I-Ride starts testing new campus bus stop
A bus makes it way through the snow on West Broomfield Street in this 2019 file photo.
Public Transportation Services of the Isabella County Transportation Commission, also known as I-Ride, is now offering a new bus stop for the Central Michigan University community.
I-Ride will now provide the stop called "Deming/Edgewood" at 722 W. Broomfield St. The stop is on the green transportation line and part of the Deerfield route, visible on a map on I-Ride's website. The bus stops at 16 and 46 minutes after each hour from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, from late August through early May.
Rick Collins, executive director of I-Ride, said the stop is a result of partnership with CMU. He said Deming/Edgewood is a corridor where a lot of international students live, and the stop is close to the Towers dorms and student apartment. By opening a new bus stop, CMU is hoping to help international students with their concerns about lack of transportation in Mount Pleasant, Collins said.
Those issues were voiced at a community and student Q&A on Dec. 16, but Collins said the work on the stop started much earlier. He also said I-Ride is working on a mobile app where people would be able to get shuttle services.
Collins said the new bus stop started operating on Jan. 9 and is currently on a trial period. If it gets sufficient ridership this semester and CMU is interested in continuing the partnering, he said, the stop will become a permanent one.
“I hope (the new bus stop) will help meet the needs (of students),” Collins said. “I hope students will find the services dependable, reliable and convenient.”
The scheduled bus is free to ride on the route. To book a bus ride to a specific location, however, costs $2. I-Ride‘s website scheduling a shuttle service in advance by calling 989-772-9441.
