For the convenience of both North Shore residents and tourists, Arrowhead Transit is considering weekly, low-fare round trips to Duluth in place of current twice-monthly Duluth trips.
Arrowhead Transit is proposing to start low-fare weekly round trips to Duluth beginning in February, regardless of how many passengers it has.
This service would replace the existing twice-monthly Duluth trips that only go if at least five riders have made reservations. In Duluth, the new weekly service will make a stop at the new Duluth Transportation Center (DTC) where riders can connect with Duluth Transit Authority buses. The DTC also Includes a Jefferson Lines bus station, and the Skyline Shuttle to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport departs from the DECC, across I-35 via skyway.
It is hoped that the new weekly service will not only be more convenient for residents along the North Shore, but also that it might be a transportation option for tourists and other visitors, for students coming and going to school, for workers who need to get back and forth to Duluth, and for people who have errands, shopping and medical appointments in Duluth.
In order to gauge demand for this proposed new service and to ensure it is structured to best meet the needs of Cook County residents, Arrowhead Transit requests answers to these questions:
What day of the week would be the best day for Arrowhead Transit to schedule this new service? The trips will no longer bounce around. If Tuesday is chosen, the bus will run on Tuesday of every week.
What time of day would be the best start time from Grand Marais?
What time of day would be the optimum time to leave Duluth for the return trip up the shore?
Arrowhead Transit is eager to hear from resort owners and others in the tourism industry. Transit officials very much want to know how this new weekly service might be structured to provide a reasonable low-cost transportation alternative for tourists coming to Cook County and for the resort workers who help take care of those tourists.
Larry Rodgers, marketing coordinator for Arrowhead Transit, says the agency wants to make sure this trip “best accommodates those who might use the bus,” and is hopeful that a great many residents will take a few minutes to share their preferences in answer to the questions.
To give your feedback, you may email Larry Rodgers at larry.rodgers@aeoa.org. You may write him at: Arrowhead Transit, Larry Rodgers, 702 Third Avenue South, Virginia, MN 55792.
You may also send them to the Cook County Chamber at ccchamber@boreal.org or P.O. Box 805, Grand Marais, MN 55604. Arrowhead Transit is a member of the Cook County Chamber of Commerce.
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