CITYLINK: Don't charge riders

The smartest move Coeur d’Alene can boast of is the Citylink free bus service, a godsend to the young, the middle aged and the old, many without a car and on a penny-saving budget.

The big flaw was getting soaked while standing in the rain to catch the bus before going to work or to a doctor.

It is good news that a transit center will be constructed at Riverstone to correct that flaw. A waiting shelter at crucial points in town would be ideal, like in front of the hospital.

Citylink is funded by the county with local and federal monies, and by Kootenai Health and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe.

Hopefully, the local proposal to start charging will go under with a strong “no” by a caring public, for the sake of riders who count pennies to buy groceries, pay an electric bill with low-pay jobs, or on meager Social Security.

Call the county commissioners for comment: 446-1600.

LILLIAN MOORE LIND

Coeur d’Alene