Bus or Streetcar? Boise Ponders a 'Circulator' Through Downtown

While what exact form it will take is uncertain, the idea of a circulator running a loop through Downtown Boise is gaining support.

1 minute read

March 19, 2017, 1:00 PM PDT

By jwilliams @jwillia22


Downtown Boise

Doug Kerr / Flickr

As Downtown Boise grows and parking spots become harder to find, the push is on once again to create a downtown circulator that would follow a 'T'-shaped loop, running east-west through downtown and north-south, with a connection to the Boise State University campus. George Prentice of the Boise Weekly reports that at an open house on March 14, residents had a chance to view the potential route. The biggest question may be what form the circulator takes: bus or streetcar. Prentice writes that Boise Mayor Dave Bieter was an early supporter of the streetcar option, although economic analysis shows that the cost of the streetcar loop would be five times that for a fixed-route bus system.

Most open house visitors gravitated to a chart comparing the economics of streetcars versus buses. For example, the assumption is that construction of a streetcar system might cost $111 million compared to $23 million to fund a permanent bus service on the route. Presuming there would be no fare, the assumption is that as many as 1,400 people would ride the streetcar each day with 1,100 on a bus.

Wednesday, March 15, 2017 in Boise Weekly

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Google street view image of strip mall in suburban Duncanville, Texas.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall

A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

July 6 - Parking Reform Network

Blue tarps covering tents set up by unhoused people along chain link fence on concrete sidewalk.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work

Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

July 6 - Next City

Aerial tram moving along cable in hilly area in Medellin, Colombia.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle

Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.

July 6 - InTransition Magazine