Citylink (Idaho)

Citylink is a partnership of public transportation services in parts of Kootenai County, Idaho. Citylink North, operated by Kootenai County, operates three bus routes in urbanized areas of the county, including the cities of Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, and Hayden, Idaho that run Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays. South of the Coeur d'Alene urban area, the Link Route provides connections with the local Citylink bus routes leaving from the Riverstone Transit Center, as well as regional routes that connect at the Coeur d'Alene Casino. The Plummer Express Route provides direct regional service between Coeur d'Alene and Plummer. The Link Rural, and Plummer Express routes comprise "Citylink South," which is under the authority of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe. Patrons are not charged a fare on Citylink buses.[2] Citylink is funded by the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, Kootenai County, Kootenai Health, the Federal Transit Administration, and the cities of Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, Hayden, Dalton Gardens, and Huetter.[3] The agency's bus fleet consists of 20 buses that can seat up to 33 passengers and are equipped with wheelchair lifts and bicycle racks.[4]

Citylink
SloganReliable. Efficient. Free.
Commenced operationNovember 1, 2005 (2005-11-01)
HeadquartersCoeur d'Alene, Idaho
LocaleKootenai County, Idaho
Routes5
Stops150
Hubs2
Fleet20 buses
Annual ridership224,538[1]
Websiteidahocitylink.com

Routes
  • Urban Route A - Serves Downtown Coeur d'Alene.
  • Urban Route B – Serves Post Falls.
  • Urban Route C – Serves Hayden.

All Urban Routes originate from the Riverstone Transit Center in Coeur d'Alene.

  • Rural Route – Serves the towns of Worley, Plummer, Tensed and DeSmet.
  • Link Route – Connects the two transfer stations at Riverstone and Worley.
  • Plummer Express – Peak-only commuter service connecting Coeur d’Alene and Plummer

History

Citylink began operating on November 1, 2005, funded primarily by a $1.38 million Federal Transit Administration grant that was matched by the Coeur d'Alene Tribe.[5][6][7]

Budget cuts in April 2012 caused a major restructure in Citylink service, including the elimination of a route to State Line, the addition of 125 stops to the system, increased frequencies on services operating out of Riverstone, and the elimination of one-way loops on urban routes B and C.[8][9]

Extension of Spokane Transit Authority service into Idaho, mainly an hourly express bus from Coeur d'Alene to Spokane, was proposed as part of the 2015 "STA Moving Forward" ballot measure, which failed to pass.[10][11] This was again proposed in 2016, as part of the "Proposition 1" ballot measure, which successfully passed. Service is expected to commence in 2025.[12]

References
  1. "Kootenai County (KC)" (PDF). National Transit Database. Federal Transit Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 3, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  2. "Citylink: Reliable. Efficient. Free". Citylink. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  3. Carr, Geoff (September 8, 2015). "C'mon and take a free ride". Coeur d'Alene Press. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  4. "Appendix B: Citylink Fleet Roster". Kootenai MPO Public Transportation Plan Update Final Report (PDF). Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization. August 2012. p. 111. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 3, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  5. Rotunno, Nick (November 9, 2010). "Citylink celebrates five years". Coeur d'Alene Press. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  6. "Kootenai County Coordinated Public Transit Human Services Transportation Plan" (PDF). Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization. June 7, 2007. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  7. Drumheller, Susan (November 4, 2005). "CityLink bus service gets rolling". The Spokesman-Review. pp. B1–B2. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  8. KMPO Staff (March 14, 2012). "Kootenai County - CITYLINK SERVICE REDUCTION - Summary Sheet - FAQ's". KMPO Transportation Blog. Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  9. Warren, Alecia (April 25, 2012). "Citylink services cut". Coeur d'Alene Press. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  10. Prager, Mike (January 29, 2015). "Coeur d'Alene bus service is part of STA tax request". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  11. Cole, David (January 30, 2015). "Waiting for the bus". Coeur d'Alene Press. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  12. Kelety, Josh (March 5, 2020). "With ridership declining, we hop on the bus with one big question in mind: Where is the STA headed?". Inlander. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
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