Spokesman-Review Letters To The Editor
Cheney needs later bus runs

Spokane Transit Authority should provide later running buses between Cheney and Spokane to accommodate Cheney residents who work, attend night classes and seek entertainment in Spokane.

Cheney is home to Eastern Washington University, the fastest growing university in the state. Cheney’s population has been consistently expanding since the mid 1990s, even doubling during fall through spring. Yet, during the week, the last bus from Spokane to Cheney leaves the Plaza at 10:20 p.m., causing innumerable complications for the Cheney resident who works a night shift.

Many students who take classes during the day work nights in Spokane (where more part-time and after-hours jobs are available). On the weekend, the last bus to leave the Spokane bus plaza is at 9:20 p.m., an hour earlier.
Not only is this schedule inconvenient, it is potentially dangerous. When 2 a.m. rolls around and people are leaving the bars, buses have long since stopped running. Unfortunately, instead of taking a taxi (which are limited, outrageously expensive and completely out of the question for a student budget), people drive intoxicated.
STA can rectify this problem by providing buses from Spokane to Cheney up until midnight on weekdays, and no earlier than 2 a.m. on weekends.

Brittney Deutsch
Cheney

I’ve been saying the same thing about the Liberty Lake route for a while now but what it comes down to is funding. There’s just not enough money to keep buses running all the time in every area. If I remember correctly, in a conversation a while back with Karl Otterstrom, STA’s Director of Planning, I thought he said they might be looking at the possibility of expanding service to Cheney. He acknowledged it’s one of their busiest routes during the regular school year and I think he said they’re looking into it. The last bus on my route runs at 6:20 p.m. How about you?

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