Spokane’s rapid transit bus project, the City Line, was scheduled to launch in May. Supply chain issues triggered by the pandemic will push the start date back to 2023.
The City Line is designed to operate more like a street care than a traditional bus route. A key component of that plan is new bus stations.
Brandon Rapez-Betty, the director of communications for the Spokane Transit Authority, said the agency needs about 2,000 linear feet of tube steel to build the bus stops along the route.
That material isn’t currently available due to supply chain issues.
He said the plan could technically go on without the stops, but it could mean a bad first impression for the new transit project.
“We thought that did not provide the experience that was promised to the public,” he said. “The public is entrusting us with developing the project they saw.”
He said delaying the project to July 2023 will also give the agency more time to work on routes, and computer systems.
The City Line will link Browne’s Addition to the University District and will use electric buses.
