A bus system linking Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park with three gateway cities could be up and running before the end of the month, as mass transit hits the region.

The system, known as Linx, will connect Bozeman, Livingston and West Yellowstone with designated points in the two National Parks. The buses will run strictly as point-to-point service; the drivers aren't tour operators and won't provide a running dialogue about the scenery. The target audience: seniors, foreign visitors and park employees. The Yellowstone Business Partnership has been the force behind the service.

From the Bozeman Daily Chronicle:

After about two years of planning and negotiating, the partnership brokered deals with Bozeman-based Karst Stage, Livingston's Amazing Taxi, Salt Lake Express and LP Transportation. Each company will run different routes that will provide "more choices to get from point A to point B," Brown said.

For example, Amazing Taxi will take people from Livingston and make stops in Emigrant, Gardner Mammoth, Norris, Madison, Old Faithful, West Yellowstone and the airport there, owner Carrie Pintar said. The taxi will then turn around and follow the same route back.

We'll be eager to see the cost; it's expected to top out at $50 (plus a Park pass) for some of the longer rides. And we'll pass along more details as we receive them.

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