CitiBus to launch new route changes Monday

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By Jennifer DeWitt | Saturday, July 7, 2007 5:53 PM CDT | () comments

Beginning Monday, Davenport CitiBus will introduce a series of route changes aimed at improving access for current bus riders as well as attracting a new generation of passengers.

“There hadn’t been route changes for so long that we had to expand to areas of the city that didn’t even have service,” CitiBus general manager Tom Wittig said of the changes, which were developed in part from recommendations by current and prospective riders as well as bus drivers and others.

Wittig, who joined CitiBus in February, said it marks the first time in 20 years the routes have been changed. “Every route has changed in one form or another. Some were changed more than others.”

Though some routes were only “tweaked,” he said some brand-new ones have been added to serve underserved or new areas. Several routes now cater to senior citizen housing and apartment complexes, while improvements also were made to serve students at St. Ambrose University and the Handicapped Development Center. The changes were announced in April.

Wittig said the main impetus behind the changes is that CitiBus needed to grow where the city has, including areas such as Elmore Avenue and 53rd Street as well as far West Locust Street. “We also needed to make them more efficient,” he added.

Among his proudest changes is Route 4, the Red Line, which is the current Brady/Harrison streets route. When the new routes begin, a rider will be able to travel from the downtown Ground Transportation Center up to NorthPark Mall and out to the Wal-Mart on Elmore Avenue in addition to Showcase Cinemas 53 and the Northridge Shopping Center on East 53rd Street.

“It’s a very convenient way to go from downtown to NorthPark to Northridge for shopping without transferring any time,” he said, adding that a rider has to transfer once and have up to a 45-minute wait under the existing system.

Other improvements being made by CitiBus include new signage and a sprucing-up of the Ground Transportation Center. There are future plans for several new bus stop shelters and two new transit hubs — one each on Welcome Way and near St. Ambrose.

Wittig said the changes and improved marketing efforts already are starting to pay off with new riders. “Now, my main goal is to get all the demographics of riders.” He wants to focus next on typical working adults and college students.

CitiBus expects to surpass 1 million passengers for fiscal year 2007, which would be a record for the mass transit system.

In an outreach effort, Becky Passman, the Iowa Quad-City transit coordinator, has been meeting with a focus group of St. Ambrose students, faculty and staff to gauge, and create more, interest in CitiBus. In fact, two changes are aimed specifically at Ambrose, including the new transit to be built near the central Davenport campus and a new route between the university and one of the Genesis Medical Center campuses.

“I look at them as my infiltration group to get information into campus and trying to start change within,” she said. “If we can just get them to get on and use it the first few times, then I don’t think it will be a hard sell at all.”

Wittig said riders’ ideas and suggestions were very helpful in mapping out the changes. “Each public forum brought up different ideas, and we made adjustments off what we were planning.”

“The riders are excited about the changes, but with change brings questions and a little bit of anxiety. …,” he said. “We can’t please everybody. I wish we could have door-to-door service.”

Jennifer DeWitt can be contacted at (563) 383-2318 or jdewitt@qctimes.com.

Ride free across Q-C on Monday

To celebrate the launch of improved and expanded bus routes, Davenport CitiBus will conduct a “Rider Appreciation Day” on Monday.

Riders are invited to ride all CitiBus fixed routes for free that day. In addition, Bettendorf Transit and MetroLINK are offering free rides on their systems Monday.

“It shows real support and coordination that the other two systems are joining us in Rider Appreciation Day,” said Becky Passman, the Iowa Quad-Cities transit coordinator.

In addition, CitiBus will host festivities at its Ground Transportation Center in downtown Davenport, located at 300 W. River Drive.

Maps and schedules for the new CitiBus routes will be available. Dignitaries and other city officials are being invited to the new route kickoff. Riders will be entertained by music featuring lyrics about buses all day long.

For more information on the route changes, call the transit office at

(563) 888-2151 or see the routes online at cityofdavenportiowa.com/

citibus.

Route changes

Here’s a look at some of CitiBus route changes beginning Monday and who will be most impacted:

Senior citizens

* Route 2 will extend service to Meadowcrest Gardens, near West 53rd and Pine streets. It will be offered three times daily, Monday through Saturday. Residents petitioned for service.

* Route 6 will improve access for residents at Luther Crest, located at Gaines and 53rd streets. Rather than crossing busy 53rd Street to catch the bus as they do now, the seniors will have a designated bus stop and shelter on Gaines right next to the high-rise.

Apartment dwellers

* Route 10 will expand service west on Locust Street, bringing service to the Eagle Crest Apartment complex.

*A new Route 12 will serve Kimberly Club Apartments on West Kimberly Road.

* A new Route 14 (“The Jersey Ridge”) will bring service to Indian Ridge Apartments.

None of these apartment complexes were on a bus route previously.

Students

*A new Route 15 will provide transportation for St. Ambrose University students attending nursing classes at Genesis Medical Center-West Campus. The service will run from campus to the hospital every hour and then back. Each way is a five-minute trip.

Handicapped Development Center

* Instead of managing transfers and a 30- to 40-minute wait at the Ground Transportation Center, Handicapped Development Center riders now will have their own morning and afternoon “tripper.” The bus will make stops at locations where the majority of the riders live.

Americana Park

*The new Route 11 will service this area every hour, Monday thru Saturday. The neighborhood previously has had only limited service Monday through Friday.

Bike Path Access Points

*Eight of the 13 routes connect with the Duck Creek bicycle path. All the Quad-City bus systems are equipped with bike racks and can accommodate up to two bicycles.

*Eleven of the 13 routes connect at the Ground Transportation Center, which is a block from the Davenport Riverfront Trail and a ‘Route 7’ ride away from the Mississippi River Trail in Illinois.

Route 4, The Red Line

The Red Line (Route 4) now extends the current Brady/Harrison Route 4 all the way to the Cinemas 53 and Northridge Shopping Center on 53rd Street. (Northridge is a transfer station to the Bettendorf Transit system.) The Red Line opens up convenient access from downtown to Wal-Mart on Elmore Avenue, the cinemas and Northridge Shopping Center without having to make a single transfer.

Source: CitiBus