North Liberty is making public transportation a bit more accessible.
The Johnson County city is debuting a fare-free bus service in July, featuring 15 planned stops in North Liberty and three in Iowa City.
Beginning on July 1, the burgeoning transit service will make two round-trip runs every weekday between Iowa City and North Liberty. These include stops at North Central Middle School, the new University of Iowa Health Care orthopedic hospital, and the North Liberty Community Center.
The program is estimated to cost the city $350 per day, or $88,200 per fiscal year, saving roughly $15,000 compared to the city’s contract with the City of Coralville, which ends June 30. According to data in a city memo, North Liberty handled just 4,848 rides in Fiscal Year 2025, averaging nine to 10 riders per day at $1 per ride.
Director of Community Relations Nick Bergus told the Press-Citizen the partnership with Express Midwest, a North Liberty-based ride company, allows the city more flexibility should it need to increase service based on demand.
“The cost of running the route through Coralville is expensive per rider,” Bergus said. “We knew we could do something more cost-effective.”
N. Liberty route adds stops, connects to regional Johnson Co. interchanges
The new transit routes will add service at the UI Health Care North Liberty campus and the North Liberty Community Center, which the previous bus system did not include.
Stopping at the UI Health Care building will also allow riders to connect to 380 Express, a regional bus service that serves Cedar Rapids and the Kirkwood Community College Campus. Bus stops in Iowa City allow riders to connect to Iowa City’s fare-free bus system or the University of Iowa’s free bus system, both of which have hubs in downtown Iowa City.
Iowa City Transit went fare-free in 2023
Iowa City’s bus system went fare-free on Aug. 1, 2023, in a bold, yet popular move.
“It will hopefully help boost the local economy by keeping dollars in people’s pockets,” Iowa City City Councilor Andrew Dunn said during a meeting in 2023. “In doing that, it is going to help the poor and working people save money and spend it on other necessities.”
Iowa City Transit Director Darian Nagle-Gamm said the fare-free program has “delivered truly remarkable successes for Iowa City.”
“The fare-free Iowa City transit program has dramatically increased accessibility to safe, affordable, reliable and sustainable transportation in Iowa City, and has done so while putting money back into the pockets of transit riders,” Nagle-Gamm said in 2025.
Revenue from city parking ramps and a bump in meter fees are expected to supply much of the funding needed to support Iowa City’s fare-free system.
(This story has been updated to include additional information.)
Liam Halawith covers Johnson County local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. Reach him by email at lhalawith@registermedia.com. Follow him on X at @liam_halawith.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: North Liberty launches fare-free bus service
Reporting by Liam Halawith, Iowa City Press-Citizen / Iowa City Press-Citizen
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Liam Halawith, Iowa City Press-Citizen | USA TODAY Network
