Cedar Rapids Plans Late Spring Return for Saturday Bus Service
People who rely on public transportation in Cedar Rapids will soon have a much easier time getting to work, appointments, or events like the farmers' market on Saturday.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that Cedar Rapids Transit will resume its Saturday service on June 11, and will continue considering the option of evening service.
The pandemic halted the Saturday bus service
The bad news is, after having made it free of charge to ride for much of the pandemic, Cedar Rapids Transit will again have to begin charging, with the base fare having been at $1.50 a ride. Various programs have also made that fare vary for different groups of people and they will be looking to eliminate confusion by coming up with something more uniform in that regard also.
More riders+more federal funding=better likelihood of night service
The transit system has relied on pandemic funding to bring in revenue, allowing them to offer free rides for the past couple of years, and still be able to pay staff while halting a day of service. Resuming service on Saturday is expected to increase ridership to pre-pandemic levels or very close to it. The more ridership increases, the more likely federal funding can keep increasing as well, at which time the feasibility of night service can be re-assessed.
It's not noted when the collection of fares will resume. Masks are also no longer required on buses in Cedar Rapids, as long as federal regulations state the same for public transportation programs.
Marion won't move forward with its own transit system
After having toyed with the idea of creating its own bus service, it was recently announced Marion will continue its association with the Cedar Rapids program for at least another year, according to a story from the Gazette.