Community Notes: Charles City Public Transit back to normal

By Tammy Elthon, Charles City Public Transit

We will complete five years of running the daily operations of the Charles City Public Transit on Aug. 1 of this year. We have seen some changes during the five years, especially with the Covid year of 2020. We feel things are back to normal with rides increasing each year.

A few drivers have left or moved away, but I feel fortunate to currently have seven drivers and a full-time dispatcher.

All drivers are cross-trained on all the daily assigned routes and are able to sub for each other on any day or route given to them.

We have also trained three drivers on how to run the dispatch and computer scheduling software.

The transit service has increased riders this year. Our passenger list is right at 2,000 passengers in our system. We continue daily to print out 8-10 pages of advanced scheduled rides.

We encourage you to call in advance of all appointments so we can get you scheduled and to your appointment on time. It’s never too early to schedule, as we book many weeks in advance.

Unfortunately, calling the day of your appointment sometimes results in us being unable to provide you a ride at the time you request due to your appointment time already filled on all three buses.

We have been providing rides to 62 students, preschoolers and older school age children this school year. Having 3- and 4-year-old children on the buses continues to make for some interesting rides and stories.

We are building the schedules for children that will be riding with us this fall for the next school year. As of this time we are full and starting a waiting list.

We currently run three transit buses in the city of Charles City, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The one County/Regional bus leaves from Charles City for Mason City three times each day, 7:30 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. This bus has increased riders over the years, stopping to pick up people in Floyd, Rockford, Marble Rock and Nora Springs, bringing them to Charles City and Mason City for doctors appointments, work, school and jobs.

We were able to do our annual “Holiday Light Tour” in December. This is always a fun night for Charles City residents, making stops for Santa and viewing the wonderful Holiday Lights in Central Park and other parts of the city.

Pricing to ride the transit has not changed. In city rides remain $1 or a white ticket for elderly/disabled, $1.50 or a blue ticket for students and $4 or an orange ticket for general public. County rides are $2 or a pink ticket for students/elderly/disabled and $4 for general public. Regional rides are $3 or a yellow ticket for students/elderly/disabled and $5 for general public.

For tickets, questions or to book a ride call 641-715-1314 Monday through Friday to reach the Charles City Public Transit. We all enjoy what we do and are happy to continue helping with transportation in the area.