Windstar Lines bringing Coralville-Chicago bus service

CORALVILLE - It's been less than two months since Megabus shut down bus services connecting Des Moines, Coralville and Chicago, but Iowa's Windstar Lines Inc. looks to fill that gap.

The Coralville City Council in January approved a one-year lease agreement with Windstar Lines for use of the city's terminal area in the Coralville Transit Intermodal Facility, 906 Quarry Road at Iowa River Landing.

The Coralville stop would be part of a route that includes stops in Omaha, Des Moines, the Quad Cities and Chicago.

Ellen Habel, assistant city administrator in Coralville, said Windstar Lines will be a welcome addition to the intermodal facility and a much appreciated replacement for the popular bus service to Chicago that Megabus, which ended service Jan. 9, once offered.

'We heard from people and I think they were surprised and disappointed when Megabus left. It seemed to have a lot of use,” Habel said. 'We were very pleased to hear from Windstar and hear their interest.”

Calls to Windstar officials were not immediately returned, but the bus company operates in Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin, according to the company website.

The one-year, $750-per-month lease starts March 1 and will continue on an annual basis with a 2 percent increase in rent each year. Windstar's lease is comparable to the former lease for Megabus.

Revenue generated by the lease agreement will be used to fund operations and capital needs of Coralville's transit department, according to city documents.

Habel said long-distance bus service is a perfect fit for the city's intermodal facility, which also includes park-and-ride spaces for commuters, bike lockers, an electric vehicle charging station and an office for the Iowa Bicycle Coalition.

'There's just a lot of positives,” she said. It's another service, it's another way for people to get in and out.”

Jersey-based transport company Megabus in 2011 expanded service from Chicago to Omaha, which added stops in Des Moines and Iowa City. The routes were popular among Iowa college students.

The route's original Johnson County stop was at Iowa City's Court Street Transportation Center, 100 E. Court St.

In 2015 the stop moved to the Coralville Transit Intermodal Facility.

However, the Megabus route ceased operation Jan. 9 of this year as the company reorganized its Midwest network.

l Comments: (319) 339-3175; mitchell.schmidt@thegazette.com