Cities to study transit system with goal of increasing ridership

Hunter
8/15/19

The University of Iowa, Coralville and Iowa City will fund a study of the area transit system, which has seen a dramatic drop in ridership.

The Press-Citizen reports that Iowa City recorded 7.1 million rides in 2015; that figure had dropped to 1.5 million in fiscal year 2019. They cite those numbers showing that the area must improve the transit system to meet resident’s needs, as well as meet climate goals.

Iowa City is setting goals to double the ridership levels by 2028, add Sunday service and convert to electric buses to get in line with climate and strategic plans.

The study will be conducted by Nelson Nygarard Consulting Associates starting this fall. It’s expected to take about a year to finish. The University will fund 25 percent of the study, Coralville 10 percent, and Iowa City the remaining 65 percent. The study hopes to provide ways to streamline transit among the cities.