CityLink growth planned

It’s been about seven months since the free CityLink transit system began to bus residents of Kootenai and Benewah counties.

Now, CityLink managers are hoping to expand to Rathdrum, a market not yet penetrated by a system frequented by senior citizens and teenagers in the other cities. Those demographic populations are exactly what one official believes will benefit most from a Rathdrum route.

“We just want to show the Rathdrum City Council we’re interested in it,” said John Austin, a Panhandle Area Council transportation planner who helped bring CityLink to the area.

Since Monday, a bus has been picking people up at the Rathdrum Super 1 Foods and stopping at the Post Falls Wal-Mart as a test run at no cost to the city. So far word hasn’t spread, and not very many people are taking advantage, Austin said.

In November 2005, CityLink came online, transporting people between Post Falls, Hayden, Coeur d’Alene and, in Worley, to the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Casino. About 8,000 people took up seats on the buses the first month of operation, Austin said, and since then that number has grown to about 14,000 per month.

“We expect an even greater escalation as kids get out of school and get used to hopping on the bus for free,” he said.

Austin also points to the fact that many people take advantage of bike racks on the back of the buses, and he said there is talk about getting buses that may allow some people to carry their bikes on board.

“It’s constantly getting better,” he said.

Austin said Rathdrum could also be a key component in filling a budget gap created when North Idaho College decided to opt out of the program because they cut their own bus system, which connected to CityLink. A $12,000 shortfall had to be filled and the University of Idaho has offered up $3,000 so far, he said.

Austin had spoken with the Rathdrum City Council, telling them that because it’s halfway through the year, they could pay $4,500 instead of the $9,000 annual fee for cities to participate.

If they participated in the program, four new stops would be created in Rathdrum by September 1, he said.

“But based on their population we’re also considering just cutting their annual fee to $5,700,” he said. With that incentive, he hopes the city finds the system attractive enough to buy in.

Rathdrum City Administrator Brett Boyer said it was a bit premature to comment because he had yet to meet with CityLink officials to discuss the potential of the program. Boyer promised a recommendation to the Rathdrum City Council by their July 11 meeting.

“I don’t want to say too much not knowing what they have to offer,” Boyer said. “I think there is a need, whether it’s seniors or teens or others. The potential is on the horizon.”

For now, Austin said, they will continue to run the test route to Rathdrum at no charge to the city. He hopes more people will take advantage of the stop.

“We’ve been a bit slow getting the word out,” Austin said.