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Iowa City Transit

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Iowa City Transit
Iowa City Transit #104, a Proterra ZX5 electric bus.
Headquarters1200 South Riverside Drive, Iowa City, IA 52246 United States
LocaleIowa City, IA United States
Service areaIowa City/University Heights
Service typeTransit bus
Routes13
Hubs1 (Iowa City Downtown Interchange)
Fleet27
Fuel typeDiesel, Electric
Chief executiveDarian Nagle-Gamm
WebsiteIowa City Transit

Iowa City Transit is an American public transit system serving Iowa City, Iowa. The service provides several routes serving various areas of the city as well as University Heights, originating and terminating at the Iowa City Downtown Interchange. In addition, a loop route is provided for school students at the beginning and end of each school day. In addition to Iowa City Transit, Coralville Transit, the University of Iowa Cambus, and the 380 Express also provide transit service in the Iowa City area, and Iowa City Transit shares several bus stops with them.[1][2]

Routes

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Iowa City Transit operates 13 routes, all of which originate and terminate at the Iowa City Downtown Interchange except for route 3 (Eastside Loop). Prior to August 2, 2021, Iowa City Transit operated 26 unnumbered routes, and several of the current routes are identical to those in the previous system.[3] Some routes are interlined, which means that once a bus completes its route and returns to the Downtown Interchange, it will change to a different route. All routes operate from Monday to Saturday, with reduced service on evenings and Saturdays. This is in contrast to the previous system, where only a select number of routes operated a modified route for evenings and Saturdays. There is no service on Sundays and holidays.[2][4][5]

Route 5 at Downtown Interchange.

Route list

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№ Name Notes
1 South Iowa City
2 Court Street
3 Eastside Loop
  • Operates one AM trip 3A and one PM trip 3P concurrent with Iowa City Community School District start and end times. The AM and PM routes follow roughly the same route in opposite directions.
  • The only ICT route to not start and terminate at the Downtown Interchange.
4 Downtown Shuttle
5 Lower Muscatine/Kirkwood
6 Peninsula
7 North Dodge
  • ACT loop served during peak hours only.
8 Oakcrest
9 Towncrest
10 West Iowa City
  • Irving Avenue/Shannon Drive loop served during off-peak hours only.
  • Proterra buses are not used on this route due to a low-clearance railroad bridge.
11 Rochester
12 Highway 1
13 South Gilbert

Fares and Passes

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Iowa City Transit has been fare free since August 1, 2023 as part of a two-year pilot program.[6] The previous fare structure is as follows:

Fares

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As of July 6, 2021

Rider Fare
Adults (18 years and up) $1.00
Youth (K - 12th grade) $0.50
Children under five years old Free
4 - Downtown Shuttle route Free
Seniors (65+ years)
Senior pass holders 		Free
Medicare card Free
SEATS card holder Free

Free transfers are available at all Iowa City bus stops.

Passes

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Iowa City Transit also offers a number of bus passes, which are listed below.

Type Cost Notes
24 Hour Pass $2.00
  • Purchased on Iowa City Transit buses.
  • Can be used for an unlimited number of rides during a 24-hour period.
10-Ride Pass $8.50 Purchased at Iowa City City Hall Cashier; Iowa City Parking, 335 Iowa Avenue; 1st Avenue Hy-Vee;
Waterfront Hy-Vee; Hy-Vee Drug Store (Rochester/First Avenue) and North Dodge Hy-Vee.
31-Day adult pass $32.00
  • Purchased at Iowa City City Hall; Iowa City Parking, 335 Iowa Avenue; First Avenue Hy-Vee;
    Waterfront Hy-Vee; Hy-Vee Drug Store (Rochester/First Avenue) and North Dodge Hy-Vee.
  • Valid for 31 days of unlimited rides from first use; can be purchased anytime during the month and used for a full month.
31-Day youth pass $16.00
  • Purchased at Iowa City City Hall; Iowa City Parking, 335 Iowa Avenue; 1st Avenue Hy-Vee.
  • Valid for 31 days of unlimited rides from first use; can be purchased anytime during the month and used for a full month.
University of Iowa student U-Pass (12 months) $240 (prorated)
$120 without University parking permit
  • Purchased at UI Parking Office or UI Parking and Transportation website.
  • Unlimited rides; sold throughout the year.
Kirkwood semester pass $100 (prorated)
  • Purchased at Kirkwood Community College Bookstore - must show class schedule or ID.
  • Unlimited rides; sold during Fall (Aug 1 - Dec 31) and Spring (Jan 1 - May 31) terms.
University of Iowa faculty/staff annual pass $28 per month
$15 per month without University parking permit
  • Purchased at UI Parking Office.
  • Available to UI Faculty & Staff starting every Jan 1; good for one year of unlimited rides.
  • Paid with a pre-tax payroll deduction.
Field trip pass Variable Used by Iowa City Community Schools and area daycare providers to allow for a large group to ride ICT and be billed at a later date.

[7]

Bus Tracking

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Real-time bus tracking is available through the Transit app, which provides estimated arrival times at a bus stop and precise locations of buses on the map. The other two transit systems in the Iowa City area, Coralville Transit and Cambus, also use the Transit app. Prior to 2019, bus tracking for the Iowa City area transit systems was provided by BONGO (Bus on the Go).[1]

Court Street Transportation Center

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The Court Street Transportation Center, located at 170 East Court Street, serves as a hub for Iowa City Transit and regional transit, with connections to the 380 Express and intercity buses. The facility, opened September 1, 2005, was designed to serve local and intercity buses, and include a child-care facility and parking ramp.[8]

Future Plans

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Several plans for the Iowa City area transit systems were considered over the past few years as part of a multi-year transit study. Changes considered include service on Sundays, as well as the elimination of fares.[9][10][11]

In early 2021, Iowa City Transit made plans to introduce 4 Proterra ZX5 electric buses to the fleet, which will replace 4 existing diesel buses. A test bus operated briefly in the spring of 2021, and the 4 buses entered revenue service in January 2022.[12] Iowa City Transit is expected to receive $23 million in federal grants to purchase four additional electric buses and to build a new facility, replacing the current facility built in 1984.[13]

Fleet

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Fleet number(s) Photo Year Manufacturer Model Powertrain Notes
56-61 2007 Gillig Low Floor 40'
  • 57 & 59 retired in July 2022.
67-72 2010 Gillig Low Floor 40'
73-74 2012 Gillig Low Floor 40'
76-79 2017 Gillig Low Floor 40'
  • Feature a redesigned livery.
80-86 2018 Gillig Low Floor 40'
  • Feature a redesigned livery.
101-104 2021 Proterra ZX5
  • Entered revenue service on 1/24/2022.
  • Funded with the assistance of a $3.3 million in Federal Transit Administration and Iowa DOT grants.[14]
  • Not used on route 10 due to a low-clearance railroad bridge.[15]

[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Transit | City of Iowa City". www.icgov.org. Archived from the original on 2021-09-04. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  2. ^ a b "ArcGIS Web Application". maps.iowa-city.org.
  3. ^ Staff, Iowa's News Now (July 30, 2021). "New transit routes, bus schedules in Iowa City take effect on August 2". KGAN.
  4. ^ "Bus schedules | City of Iowa City". www.icgov.org.
  5. ^ "Routes". icareatransit.org.
  6. ^ https://cbs2iowa.com/news/local/fare-free-iowa-city-two-year-free-transit-pilot-begins-aug-1 [bare URL]
  7. ^ https://www.icgov.org/city-government/departments-and-divisions/transportation/transit/fares-and-passes [bare URL]
  8. ^ Abigail McWilliam (August 30, 2005). "Court Street Transportation Center opens Thursday". Iowa City Press-Citizen. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  9. ^ "Iowa City Area Transit Study | City of Iowa City". www.icgov.org.
  10. ^ "Transportation | City of Iowa City". www.icgov.org.
  11. ^ "Johnson County is getting better, more connected transit". www.thegazette.com.
  12. ^ Schmitt, Olivia (March 15, 2021). "Iowa City to add four electric buses to fleet".
  13. ^ https://www.thegazette.com/local-government/iowa-city-getting-23-million-in-federal-funding-to-expand-electric-bus-fleet/?amp=1 [bare URL]
  14. ^ "Iowa City Transit takes climate action to the streets, rolling out 4 new electric buses Jan 24 | City of Iowa City".
  15. ^ "Iowa City's new electric buses quietly creating a 'paradigm shift' in public transit". 31 January 2022.
  16. ^ "PTMS Ranking - Transit Portal". secure.iowadot.gov.
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