The City of Davenport, serving as the lead agency, is seeking proposals for a comprehensive transit route optimization study. This study will assess the efficiency, potential opportunities, and overall suitability of public transportation services within the Iowa Quad Cities, and include Davenport, Bettendorf, Eldridge, and LeClaire as participating jurisdictions. The contract awarded from this process will be managed by the City of Davenport, and it will be executed in collaboration with the neighboring cities of Bettendorf, Eldridge, and LeClaire. As part of this cooperative effort, the City of Davenport will take the lead in coordinating the procurement of a qualified consultant to provide expert insights and recommendations to enhance public transit infrastructure and services to the defined geography. This initiative is crucial for improving transit accessibility, reliability, and sustainability for the local communities served. The two fixed-route transit providers in the Iowa Quad Cities operate independently, mainly within their respective jurisdictions. Davenport CitiBus runs fixed-route service along 10 routes that are primarily organized in a grid pattern. Bettendorf Transit operates three routes that include multiple transfer points. There are currently two main transfer points between Davenport Citibus and Bettendorf Transit to provide for interconnectivity between the respective cities. Both agencies provide complementary paratransit services, managed by River Bend Transit. Currently, the Cities of Eldridge and LeClaire do not offer fixed-route transit, and residents have weekday door-to-door transit services via River Bend Transit. However, there is interest in exploring the feasibility of introducing an elevated level of service especially to industrial employment centers, tourism attractions, and recreational facilities. Within the metropolitan Quad Cities and two-state area, there is some interconnectivity with Illinois that is served by MetroLINK, the Rock Island Metropolitan Mass Transit District. Development occurring on the fringe of the urban area in the Iowa Quad Cities over the decade has led to changes in transportation movements. New employers, residences, recreational opportunities, and medical facilities are locating in areas where previously there had been little demand for transit service. A comprehensive route analysis will review the existing and future conditions to determine the best system design for transit services in the Iowa Quad Cities in a holistic and connected manner. The analysis will use a five-year time horizon and examine optimization of the current system, based on existing resources. Any configuration considering service to Eldridge and LeClaire can assume the need for expanded resources and should recommend a uniform metric that an be translated into costs to allow for consideration of new service by these cities.
