The Jule
 | |
 New Jule fixed route buses | |
| Founded | early 1970s |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 2401 Central Ave. |
| Locale | Dubuque, Iowa |
| Service area | urban area |
| Service type | bus service, paratransit |
| Alliance | Delaware, Dubuque, & Jackson County Regional Transit Authority |
| Routes | 6 Day, 4 Weekend night, 1 Seasonal Trolly Route |
| Hubs | 3 transfer points |
| Fleet | 28 |
| Fuel type | Clean diesel |
| Director | Candace Eudaley |
| Website | The Jule |
The Jule, formerly known as KeyLine Transit, is the operator of mass transit within the City of Dubuque, Iowa. The Jule offers transit bus routes throughout the city, trolley-replica transportation in Downtown Dubuque and the Port of Dubuque, and on-demand paratransit "MiniBus" service citywide. As of the 2011 rebranding, the transit system and city are now both named after Julien Dubuque. In FY 2010, the Jule recorded 371,000 rides.[1]
The Jule is a municipal department of the City of Dubuque that began service following the city's takeover of the Interstate Power and Light Company's bus lines in the early 1970s. Today, the Jule is operated by The East Central Intergovernmental Association (ECIA), and is supervised by a director who reports to the Dubuque City Manager, Michael Van Milligen, and acts on policy as given by the Dubuque City Council, on advice of the Dubuque Transit Trustee Board.[2]
Overview
The Jule operates 6 Daytime bus lines: Gray, Green, Red, Medical Loop, as well as the North and South Shopping Circulators. The Jule also runs 4 Nightrider routes on Friday and Saturday nights from 6:00pm to 2:30am All lines except the Orange run in a general pattern from downtown in the east to Kennedy Mall in the west, and then back downtown. These lines stop at all 3 major transfer stations: Downtown, Midtown, and the West Side. The Medical Loop runs from downtown and then north and south, stopping at no other transfer stations. The Jule operates Monday-Saturday citywide, with the earliest buses out at 6:15 A.M., and the latest out at 5:55 P.M.[3]
During the summer months, The Jule operates a trolley shuttle between the Downtown Transfer Station (West 9th & Main Streets) and the Port of Dubuque, with stops at the major tourist attractions in the area, including: Diamond Jo Casino, Grand Harbor Resort & Waterpark, Grand River Center, National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium.
In addition to fixed-route buses, The Jule provides on-demand paratransit service through its "MiniBuses." These shuttles generally transport elderly & handicapped passengers from their homes to medical clinics, and other specific destinations. The service is available by appointment only. Jule currently has around 100 employees.
Bus Fleet
In 2011, The Jule updated its 28 bus fleet with new clean diesel buses
4 35' Heavy Duty Gillig low floor for Fixed Route Service
12 30' Medium Duty Eldorado Aero Elite on International Durastar chassis for Fixed Route Service
11 24' light duty Glaval Titan II on GMC Savanna Chassis for Paratransit
1 light duty for Freightliner Sprinter for Paratransit
2 Trolleys for season fixed route trolley Service
Bus routes
Transfer Stations
- WEST SIDE: Transfers between all fixed routes except for the Medical Loop and Trolley service are available at the ARC Transfer Center on Kennedy Circle. These lines also intersect at Kennedy Mall.
- MIDTOWN: Transfers between the Gray, Green, Red lines and the Medical Loop in Midtown are available at North Grandview Avenue and University Avenue.
- DOWNTOWN: Transfers between the Gray, Green, Medical Loop, and Red lines (all lines) in addition to the Downtown/Port of Dubuque trolley are available at West 7th and Iowa Streets.[4]
Lines
The Jule operates 6 daytime bus lines and 4 weekend Nightrider lines which run throughout Dubuque. Beginning in January 2014, these existing routes will be abandoned in favor of a new hub and spoke model with express routes between the 3 transfer hubs.[5]
- (E): Designates crosstown routes which run east from Kennedy Mall to downtown.
- (W): Designates crosstown routes which run west from downtown to Kennedy mall.
- (N/S), (E/W): Designates non-crosstown (destination) routes which run from a transfer station to one destination & back.
- GRAY LINE:
- Downtown (E):
- Runs east from Kennedy Mall to downtown via: John F. Kennedy Rd., Kaufmann Ave., Carter Rd., Asbury Rd., University Ave., N. Grandview Ave., W. Locust St., Main St.
- Kennedy Mall (W):
- Runs west from downtown to Kennedy Mall via: Iowa St., Clarke Dr., N. Grandview Ave., University Ave., Asbury Rd., Carter Rd., Kaufmann Ave., John F. Kennedy Rd.
- Point (N/S):
- Runs north/south from downtown to the Point & back via: Elm St., Rhomberg Ave. Also runs on E. 16th St., Kerper Blvd. at select times.[6]
- GREEN LINE:
- 32nd Street (N/S):
- Runs north/south from downtown to 32nd St. & back via: Jackson St., Central Ave.
- Asbury Plaza (N/S):
- Runs north/south from Kennedy Mall to Asbury Plaza & back via: Pennsylvania Ave., NW Arterial, Asbury Rd., John F. Kennedy Rd., Hillcrest Rd., Chaney Rd., Pennsylvania Ave. Also runs on Rosemont St., Hillcrest Rd. at select times.
- Downtown (E):
- Runs east from Kennedy Mall to downtown via: Dodge St., University Ave., Loras Blvd., Main St.
- Kennedy Mall (W):
- Runs west from downtown to Kennedy Mall via: Iowa St., Loras Blvd., N. Grandview Ave., Dodge St.[7]
- Medical Loop:
- Greyhound Park (E/W):
- Runs east/west from downtown to Dubuque Greyhound Park and Casino & back via: Kerper Blvd., E. 16th St.
- Mt. Carmel (N/S):
- Runs south from downtown to Mt. Carmel & back via: Iowa St., Bluff St., Dodge St., Rush St., Cleveland Ave., Mt. Loretta Ave., S. Grandview Ave., Hwy. 151/61, Locust St.[8]
- RED LINE:
- Downtown (E):
- Runs east from Kennedy Mall to downtown via: John F. Kennedy Rd., Hillcrest Rd., Chaney Rd., Pennsylvania Ave., University Ave., Hill St.
- Kennedy Mall (W):
- Runs west from downtown to Kennedy Mall via: Hill St., University Ave., Pennsylvania Ave., Chaney Rd., Hillcrest Rd., John F. Kennedy Rd.
- Linwood (N/S):
- Runs north/south from downtown to Linwood & back via: White St., E. 22nd St., Windsor Ave., Jackson St.
- Wal-Mart (E/W):
- Runs east/west from Kennedy Mall to Wal-Mart & back via: John F. Kennedy Rd., Pennsylvania Ave., NW Arterial, Dodge St. Also runs on Radford Rd., Chavanelle Rd. at select times.[9]
- TROLLEY (E/W):
- Runs east/west from downtown to the Port of Dubuque & back via: Bluff St., E. 3rd St., Bell St., Main St. (Summer months only).
Fares
- Children (Age <5): 25¢ (free when accompanied by an adult)
- Students (Age 5-17): 50¢ (free with school ID)
- Regular (Age 18-64): $1.00
- Special (Age 65 and over, disabled, Medicare card user): 50¢
- College: Free (With Valid ID from the University of Dubuque, Clarke University, or Loras College)
Ride Tickets (punch cards):
- Student: 10 for $5.00
- Regular: 10 for $9.00
- Special: 10 for $5.00[10]
Monthly Unlimited Pass $35
References
- ^ "Two Iowa transit systems honored for excellence" (Press release). Iowa DOT. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ^ "Iowa Office of Public Transit: The Jule Organizational Structure". Retrieved December 24, 2006.
- ^ "The Jule Transit Routes". Retrieved December 3, 2009.
- ^ "The Jule Transfer Stations". Retrieved December 3, 2009.
- ^ "The Jule System Overhaul". Retrieved November 1, 2013.
- ^ "Gray Line Routes". Retrieved December 3, 2009.
- ^ "Green Line Routes". Retrieved December 3, 2009.
- ^ "Orange Line Routes". Retrieved December 3, 2009.
- ^ "Red Line Routes". Retrieved December 3, 2009.
- ^ "KeyLine Transit Fares". Retrieved December 3, 2009.