On Tuesday, October 6th at the Iowa City City Council Work Session, the Iowa City Area Transit Study will be presenting possible changes to our community's transportation. We have been educating city council members on the issues experienced by those who use the bus and hope that they use this opportunity to do things right and improve transit for underserved communities. Read the letter we sent to council expressing our concerns: Dear Iowa City Council, As you listen to the recommendations presented by the transit study and prepare to finalize transit system changes, we again encourage you to improve the system for those currently in need of the service. This is a service that should be accessible to all, and yet second-shift, low-income, and disabled community members are being left behind. On October 1st, CTC held a Community Meeting on Improving Transit in which several community members voiced their concerns. One commuter anecdote detailed the 45-minute bus commute that necessitates them arriving over 30 minutes early to work versus a 10-minute car commute. Another bus rider explained how she couldn't afford the fare when she had to switch between Iowa City and Coralville buses, which requires some commuters to buy at least two passes. Every day, workers are forced to walk home in the middle of the night because there's no service available when they get off work. Our community needs Sunday service and night service. We are asking for you to get creative: can we provide a taxi voucher for service until midnight? What routes would make the most sense to run on Sundays? What funding can the city apply for to provide these basic services? Are there public-private partnership opportunities with employers in our community? If the funding does not currently exist, we need to find it. We also request that you eliminate the current policy that prevents those with disabled passes from riding during peak times; this policy is extremely discriminatory as it limits the independence of those with such passes. Thank you, Community Transportation Committee We will be having a watch party to listen to the recommendations made by the Transit Study and discuss the impact they may have on the community. This meeting is at 5:00pm. Please join at the following link: https://uiowa.zoom.us/j/91662829268
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