The City Council’s previous Strategic Plan called for the City “to undertake a comprehensive assessment of Iowa City’s public transit system and to implement changes to assure that the service best meets the needs of the entire community.”

The City has also adopted a Climate Action Plan which calls for a shift of 55% of vehicular trips to more sustainable methods of transportation such as biking, walking, or transit to meet greenhouse gas emission reduction goals by 2050. To reach these goals and to provide more reliable service for those that use transit every day, the transit system will need to meet the needs of a greater number of residents and visitors.

In response, the City Council authorized an agreement with transportation planning firm Nelson-Nygaard Consulting Associates for a Comprehensive Operations Analysis (aka Transit Study) of Iowa City’s transit system. The City of Coralville and the University of Iowa (CAMBUS), the partner transit agencies within the metro area, are also included in the study.

What has the study done?

The study was comprehensive in nature, reviewing many aspects of the transit system including:

• All Routes
• Stops
• Hours of Operation (Including Sunday Service)
• Service Areas
• Frequency of Service
• Analysis of a Zero-fare System Within Iowa City
• Fares/Passes
• Bus Stop Amenities
• Policies
• Analysis of a Zero-fare System Within Iowa City

Components of the study were informed by ridership data collection, review of the existing system, public engagement, and understanding of public priorities, and will be augmented by the technical analysis and expertise of the consultant team to propose system enhancements.

The study also considered emerging transportation technologies and solutions to help address current and future transportation challenges, strategies to improve coordination between local agencies, and will result in a set of service recommendations and associated costs to help guide decision making.

1: Remove Barriers to Transit Use

• Faster, more frequent, and more reliable (on-time) service
• Simplify the system so it is easier for the public to understand
• Improve communication so riders have complete and up-to-date information on routes, fares, stops, service alerts and trip planning tools
• Make transit stops more comfortable

2: Increase Ridership

• Make transit more dependable for those who rely on it, and an easier choice for others
• Double ridership in the next 10 years
• Climate Action Plan calls for shift of 55% of vehicle trips to more sustainable methods by 2050 to meet GHG reduction goals
• Recover form COVID-19 ridership losses

3: Improve Interagency Coordination

• More streamlined experience for customers
• More consistent fare and transfer policies

4: Leverage Technology

• Determine how we can use new transportation technologies to better serve the community

• Proposed Scenario Maps (existing funding levels)
• Scenario Descriptions
• Scenario Service Frequency, Span, and Route Level Changes
• Transit Vision for the Future (requires additional funding)
• Existing Transit System Map
• Preferred Alternative Transit System Route Design Map
• City Council Work Session Presentation of ICATS Recommendations
• Iowa City Area Transit Study Plan Chapters
  • 0. Front Matter
  • 1. Executive Summary
  • 2. Introduction
  • 3. Plan Review
  • 4. Market Analysis
  • 5. Transit in Iowa City Metro Area
  • 6. Route Profiles
  • 7. Scenario Development
  • 8. Outreach Summary
  • 9. Preferred Alternative
  • 10. Transit Infrastructure and Zero-Emissions Transition Considerations
  • 11. Vision for Transit
  • Appendix A: Ridership Maps
  • Appendix B: Route Profiles
  • Appendix C: Survey Instruments
  • Appendix D: Fare Study

• Overview of Proposed Changes
• Fare and Fare Policy Changes
• Proposed Route Details - by route
  • 1-South Iowa City: Arabic, Spanish, French, Chinese
  • 2-Court Street: Arabic, Spanish, French, Chinese
  • 3-Eastside Loop (AM &PM school-hours trips only): Arabic, Spanish, French, Chinese
  • 4-Downtown Shuttle: Arabic, Spanish, French, Chinese
  • 5-Lower Muscatine/Kirkwood: Arabic, Spanish, French, Chinese
  • 6-Peninsula: Arabic, Spanish, French, Chinese
  • 7-North Dodge: Arabic, Spanish, French, Chinese
  • 8-Oakcrest: Arabic, Spanish, French, Chinese
  • 9-Towncrest: Arabic, Spanish, French, Chinese
  • 10-West Iowa City: Arabic, Spanish, French, Chinese
  • 11-Rochester: Arabic, Spanish, French, Chinese
  • 12-Highway 1: Arabic, Spanish, French, Chinese
  • 13-South Gilbert: Arabic, Spanish, French, Chinese

The concept for the Preferred Alternative transit system design evolved from the three scenarios presented to the public in January 2020 and are reflective of technical analysis, community input, and based on best practices and guiding principles.

Highlights

• The Preferred Alternative transit system design is an optimized version of our current transit system, using the existing financial, staffing, and capital resources available.
• The proposed routes are focused on arterial streets and shifted away from local streets and private roads when possible to provide faster, more frequent, and more reliable service.
• Shifting route design away from ineffective loop routes (which often require longer bus rides) to bi-directional “out and back” routes.
• Simplifying the system so it is easier to understand by eliminating night and weekend versions of routes. Each route will follow the same path no matter the day of the week or time of day.
• All routes are available on Saturdays except the Downtown Shuttle and Eastside Loop, which currently do not run on weekends.
• Increased frequency of service (more buses per hour) on core routes.
• Better connections to major shopping destinations/retail job centers.
• Some areas will have longer walks to service.
• Transit service in areas with overlapping routes or very low ridership is shifted to adjacent routes or areas of greater need.
• Changes to transit system routes and stops are planned for the summer of 2021.

Existing Transit Services versus Proposed Transit Service Comparison

As indicated above, transit routes and stops have been evaluated as part of the transit study. Other aspects of the system, including the number of buses available at a rate per hour (bus frequency) and the hours of operation, were also evaluated. Under the proposed transit system design, you no longer need to learn different routes for weekdays, evenings, and weekends. Each route will follow the same path no matter the day of the week or time of day. This is designed to simplify the system and make it easier to understand. A general overview of the current transit system’s routes, frequency of service, and service hours are posted below with the proposed transit system service level changes. As a reminder, the Preferred Alternative transit system design was developed considering Iowa City Transit’s current levels of funding, staffing, and capital resources.

The study indicated a clear desire from the community for additional transit and mobility services (e.g. Sunday service, later service, overnight transportation), should additional funding be allocated towards mobility improvements. The Vision for Future Transportation: Transit and Mobility Enhancements section below provides more details on these potential enhancements.

Iowa City Transit: Existing Service Levels

• 26 routes
• 6 routes available on Saturdays
• Routes vary between weekdays and evenings/weekends which causes confusion
• Mid-day service is mostly hourly

High-resolution Image of the Existing Service Levels Chart

Iowa City Transit: Preferred Alternative Service Levels

• 13 routes
• Same route for weekday, evening and weekend service
• Consolidates routes with overlapping service
• 7 routes now have 30 minute mid-day service
  • 1 South Iowa City
  • 2 Court Street
  • 4 Downtown Shuttle (15 minute)
  • 5 Lower Muscatine / Kirkwood
  • 8 Oakcrest
  • 9 Towncrest
  • 10 West Iowa City
• All routes have service on Saturday, except the Downtown Shuttle and Eastside Loop
• Improved mid-day frequency benefits those who do not work an 8-5 schedule and/or want to use transit for mid-day trips

High-resolution Image of the Preferred Alternative Service Levels Chart

One goal of the ICATS transit study is to bring metro area fare and fare policies into better alignment to benefit metro-area travelers. The ICATS consultant team developed recommendations on how to simplify the fare system and improve coordination between transit agencies. In the fall of 2020, Iowa City and Coralville began a dialogue regarding the potential implementation of ICATS recommendations. For a more detailed analysis of the recommended fare changes, click here. For a quick overview of the proposed fare changes, read the Fare and Fare Policy Changes documents.

One clear message from the public through the ICATS process is that the transportation and mobility needs of the community are significant and far exceed the public transit service currently available. In response, the study identified nine enhancements that could help improve the transit system or reduce transportation challenges if additional funding were acquired.

The nine enhancements were presented to the City Council at their October 6th and October 20th Work Sessions and are available here. The City Council directed staff to further evaluate several enhancements to improve mobility in Iowa City including:

1. Sunday Service
2. Later Weekday and Saturday Service
3. “Night Owl Service” to help fill the transportation gap during overnight/weekend hours when transit is not in operation

At their March 2, 2021, Work Session, the City Council considered seven potential options for enhancing transportation on Sundays, during the evening hours after transit no longer runs, and during the overnight hours.

The options ranged from expanding fixed-route bus service, to on-demand partnerships with local transportation providers or transportation network companies. The City Council directed staff to move forward and plan for a two-year Sunday service pilot at an estimated cost of $1,560,000, to be funded temporarily through one-time federal COVID transit recovery funding. Near the end of the pilot, the City Council will evaluate and formally consider whether to continue Sunday service with funding from other sources. The Sunday service pilot will commence in late 2021 or early 2022.

At the March 2nd, 2021 meeting, the City Council also indicated an interest in further exploring transportation service partnerships to support off-transit hours transportation needs. The Council asked staff to further research and refine potential on-demand service scenarios and bring them back for further review. The March 2, 2021, City Council Work Session presentation on public transportation enhancements is available online.

The study was initially expected to be completed in the summer of 2020; however, delays were incurred as a result of the pandemic. Changes to routes, stops, and the transit schedule were implemented in the summer of 2021.

2019

August – Kickoff meeting with the consultant team.

Phase I Public Outreach: September – Ridership data collected on each transit route. An on-board survey was administered to approximately 1,000 Iowa City Transit riders gathering basic demographic data, information about their transit trip, and desired service enhancements.

Phase II Public Outreach: November – Public meetings held in Iowa City, Coralville, and on the University of Iowa campus with over 90 attendees. Twelve stakeholder meetings were held with area social service, economic development, and educational organizations. Received over 1300 responses to the “Design Your Own Transit System” online tool to gauge public feedback about relative preference for different transit amenities.

October to November – Consultant team performed background review and market analysis, developed route profiles/maps, performed evaluation of University of Iowa student travel behaviors, performed an evening route analysis, and finalized a report on the existing conditions related to the transit system’s current operations.

November to December – Using public feedback, developed alternate service scenarios.

2020

Phase III Public Outreach: January – Held Open House public meetings in Iowa City, on the University campus, and in Coralville to present three different concepts for transit system service in the metro area with over 150 attendees. Concept 1 focused on increasing the frequency of service, Concept 2 focused on simplifying coverage, and Concept 3 (for Iowa City only) involved restructuring and improving weekend and evening service. Received 1,400 responses to an online survey relating to the three potential transit service scenarios.

March – Began development of preferred alternative transit system design based on feedback from the three alternative scenarios proposed to the public in January 2020. Transit study placed on hold in late March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Developed goals for review of fares, reviewed passes and policies, evaluated fare structure, performed zero-fare analysis for Iowa City, researched ticketless mobile fare solutions.

August – Reconvened transit study. Developed a draft preferred alternative based on community feedback from three distinct service scenarios presented in January and current funding levels. Developed recommendations for changes to fare policies to improve consistency amongst the metro-area transit systems. Developed potential enhancements to transit service and general mobility based on community input. These potential enhancements would require additional funding.

October – Presented to the City Council a draft preferred transit system design developed to provide faster, more frequent, and more reliable service while simplifying the system and improving evening and weekend service. Staff also presented fare recommendations and a list of nine potential service enhancements. The City Council indicated a desire to further review the expansion of evening service, Sunday service, and “night-owl” service that would operate when transit is not in service; a desire to evaluate both fixed-route and micro transit or on-demand options; and a desire to seek ways in which Iowa City and Coralville fares and fare policies can be brought into better alignment.

November to December – Performed final field review of all route and stop recommendations, developed scenarios for potential transit/transportation service enhancements and presented those options to the City Council, finalized Iowa City Area Transit Study document.

2021

January to February – Finalized Iowa City Area Transit Study draft plan and proposed transit system design changes including routes, stops, and service changes.

February – Commenced development of draft bus schedule.

March – on March 2nd, the City Council considered options for enhancing transportation services available on Sundays, during the late evening, and overnight hours.

April – Published proposed route, stop, service, fare and pass, and transfer policy changes. Published draft Iowa City Area Transit Study draft plan chapters for review. On April 29, a Virtual Presentation was held to introduce the public to the proposed changes to the transit system.

June – On June 1 hosted a public hearing on the proposed changes to the transit system at the City Council meeting; and City Council formally considered adoption of the Iowa City Area Transit Study plan. Finalized development of new bus schedule.

July 6, 2021 – Upon City Council approval, implemented fare, fare policy, and transfer policy changes.

August 2, 2021 – Upon City Council approval, implemented preliminary transit system design changes.

Listen to the Iowa City Matters "Traveling with Transit" Podcast for a detailed conversation about area transit service.

Contact Director of Transportation Services Darian Nagle-Gamm for more information about the study at 319-356-5156 or email darian-nagle-gamm@iowa-city.org.

Sign up to receive updates and information directly through email on the E-subscriptions page, and select the category "Transit Study Updates."