Responding to the increasing popularity of the 380 Express bus, officials have added an additional route on Saturdays to serve residents in the Corridor. The service began on Nov. 24 and will continue through Dec. 28.

Brock Grenis, the transit administrator with the East Central Iowa Council of Governments, said the Saturday routes were added to attract people who haven’t had the opportunity to use the weekday service.

“The Saturday seasonal route is really meant to market and promote the service,” he said.

Tickets for the bus on Saturday are discounted from the usual price of $3.50 to $2. Riders can pay with exact change on the bus or purchase tickets through the Token Transit app.

The Saturday service includes a modified schedule that will include stops at Coral Ridge Mall and at lots that offer free parking on the weekends.

While it’s currently slated to run only through the holiday season, Grenis said, the window of availability could be extended based on ridership and community response.

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“Right now, we’re just offering it as a seasonal service, and then we’ll look at all the numbers and data to see if any changes would be good in the long term,” he said.

Grenis has been happy with the popularity of the service so far. The number of riders has been growing since the service began on Oct. 1.

“Obviously, we hope it continues to climb and be more popular and more used,” he said. “But we feel pretty good about where it started.”