380 Express Releases Progress Report
After its first month in operation, how is the "380 Express" bus line between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City doing?
They released their first month's progress report this week and according to KCRG, have had 2,500 users so far. They say that ridership has continued to increase by about 20 pecent each week and they expect and hope for that to continue as time goes on and people learn more about the service.
The service starts at the Ground Transportation Center in Cedar Rapids and ends at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics with several stops in between. Kirkwood College in Cedar Rapids is reportedly the busiest stop. Healthcare workers, University of Iowa employees, college students and workers commuting between the two cities and medical patients are the ideal riders and seem to be the biggest groups currently using it.
It seems to me if they started operating on football game days (Saturdays) in the fall they could increase ridership exponentially, but time will tell. The service is being funded by the DOT for the next five years.
[Via 380 Express, KCRG]