The local bus system that was launched in August is attracting national and international attention illustrated by its location being selected by Easter Seals as one of a dozen in the country where meetings on increasing available transportation will be held.

A meeting set by Easter Seals Project ACTION, an acronym for Ac c e s s i b l e C ommu n i t y Transportation in Our Nation, is set to begin in Havre Wednesday at 8 a.m. Jim Lyons, director of the North Central Montana Transit system, said his greatest hope is that the forum will help the different busing systems in the region better understand each other and lead to the systems working together more closely.

“I think we need to start looking at the connectivity of the transit systems on the Hi-Line,” he said, adding that he hopes the systems can start providing transportation on a greater distance.

The forum starts barely a week after North Central Montana Transit was honored at an international forum in Leipzig, Germany, with the announcement of a letter of commendation for the Havre-based bus service for its “innovation in funding of new transit services, collaboration, and use of biofuel produced from locally grown, milled and (refined) agriculture products.” Lyons said the award, on an international scale, was a great honor.  The forum included thousands of people involved in transportation from all around the world.

“To have Havre, Montana, and the North Central Montana Transit system even mentioned … it’s pretty incredible,” he said.  “We’re getting a lot of attention that way.  We’re kind of being looked at as the little engine that could.” The transit system was notified of the award by a letter from International Transport Forum Secretary General Jack Short and Hans Rat, secretary general of UITP, the international association of public transport.

The top prize went to a consortium in Madrid, Spain, for its transport interchanges plan and joint runners-up awards for a system in the United Kingdom and a system in India.

Since the North Central Montana Transit system started last August, it has been transporting as many people in most weeks as it was forecast to transport in a month when it was being planned.

The buses transport passengers to and from Havre to Fort Belknap and Rocky Boy, and communities in between, as well as Great Falls and throughout locations in Havre.  It also provides transportation for special events and is setting in motion plans to have charter buses.

Lyons said the award reflects what the system is doing in building collaborations, making connections with the area Indian reservations, and working with Montana State University- Northern to implement the use of locally produced biodiesel.

The forum in Havre, which with presentations by Montana Department of Transportation Jim Lynch and state Department of Public Health and Human Services Director Anna Whiting Sorrell, will include attendance by Easter Seals staff members from Washington, D.C., and representatives of Gov. Brian Schweitzer and Sens.  Max Baucus and Jon Tester.

The forum will include tours of Northern’s alternative energy facilities.

The Easter Seals focus is on making sure public transportation is available under the accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as providing increased transportation opportunities in general.

Lyons said the North Central Montana Transit system is prepared for ADA compliance, with all buses and stops accessible and the drivers already trained in requirements and additional training planned.