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Mission:
The Linn County Lifts
Department provides accessible door-to-door public transportation
services for senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and the
general public throughout non-metropolitan areas. Linn County
lifts also provides A.D.A. (American with Disabilities Act)
accessible paratransit services under contract to the Cedar Rapids
Five Seasons Transportation Department for the metropolitan area of
Cedar Rapids, Marion, and Hiawatha.
Transportation services in Linn
County for senior citizens and persons with disabilities, if present,
were provided informally by human service agencies in order to get
their respective clients to their programs until 1973. In
1973, the Heritage Area Agency on Aging and Kirkwood Community
College received a Federal Highway Administration demonstration
grant to provide rural transportation services for elderly persons
in a seven county area (Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn,
and Washington counties). This service was named SEATS -
Southeast Elderly Area Transportation Services. Unfortunately,
funding was not available to continue the services after the
expiration of the grant funds in late 1975.
Individual counties made their own
arrangements for providing paratransit services after the demise of
the multi-county SEATS program. In Linn County, the Hawkeye
Area Community Action Program provided 'Linn County SEATS' service
under contract to the Linn County Board of Supervisors from 1976 to
1978.
In 1978, the Linn County Board of
Supervisors created the Linn County LIFTS Department to take over
provision of paratransit services within the county. The first
Director of LIFTS was William Hoekstra. Charged with
consolidating paratransit services in Linn County, LIFTS took over
the operation of the county home bus and provided vans for transportation
in rural Linn County.
In 1982, the City Bus Department of
Cedar Rapids contracted with LIFTS to operate their Senior Citizen
and Handicapped buses.
| Areas, Days,
& Hours of Service |
Service within the metropolitan
area (Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha, & Marion) is available Monday
through Saturday between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Service in the remainder of Linn County is available Monday through
Friday between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
LIFTS also provides round trip
service between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City (stops at University and
VA Hospital, Downtown Iowa City) twice monthly, on the first
Wednesday and third Thursday.
| Am I Eligible to
Use LIFTS |
LIFTS operates door-to-door service
within the metropolitan area of Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha, and Marion
for senior citizens age 60 and over, for persons with disabilities which
would interfere with their ability to use regular public
transit, and for clients of county-funded human service
agencies. Throughout the rest of Linn County, LIFTS
door-to-door service is available to anyone.
Reservations are taken by phone
Monday through Friday between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 12:00
noon. If your trip is for medical purposes, grocery shopping,
education, or work purposes, you may reserve your trip up to a week in
advance. All other trips may only be reserved one working day in
advance.
To reserve a ride,
call one of these numbers:
319-398-3625 or 319 363-8244
TDD/TTY users may call Relay Iowa 1-800-735-2942
Have the Following
Information Ready for the Dispatcher When You Call:
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Your name, phone
number, and address
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Name and address of
your destination
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Date and time when you
wish to go
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The time you wish to
return
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Are you in a
wheelchair or require any special assistance?
Inside the
metropolitan area (Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha, Marion):
Senior Citizens & Persons with Disabilities - $1.00 one way
General Public - not eligible
In Linn County
outside the metro area:
Senior Citizens & Persons with Disabilities - $1.25 one way
General Public - $2.50 one way
Between Cedar Rapids
and Iowa City:
Senior Citizens & Persons with Disabilities - $3.00 one way
General Public - $3.00 one way
Books of 20 trip tickets
are available for metro or county trips.
Free transfers are available from LIFTS to Five Seasons buses.
The following Five Seasons passes and tokens may be used on LIFTS:
Ask your Dispatcher
for more information about tickets and passes
For comments or complaints concerning
LIFTS click here
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