Questions about Brandon City Transit remain unanswered

A Brandon resident has continued his calls for answers regarding service provided by the Brandon City Transit system.

Sawyer Van Horn first brought up his concerns to the Brandon City Council in September of 2024. An employee at McDonalds on North Splitrock Boulevard, Van Horn said he relies on public transportation to get to-and-from work.

“I’ve relied on it for over a year,” Van Horn told the Council in his initial presentation two years ago. “I understand they’re busy, but I’m confused, because it’s a small town. This is how I rely to get to work.”

The Brandon City Transit currently has two buses in operation with a third in its fleet. During the school year, the city provides a service at no-cost to local pre-schools. With as many as 50 preschoolers riding the bus each morning, the two buses fill up between 8-9:30 a.m.

This summer, Van Horn said he hasn’t had a problem using the buses to get to work. But as the school year approaches, he clearly hasn’t been satisfied with the situation and has concerns for this fall.

He was back before the City Council at their last meeting on July 27, addressing the situation again. With nothing coming from his concerns during the public comments portion of the meeting, he returned Monday to addressing the issue once again.

“I know it’s a tricky issue, but I don’t know what can be done, whether you’re hiring more drivers. As far as I understand, there’s a third bus, but that costs money,” Van Horn said. “But unfortunately, I’ve run into a situation where I’m without a car. In the coming weeks, if I have a nine o’clock shift, I can’t get to work because the bus is full of preschool kids. I understand they’re busy, but how am I supposed to get to work?”

Van Horn said the situation goes beyond his current frustrations. He said several senior citizens use the bus each morning, although at the late deadline, the Brandon Valley Journal was unable to confirm that number.

“What about if you have a senior citizen who has an appointment at nine o’clock and they need to use the bus,” he asked the Council on Monday. “They can’t use it either, so not only does it affect people like me, (it also affects) the senior citizens – and I know there’s a huge population that ride the bus, too.”

Because the item wasn’t an agenda item on Monday, the Council couldn’t make a motion on the situation. City Administrator Bryan Read said he would contact the Rural Office of Community Services (ROCS) to see if the demand is there.

“It’s like any other business. What’s the demand for that third bus,” Read told the Journal after the meeting. “Does it make sense to go out and hire another driver for one rider, once a week?”

Mayor Harry Buck also said that he’d meet with Van Horn to discuss the situation.

Firefighter numbers up

Josh Sneller and Justin Horn from the Brandon Volunteer Fire Department were also at Monday’s meeting with updated numbers on volunteers. 

Sneller said since late last year when the department implemented the pay-per-call program that pays volunteers on a per call basis, the department’s numbers have increased. There are currently 31 firefighters on the roster, up from 25 last year.

Working members of the fire department are compensated minimum wage for hours worked when they choose to voluntarily give their time.

Sneller also said the number of firefighters per call is currently between 4.8 and 5.1 so far in 2026. That number is also up from between three and four firefighters per call in 2025.

“What that means is we’re sending full trucks out the door every time,” Sneller said. “Every seat in our truck –for the most part – we’re seeing more full trucks roll out the door. And that’s the benefit (to this program).”