Transit light tour allows customers chance to see holiday lights

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer and Vixen.

On Comet, on Cupid, on Donder and Blitzen!

This Christmas caravan won’t be steered with reindeer, but there will be plenty of holiday cheer to go around for many transit bus riders in Charles City.

Santa might even behind the wheel of this Christmas convoy.

The Charles City public transit system will soon take its regular customers on a ride through Charles City to take in the holiday lights around town.

On Tuesday, Dec. 11, the four city and regional transit buses will all meet at the Hy-Vee parking lot shortly after 6 p.m. to begin a journey through town that many regular patrons of the transit system haven’t seen in quite some time.

“It’s kind of a thank-you to our regular riders,” said Tammy Elthon, owner of Circle K Communications, which helps run the transit system and dispatches calls for the public transportation service.

Through the collaboration of many, the buses will be playing Christmas music while driving along a route that Tammy and her husband, Dan, planned out. Candy canes will be handed out to around 50 passengers on the transit holiday tour.

“I’ve actually got one driver who is thinking he’d like to be Santa,” Tammy Elthon said.

She said a few of her drivers came up with the idea and once she discussed it with City Administrator Steve Diers and NIACOG (North Iowa Area Council of Governments), the word was an all-go for the transit tour to take place.

“People are so excited and grateful, because a lot of them are homebound and/or can’t get around. They haven’t seen Christmas lights in years,” said Diers. “It’s a really neat thing.”

To add even more of a holiday twist to the tour, an anonymous donor will cover the cost of the caravan.

“We were going to tell everybody that it was going to be a dollar to ride, but I had a Secret Santa that stepped in and is paying for everybody,” said Elthon.

The tour will also give the chance for the Elthons, along with dispatcher Carlee Bonwell, to meet some of the transit’s loyal customers. 

Elthon said the buses normally hold 16 passengers each, but with wheelchairs and walkers, each bus will carry about 12 people. She said there will be several children who will tag along for the ride as well. There will also be two employees of the transit system who will ride in each bus.

“Our plan originally was to do two buses, but all four filled up in under a week,” said Elthon. “They’re excited to do it and we’re excited to take them.”

The tour will run for about an hour and will include stops at Maple Heights and Denny’s Recycling.

“Our path is pretty cool. We’ve got it figured out on the map with the best lights to see,” said Tammy. “We’re pretty well covering the town.”

The backup night in case of inclement weather is Thursday, Dec. 13.