Glacier National Park officials say they will continue a shuttle service along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, with or without Flathead County. County officials voted last week to end the 12-year long relationship with the park.
When Flathead County commissioners canceled their work contract, they said Glacier National Park wasn’t paying the county enough for it to operate the shuttle service.
The county said it had been negotiating with the park for months over administrative costs and whether the park would pay into a larger transportation service throughout the Flathead Valley.
In 2019, the park paid the county roughly $800,000 to operate its fleet of shuttle vans. The park will use $1 million taken from entrance fees to fund a shuttle service in 2020, the most it’s ever collected.
Spokesperson Gina Kerzman says Glacier is assessing how much it will cost to run the service next season.
"We are still open to negotiating with the county, and using them as a provider is certainly not off the table."
The county says there have been talks since last week, but nothing has been fruitful. However, the park is considering other options, though it’s not saying what they might me.
The park says it expects to release its plan to continue a shuttle service in the next few months.
Copyright 2020 Montana Public Radio. To see more, visit Montana Public Radio. 9(MDIyMjUyODczMDE0NTMzMDcxODE2NTgwYQ000))
