‘They can get that frequent bus service, so we’re excited about it’: Bus changes proposed for two Central IL cities
URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — Big changes are on the way for two mass transit districts in two central Illinois cities. Champaign-Urbana MTD wants to expand its demand response service where vans pick people up and take them to bus routes.
Catching a bus can be an easy task if you live in a downtown or more densely populated area. But if you’re in a more spaced-out area, you may have to walk a good distance to get to the nearest stop.
“We want to see what the community needs are and how these services transform ridership throughout the district,” said Chief of Staff Amy Snyder.
Champaign-Urbana MTD has been meeting those needs on the southwest part of Champaign for the past three years with the West Connect.
“People who live in the boundary area can use an app, the MTD Connect app, to book a ride,” Snyder said.
It’s a van that takes you to a transfer point where you can access MTD’s regular route service. Having a system that actually meets the lower demand eliminates the need for a full bus system in those more scarce areas.
“We believe it’s more cost-efficient while also maintaining a level of accessibility,” said Snyder.
Now MTD wants to bring a ride-on-demand model to the northeast side of Urbana, and Decatur Public Transit is working on bringing one of its own to their city.
“It’ll also offer the city more coverage than we have now. There are about 16 fixed routes, but micro-transit would have the capability of covering the entire city,” said Lacie Elzy, DPT Transportation Service Director.
Elzy says DPT’s transit routes haven’t been updated in more than three decades, and now would be a good time to bring a more modern take on transportation to Decatur.
“We’ll be able to move them around a lot faster and at a lot more cost-effective. It will also help us reduce our fuel costs, and hopefully, the city at large can help reduce some of those greenhouse gas emissions,” said Elzy.
Decatur Public Transit says they’re looking at another year at least of planning to roll out the program, but they’re encouraging people to attend community meetings to learn more and stay up to date.
MTD’s Urbana proposal would affect the 10 Gold and 11 Ruby lines. They’re asking people to take a survey at ride.mtd.org/nesurvey. You can also attend informational meetings.
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