ABOUT citilink

Citilink Board & Mission

Mission Statement: To provide safe, courteous and dependable public transportation at the most reasonable cost to our community.

Citilink is much more than a ride. It is about getting where you want to be on many levels. We contribute to the community in many ways:

Neighborhood Revitalization – Citilink was a catalyst for the Hanna-Creighton complex; the first to commit local and federal resources resulting in a Neighborhood Transit Center that connects the community.

Downtown Development – Our new transfer station will be a major investment in revitalizing downtown and anchor the Barr Street Corridor. Other cities have seen as much as a 40% increase in retail and business development around transit facilities.

Economic Development – Studies show that for every $1.00 spent on public transportation the community benefits fivefold. Local dollars are leveraged to match federal and state resources that are invested in mobility for Fort Wayne residents. Annually, over $3.5 million dollars from outside our community support Citilink services. In addition, millions of dollars in discressionary federal funds help pay for new buses and transit facilities.

Employment – Our Joblink program includes the opportunity to join a Carpool, information on tax breaks for bus passes, and enhanced bus services (including access to the new Southtown Centre). Over 60% of trips provided by Citilink are to/from work. Our website provides a table of Citilink routes serving the largest 100 worksites in the city. Transportation alternatives are essential for worker reliability; workers are not deterred by vehicle breakdowns, chauffeuring family members, etc. Citilink is a responsible employer providing good jobs to community residents.

Education – We are working with our local planning agency NIRCC to study transportation challenges in the Northeast corridor; to better serve Ivy Tech & IPFW students. Thousands of trips are provided each year to mid & high school students. We are a community partner in the Hanna-Creighton Rally for Reading.

Safety – Our Transit Watch program promotes bus drivers as the eyes of the community. Our buses patrol the community and serve as a safe haven. We participate in disaster response; including, mass treatment center drill, flood response, fire evacuation, etc. All transit systems have a renewed commitment to safety & security. We have added vehicle tracking devices, cameras on the buses, additional lighting, enhanced driver training, etc. to improve the safety of our service and the security of our community.

Environment – Citilink has taken a lead role in developing the Clean Air Force campaign to reduce ozone and particulate pollution. Regaining air quality attainment status is not only good for our health but can spur economic growth as well. In the past, Citilink offered free rides on Ozone Action Days. This resulted in the largest single day ridership total in 10 years – 10,600. We have also switched to cleaner biodiesel fuel and plan to purchase hybrid buses.

Congestion – Mass transit reduces the number of cars on the road, the need for more roads and the stress associated with long commute times and congestion. Last year Citilink provided almost 2 Million trips that were not taken in single occupancy vehicles. Bus ridership continues to rise with a 10% increase over last year.

Land Use – City buses reduces the need for large parking lots & structures. Transit contributes to a revitalization of concentrated urbanized areas by encouraging infill and reducing sprawl.

Recreation - A new “Rack & Roll” brochure is available to help people access the Rivergreenway using our buses equipped with bike racks. Our website provides route information to all city parks and arts venues.

Youth – Few are more “transportation disadvantaged” than those too young to drive. Our discount fare of 60 cents for children & youth helps provide access to jobs, education, recreation and other activities that promote youth development. To further enable youth to participate in constructive activities during the summer we offer a $25 Summer Fun Pass.

Seniors – Mobility allows seniors, and people with disabilities, to stay in their homes and live independently. There comes a time when it is not safe to drive and transportation assistance is necessary. We provide access to health care and community services; transportation is the lifeline to health and quality of life. Our discount fare of 60 cents for seniors and people with disabilities is the best deal in town. Our Access service provides over 45,000 origin-to-destination rides to people who are physically unable to use our fixed route bus service. Citilink provides leadership and in-kind support to the Community Transportation Network which focuses on providing affordable medical transportation to Fort Wayne and Allen County residents.

Hunger – Our Big Bus Stuff (in partnership with Komets Hockey, Tower Bank, City of Ft. Wayne & others) benefits the Community Harvest Food Bank. Our buses provide families with access to the food pantries & low cost grocery stores.

Community Service – Affordable transportation is in itself a valuable service. However, we also provide a limited number of ½ price bus tickets to community service agencies to help them connect their clients with vital services. We also support the United Way workplace campaign (increasing our employee contribution from last year) and other community activities.

With additional resources we could do more:

Provide more frequent service on all scheduled routes. Some of our routes run every hour some every half hour. We would like everyone to be able to make connections wherever they want to go. Frequent service is much more responsive to passenger (and employer) schedules.
Run service later in the evening and on Sundays. Many bus riders are forced to find a ride home from work or on weekends. We want to accommodate alternate work schedules and participation in activities later in the evening and on weekends.
Purchase hybrid powered buses. Alternative fuel vehicles will help us contribute to improved air quality. Indiana companies are the leading supplier of these vehicles so we can help the economy and the ecology.
Expand service into newly annexed and fringe areas where jobs, services and shopping are and people want to go. There is no publicly subsidized general transportation service available in rural Allen County or many of the surrounding counties. Regional transportation alternatives are not keeping pace with other parts of the state
Maintain our commitment to provide safe, dependable and affordable service. The current cost to provide a fixed route trip is $5.00 the fare is $1.25. The cost for an Access paratransit trip is $20.00 the fare is $2.50. Costs continue to rise (fuel, insurance, wages) and, with annexation, our service area is growing. Our population is aging and demands on our resources are great. It is a challenge to maintain quality service.

Here’s how you can help us get where we want to be:

Ride the bus. Our state funding formula is based, in part, on ridership. More riders not only provides an increase in fare revenue it affects our state subsidy as well. Encourage others to ride the bus with you.
Support increased local investment. There is cap on the total amount of local property taxes, relative to the assessed value of the property, which affects all local government entities. Also, when new areas are annexed into the Fort Wayne city limits they pay a portion of the tax that supports Citilink. However, there is a freeze on the amount we can receive so when the taxing district size increases, the individual burden is spread but Citilink does not receive additional revenue to provide service to the newly annexed area. This is especially challenging for us given the size of the recent Aboite annexation. Further, there are unmet transportation needs in the rural areas of Allen and surrounding counties that could be addressed with additional county or regional resources.
Support increased state assistance. The taxing rate for state assistance for public transit (PMTF) was decreased to .635% in 2002 when the sales tax was increased to 6%. The number of public transit systems eligible for this assistance has grown from 32 to 58 within the past ten years. Further, costs and demand for services continue to increase. The recent passage of HB 1334 restores the PMTF taxing rate to .76%; potentially an additional $340,000 for Citilink. Thank your legislators and encourage their continued support of public transit. This is a good opportunity to let our representatives know how valuable Citilink is to the economic and social vitality of our community.

Do what you can do! For more information on how we can help you get where you want to be, or how you can help us get where we want to be, please call 260-432-4977 or email us.

Citilink Public Transportation: Getting You There. Wherever Life Takes You.

Citilink Board of Directors

The Fort Wayne Public Transportation Corporation, Citilink, Board Officers are: Fred Lanahan, Chairman; Sherese Fortriede, Vice Chairman and Marv Gottlieb, Secretary. Other board members include; Nelson Coats, Ron Steinman, Glynn Hines and Sheri Caveda. Board members are appointed by the Mayor and City Council per the requirements of a Public Transportation Corporation as established by Indiana Code.

Board meetings are held at 5:30pm on the 2nd Thursday of each month at the Citilink Offices, 801 Leesburg Road. Meetings are open to the public.

2013 Board Meeting Minutes
January 2013
February 2013
March 2013

Our Annual Report can be downloaded here.

Additional information is available upon request 432-4977.

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