North Liberty Council votes to end intercity bus service

NORTH LIBERTY - The intercity bus service in North Liberty will end less than a year after it began.

The North Liberty City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to end the service Sept. 1, citing to its expense and a lack of ridership.

The program was averaging about 12 riders per month, assuming they took round trips, and cost about $4,010 per month in the first eight months of the program.

Averaged out, each time a rider got on the bus, it cost the city $215.50, city planner Dean Wheatley said.

'There's not much usage of this service. That's everybody's concern,” said council member Chris Hoffman, adding the council wants to find a different, more cost-effective way to provide a transit service.

Hoffman said that previously a transit advisory committee helped the council by developing recommendations for bus services, such as one that goes from North Liberty to Iowa City. He said the city will rely again on the committee for solutions and ask if there are ways to work with surrounding entities such as Coralville, Iowa City and Johnson County on the issue.

'We could all benefit from a more inclusive transit system,” Hoffman said.

The council budgeted $50,000 and rented a Johnson County SEATS bus last year when it first approved the program. The bus only ran from about 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and made four trips around its route per day, Wheatley said.

North Liberty residents, however, still can be served by the Johnson County SEATS paratransit program, which helps to transport senior citizens and people with disabilities to locations such as a doctor's office or grocery store.

More information about the SEATS program can be found on its website, johnson-county.com.

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