"EARL" to debut January 5th

Starting in January Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation's Transit Program will begin operating transportation service three times each weekday between Decorah, Calmar and Cresco.

The service will be called "EARL," which stands for "Easy, Affordable, Reliable and Life-Changing."  EARL vehicles will stop in Decorah at the main entrance to Winneshiek Medical Center and in the city parking lot behind T-Bock's.  Calmar's stop will be at the NICC campus.  In Cresco EARL vehicles will stop at NICC Cresco and Featherlite.  The route will run in the early morning from 6:00 a.m. until 9:30 a.m., in the early afternoon from 11:45 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. and in the late afternoon from 4:24 p.m. until 6:37 p.m.

NEICAC's Jenna Sutton says various grants will pay the costs of the service through the end of February.  NEICAC is hoping that the service will be self-supporting by that time.

An individual ride will cost $3 one way and $6 round trip.  Books of 10 tickets will be sold for $30.  There will also be an unlimited monthly pass for sale for $90 and a semester pass for students for sale for $350.

For more information, please contact Sutton at (563) 382-4259 or jsutton@neicac.org