Citylink connects students, citizens
As gas prices soar, NIC students start to take the bus
Ann Truesdale
Issue date: 9/15/08 Section: Life
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This transportation system is funded partly by the Federal Transit System and partly by the Coeur d'Alene Tribe in order to provide transportation to all the people in the areas of Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, Hayden and the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation. The buses are maintained at the Coeur d'Alene Tribe's casino resort, and the cost is covered by the tribe's funds.
Operating 20 hours a day, seven days a week, Citylink contains 23 stops. Citylink has several buses, which are all handicap accessible, have bike racks and a yearly capacity of more than 600,000 riders, and are driven by more than 30 trained drivers and support staff.
It turns out this transportation system caters to some of the students at NIC as well. Jory Buechner was the first NIC student to ever be dropped off at NIC by Citylink, said Don a bus driver. Buechner has been riding Citylink since November 2005.
"The best part about riding the Citylink bus is not having to pay the ridiculous gas prices or having to pay car insurance and it's free," Buechner said.
His normal ride is from Fourth Street to NIC, which takes about 40 minutes. It used to take about 10 minutes but because the transportation system has grown so much over the past three years, the trip has a few more stops, he said. Buechner said his main reason for riding is because he doesn't have a car. He said that he has seen a lot of growth and changes, including more students riding the bus.
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