Casa Grande council approves CG Link Phase 4 expansion, adding fourth vehicle and northside service

The Casa Grande City Council voted Jan. 13 to expand CG Link service and authorize documents to add a fourth vehicle, approving Resolution 5372.2 after a staff presentation on ridership, service quality and projected costs.

Transit staff reported that CG Link, a curb-to-curb microtransit service that began operation in October 2023, has provided roughly 76,657 one-way trips through December and is on target to deliver about 37,001 trips in the fiscal year. Staff cited service metrics including an average rider satisfaction of about 4.86, 99% on-time pickup performance and 94.4% drop-off reliability; roughly 55% of trips are shared rides.

Financial context: staff told the council that temporary CARES Act funding—initially about $2.5 million—will be exhausted in March 2026. After that, federal formula grants will cover about 50% of operating costs and the city would be responsible for the local match. Staff estimated approximately $153,000 in local funds for the balance of the current fiscal year and projected about $47,000 per month in operational costs beginning in the next fiscal year; adding a fourth vehicle increased the modeled cost by about $110,000 for the remainder of the fiscal year and an estimated $55,000 annually thereafter (local-share estimates included in staff slides).

Council and committee work: the Transit Advisory Committee recommended Phase 4 with a small northward area addition to serve manufactured-home parks, apartments, Rotary Park and adjacent medical and retail businesses. The proposed expansion extends service from Cottonwood Lane north to Courteson Road and east-west to Pinnell and Pierrot roads; staff said the change will add service to the post office area and additional housing and employment nodes.

Council action and next steps: after questions about start dates, vehicle lifespan and whether the added vehicle requires hiring another driver, the council approved Resolution 5372.2 by roll call. Staff said project timelines and a detailed start date would be published in the city’s project update report and that service changes require public hearings and a 30-day comment period (staff said the earlier comment period generated 37 comments, mostly in support of expanding within Casa Grande).