By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org
Wyoming and Kentwood residents utilizing The Rapid for transportation will be able to ride for free Monday, Aug. 30, and Tuesday, Aug. 31.
The reason for the free rides is to get users acclimated to the new Rapid schedules which go into effect on Aug. 30. The schedules and service changes were recommend by the Mobility for All project, a two-year analysis and pubic outreach process that looked at ways to improve The Rapid transit system. Wave card users will still be asked to tap their cards to track ridership but no funds will be charged from their cards.
“The service plan that will be implemented on Monday is the result of exhaustive study and public feedback, and we’re confident that the changes being made will provide better service overall to the residents of the entire six-city area,” said Max Dillivan, Senior Planner and project Manager for Mobility for All. “We’re excited to be offering two days of free rides to help customers transition to new schedules and adjusted routes.”
The service enhancements are focused on buses running more frequently on The Rapid’s busiest routes, improving the on-time performance of all routes, creating easier transfers between routes, and providing better connections to high-demand destinations.
Six of the Rapid’s busiest routes will run every 15 minutes on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. as part of these enhancements. These frequency improvements will translate into 136,000 more area residents and 67,000 more area jobs being located within 1⁄4 mile of 15-minute service, Monday through Friday until 6 p.m.
In addition, new connections to high-demand destinations will be created at the Plainfield Meijer store, RiverTown Crossings Mall, as well as Ivanrest Avenue and Gezon Parkway.
Routes in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas that will be impacted with the changes are:
Route 1, Division and Madison: will now travel to Metro Health on all trips and will loop around the the village to service the VA clinic. The route also will now include Madison between Franklin and Burton streets.
Route 2, Kalamazoo: will no longer go to Kentwood City Hall, but will continue on down Kalamazoo and end at the Gaines Meijer.
Route 3, Wyoming/Rivertown (formerly Route 16): will no longer stop at Metro Health, but instead will turn on 44th Street and end at RiverTown Crossings Mall.
Route 4, Eastern: will be streamlined by taking Cherry directly from Central Station to Eastern. The one-way loop will be eliminated to provide two-way service on 60th and Eastern avenues south of 52nd Street.
Route 5, Wealthy/Woodland: the route will remain unchanged but will include a one-seat ride from downtown to Cascade.
Route 6, Eastern/Woodland: inbound will be moved from Ottawa to Monroe to provide better transfers with outer routes. The route will be interlined with Route 44 on weekdays to improve operational efficiency.
Route 8, Grandville/Rivertown: will take Wilson Avenue direct to Century Center rather than go down 44th Street. The route also will be extended to the RiverTown Target for transfers.
Route 10, Clyde Park: will take over the Division Avenue/68th Street loop from Route 1. The loop, which is south on Clyde Park to east on 54th Street, south on Division Avenue then west on 68th Street and then running north on Clyde Park, will be peak-only on weekdays from 6 – 9 a.m. and 3 – 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday.
Route 24, Burton: will be extended south on Ivanrest to RiverTown Crossings Mall. The route will go directly to Camelot from Woodland rather than deviating to 28th Street and Lake Eastbrook Drive.
Route 27, Airport Industrial: Route 17 and Route 5 peak extension will be merged into single circular route to supplement the Kentwood on-demand zone during high traffic times. The route will operate in the morning and evening weekday peeks every 30 minutes.
Route 28, West 28th: this route will be split into two routes, with Route 28 to be extended west to Fairlanes through Grandville.
Route 29, East 28th: will take over the route east of Woodland Mall with the loops to Acquest and the YMCA eliminated. Also, the route will only enter the Meijer on Kraft Avenue on the westbound trip.
Route 44, 44th Street: will enter/ext RiverTown Crossings Mall via the Potomac rather than Wilson Avenue due to the mall stop being moved to the east side of the building. Hourly Sunday service from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. will be added.
There are other route changes in the Grand Rapids area. For a complete schedule, visit ridetherapid.org/mobility-for-all. There will be no increase in local operational funding to implement the service enhancements.
