City starts new Saturday bus route

Columbia - A new bus service will start Saturday, providing shorter wait times between buses on all routes throughout Columbia.

Riders can expect no more than an hour wait for buses on Saturdays, down from 80 minutes, said Jill Stedem, public information specialist for Columbia Public Works.

In addition, a new Saturday service will start on Old 63. The gold bus route, which runs Monday through Friday, will be incorporated into the orange bus route for the Saturday service.

Stedem said the city saw a need for more bus service in that area.

“We have seen increased ridership on that route, especially with the increased number of apartment complexes on 63,” she said.

The purple route ended its service to Forum 8 and Stadium 14 theaters on Thursday. The route, which started in 2004, never had strong ridership, with only 800 riders in the last year.

New maps and timetables for all bus routes in Columbia can be found at the city's Web site, or on any bus.