders 60 and older and 12 and younger pay half. Children 8 and under ride free with an adult. Students of Teton County, Wyoming, ride free within the county. The notice also says ADA paratransit fares match fixed-route fares. These terms are part of the proposed fare structure and are not yet a final, adopted table.
The Village Fare Is the Number Still Changing
The one fare a skier would most want settled is the one that has changed the most during the process. Here is the sequence from the Town's notice and local coverage:
- August 20: The START Board held a hearing on its first proposal. That plan would have lowered Village routes from $3 to $2 one-way, alongside the new $2 in-town fares.
- August 31: The joint Town Council and County Commission directed START to raise Village fares to $4 one-way and $8 for a day pass instead.
- October 1: The START Board held a public hearing online on the revised $4 proposal.
- October 5: Buckrail's fare story listed Village routes at $2 one-way and $4 round trip. Those figures match the August proposal, not the revised notice.
The Teton Scroll reported that the October 1 agenda listed no vote. It also reported that the board will give final approval after a Title VI review, and that the board's next regular meeting is October 22. As of today, October 8, the most recent official document puts the Village fare at $4 one-way. The final number has not been adopted. Agendas are posted on the Town's Agendas and Minutes page.
Paratransit is also unresolved. Before the hearing, two riders wrote to the START Board asking that ADA paratransit rides stay free. One letter described concerns about the effect of fares on riders. The Scroll noted that the table approved August 31 had no separate ADA line. The September notice says paratransit fares would match fixed-route fares, so this issue is now part of the final approval.
Ridership and the Unfunded $150,000
START expected the fares to reduce ridership. According to the Scroll, the START Board projected that an earlier version of the fare plan would cost about 82,000 rides in its first year. That estimate came before the Village fare was revised, so it does not price the current proposal. Still, it is the clearest public figure on how many trips could move back to cars on Highway 22, Village Road and downtown streets.
The $150,000 partner share is still unfunded. Commissioner Mark Newcomb said on August 31 that the Teton Village Association and the Mountain Resort "need to help cover this gap." Meghan Quinn, executive director of the Teton Village Association, told officials she had not had a board meeting since the earlier session and could not commit an amount. She offered to work with Toronto to bring in other employers. "This is a community thing," she said. "This is not just getting people off Village Road, but this is also getting people off of [Highway] 22, downtown."
Toronto said employer contributions would most likely take the form of START passes for employees, since those workers will now pay to ride the Town Shuttle and On-Demand. Under that idea, the $50 monthly pass could become part of how the gap gets closed. Mayor Jorgensen has said that if partners do not contribute, he is willing to have "some very difficult" discussions about further cuts.
Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce CEO Rick Howe spoke during public comment at the September 14 meeting. "It's time to put a group of coalition partners together to talk a little more about a more sustainable funding model," he said. The boards then directed staff to do three things: work with the business community and the Teton Village Association on long-term support, draft a proposal for a joint transportation advisory board and a regional transportation agency, and work with Wyoming lawmakers on changes that would support public transit.
The board's next regular meeting is October 22. Buckrail reports that the in-town fares begin November 27, and the reduced service hours arrive with them.
Changes like this affect daily life in Jackson, and they come up when clients compare locations. If a short bus ride to the tram or a quick shuttle to the Town Square matters in your next move, JH Property Group can go over how this winter's START changes affect each part of the valley. Start Your Jackson Hole Search.
