Valley Regional Transit proposed two new fixed bus routes in Caldwell. The City of Caldwell will vote on funding for the proposal on Tuesday, Feb. 6th.
- Route 56: Would run through Cleveland Blvd. on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. arriving every thirty minutes from the Caldwell Event Center to Happy Day Transit Center with stops in Downtown Caldwell, The College of Idaho, and Walmart.
- Route 58: Would connect South Caldwell to Nampa with stops at the Caldwell library, West Valley Medical, and the YMCA. This line would be available on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. with buses arriving every hour.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
"I think a bus system would be very helpful for students like us studying here and those who don't have a car," said Shushanik, a student from the College of Idaho. "I think it's also very sustainable to have that."
Valley Regional Transit recently proposed two new fixed bus routes in Caldwell.
Chief Executive Officer of Valley Regional Transit, Elaine Clegg, explained that the transit did an initiative called the Better Bus Initiative and asked people, 'What would it take to get you to ride?' According to Clegg, everyone said, "More buses, more often."
The first route would run through Cleveland Blvd. on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The bus would run every thirty minutes providing service from the Caldwell Event Center to Happy Day Transit Center with stops in Downtown Caldwell, the College of Idaho, and Walmart.
"Since we're college students, we don't have enough money to have a car so having a sustainable form of transportation like a bus will be very great," said Zaynab El Hakour, another student from the College of Idaho.
"We need to go to do grocery shopping or need some things from Walmart or stores that are a bit far away," said Shushanik.
The second route would connect South Caldwell to Nampa with stops at the Caldwell library, West Valley Medical, and the YMCA. This line would be available on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. with buses arriving every hour.
"I'm particularly excited about adding fixed routes in Caldwell because it's been a while since they've had them," said Clegg. "Our on-demand service out there shows there is a demand for ridership."
Valley Regional Transit anticipates a 20% increase in ridership with these new routes implemented. If the vote passes the routes will begin in June.
"If for some reason the City Council determines not to go forward now, I still believe that the citizens of Caldwell need these services and will continue to look for ways to bring that about," said Clegg.