Connect Transit, the transit agency that provides public transportation in Bloomington-Normal, confirms it will be taking over rural transportation in McLean County on July 1.
The current provider, Show Bus, will no longer be serving the county as McLean County withdrew from an agreement with the provider last summer.
Show Bus provides routes from Bloomington-Normal to other towns such as Chenoa, Lexington, Towanda, Bellflower, LeRoy, Downs and Saybrook.
Connect Transit plans to replicate these routes, and fares will not be required because Show Bus hasn’t charged since COVID-19.
Normal's Town Council voted to let Connect Transit provide services outside of Bloomington-Normal's corporate limit a month ago. The City of Bloomington has not yet approved the change.
Managing director of Connect Transit David Braun said he is confident the transition will go well since the agency already has the vehicles and workers needed to run the service. The county has provided four gas-powered vans with wheelchair access to run the rural routes.
“We will be prepared,” Braun said. “And, once we start engaging with Show Bus and talking about how we can even coordinate with Show Bus to provide service outside of the county, it'll be a smooth transition.”
Braun also said the program is flexible to be modified if needs aren’t met.
“As we reach out to the community and we understand what people need in those communities, we'll look at different ways to serve the different communities,” Braun said.” So, it could be a combination of fixed service, fixed route service, demand responsive service, or somewhere in between.”
Braun said the study administrated by the Illinois Department of Transportation on how the agency could provide with the least impact on Bloomington-Normal service will be out sometime in May. He said it would provide recommendations for the first six months of service on how to best serve riders.
Financial concerns
While Braun is confident about the short-term success of the program, there are concerns about depleting funds for public transportation from the state.
Connect Transit is unique among transit agencies in that its subsidized by the municipalities it operates in, rather than collecting property taxes through its own taxing body, Braun said.
One of the funds that partially funds Connect Transit is the Downstate Operating Assistance Program, which distributes grants for transit and infrastructure needs to downstate agencies. This program faces a $42 million shortfall by 2026.
Braun said if the shortfall isn't resolved, more local support would be needed to maintain future transit services.
“Funding this will allow us to keep the city and the town funds lower as we continue to grow. So, it is really (that) growth is our issue,” Braun said.
