Butte, MontanaButte Bus and Rideshare Accident
Butte Bus and Rideshare Accident Lawyers: Butte-Silver Bow Transit, School Bus, Intercity Bus, Uber and Lyft Crashes
Boland Aarab PLLP.
If you were hurt in a bus or rideshare crash in Butte, as a passenger, another driver or a pedestrian, you can usually recover from the driver and the organization behind it. Who that is decides the rules. The city bus and school buses are run by public bodies with written-claim rules and damage caps, intercity buses follow federal safety and insurance rules, and Uber and Lyft follow Montana’s rideshare insurance statute.
Hurt on a bus, by a bus, or in a rideshare in Butte? Contact Boland Aarab PLLP for a free consultation at (406) 315-3737.
Who runs the buses in Butte?
The city bus. Butte-Silver Bow Transit is operated by the Butte-Silver Bow Department of Public Works, Transit Division. It runs weekday routes, including the Harrison Avenue, Montana Tech, Walkerville, Around Town and Oregon/Racetrack routes, plus a Saturday route, serving the Butte urban area, Walkerville and both Montana Tech campuses. Rides are free, and paratransit (dial-a-ride) service is available to eligible riders with disabilities (Butte-Silver Bow Transit).
School buses. Butte School District No. 1 runs its own transportation department with certified Montana school bus drivers (BSD1 Transportation). Other districts in and around Silver Bow County run their own routes.
Intercity buses. Salt Lake Express runs on I-15 between Butte and Salt Lake City, and Jefferson Lines runs the I-90 corridor, both from the bus station at 1324 Harrison Avenue. Charter and tour buses also move sports teams, school groups and travelers through the I-90/I-15 interchange.
Rideshare. Where Uber and Lyft drivers operate in Butte, Montana’s rideshare insurance rules apply the same way they do anywhere in the state.
Why does it matter that Butte’s buses are public?
Because claims against Butte-Silver Bow or a school district follow special rules that do not apply to a private driver.
- Written presentation first. A claim against a political subdivision, such as Butte-Silver Bow or a school district, must be presented to and filed with its clerk or secretary (§ 2-9-301(3), MCA).
- Damage caps. Government entities are not liable in tort for more than $750,000 per claim and $1.5 million per occurrence (§ 2-9-108, MCA). In a crash with many injured riders or students, the per-occurrence cap can matter.
- No punitive damages against a government entity (§ 2-9-105, MCA).
- Short video retention. Buses carry on-board cameras, and public entities keep footage only for set periods. A written preservation request should go out immediately.
A private company, such as an intercity carrier or a charter operator, is not covered by those caps, and its insurance can be much larger.
What happens after a bus or rideshare crash in Butte?
- Get medical care. St. James Healthcare in Butte is an ACS Level III / State Area Trauma Hospital (DPHHS, Nov. 2025). Passengers thrown by a sudden stop often have neck, back and head injuries that appear over days.
- Call police. In town, the Butte-Silver Bow Law Enforcement Department; on the interstates, usually the Montana Highway Patrol. Get the report number.
- Write down the bus number and route, or screenshot the rideshare trip, driver, vehicle and time.
- Get names of other passengers and witnesses.
- Present the claim in writing when a public body is involved, and do it early.
- Do not give a recorded statement to an insurer before talking with a lawyer.
Which court? A Butte bus or rideshare case is usually filed in the Second Judicial District Court, Silver Bow County (§ 3-5-101(2), MCA), at the courthouse at 155 West Granite Street. A case against an out-of-state bus company or a rideshare company’s insurer may be removed to the U.S. District Court, Butte Division, at the Mike Mansfield Federal Courthouse, 400 North Main Street (mtd.uscourts.gov).
Montana law that applies
Briefly. Our Montana bus and rideshare accident lawyer page covers these rules in more depth.
- School bus stops: drivers from both directions must stop about 30 feet from a school bus with flashing red lights, and may not pass it on the right (§ 61-8-351, MCA).
- Intercity and charter buses: interstate for-hire passenger carriers must carry at least $5 million in financial responsibility for vehicles seating 16 or more (49 C.F.R. § 387.33), and their drivers are subject to federal hours-of-service limits (49 C.F.R. § 395.5).
- Uber and Lyft: at least $1,000,000 in primary coverage during a prearranged ride, and $50,000/$100,000/$25,000 while the driver is logged on and waiting (§ 69-12-343, MCA).
- Deadlines: generally 3 years (§ 27-2-204, MCA), with the government-claim presentation rules above.
Why hire a Great Falls firm for a Butte case?
Because bus cases are against a government entity or a commercial carrier, each with its own notice rules, records and insurers. We are based in Great Falls and handle cases statewide. Our attorneys travel to Butte to meet with you, review bus video and records, take depositions and attend hearings and trial. We do not have a Butte office, and our jury trials have been in Cascade, Phillips, Meagher and Yellowstone Counties.
The Boland Aarab Way
- We hold public bodies accountable: a $115,000 net jury verdict against a city in a municipal negligence case (Jack v. City of White Sulphur Springs).
- We protect verdicts: the Montana Supreme Court reinstated a $168,500 jury verdict in a rear-end crash case (Voegel v. Salsbery, 2023 MT 137).
- We know federal court: more than 40 District of Montana cases over nine years.
- We try cases: more than a dozen jury trials and more than 4,000 hours in the courtroom.
We also handle pedestrian accident cases in Butte and car accident cases in Butte. See our Butte personal injury page.
Contact Boland Aarab PLLP for a free consultation at (406) 315-3737.
Frequently Asked Questions
I was hurt on a Butte-Silver Bow city bus. Can I bring a claim? Yes. The claim must be presented in writing to Butte-Silver Bow first, damages are capped at $750,000 per claim, and punitive damages are not available against the government.
The city bus is free. Does that change my rights as a passenger? The claim turns on whether the driver or the transit system was careless, and on the government-claim rules above, not on what you paid to ride.
A driver passed a stopped school bus in Butte and hit my child. Who is responsible? Usually the passing driver, who had to stop about 30 feet from the bus. The child’s claim should account for long-term medical care.
How much insurance does an intercity bus company carry? An interstate for-hire carrier must carry at least $5 million for buses seating 16 or more.
Who pays after an Uber or Lyft crash in Butte? It depends on the driver’s app status. During a ride, at least $1 million in primary coverage applies; while waiting for a request, lower limits apply.
Our attorneys: Caitlin Boland Aarab · Samir F. Aarab
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
