Connect Transit

Connect Transit, formerly Bloomington-Normal Public Transit System until 2012,[1] is the primary provider of mass transportation in Bloomington/Normal, IL. The system consists of 13 fixed routes, plus the Illinois State University Redbird Express, and two additional Express routes that operate on the busiest portions of the Lime and Red routes.

Connect Transit
ParentBloomington-Normal Public Transit System
Founded1972
Headquarters351 Wylie Dr.
LocaleNormal, Illinois
Service areaMcLean County, Illinois
Service typebus service, paratransit
Routes16
StationsUptown Station
Fleet39 buses, 18 shuttle buses
Annual ridership2,240,244 (FY18)
Chief executiveDavid Braun
Websitehttps://www.connect-transit.com/default.asp

History
Gillig Phantom serving the Blue (E) route
Gillig Phantom serving the Redbird Express service.
Gillig Low Floor serving the Lime (I) route

Until 1972, Bloomington-Normal was served by National City Lines. When the company left the region, the City of Bloomington and Town of Normal established an intergovernmental agency known as the Bloomington Normal Public Transit System, via intergovernmental agreement. The transit system operates as an independent agency governed by a board appointed by both the City of Bloomington and Town of Normal.[1]

Routes

Connect Transit's buses run every 15, 30, or 60 minutes, depending on the route, time of day, and day of the week. Service is offered in the day and evening hours daily, although hours are reduced on weekends. Buses do not operate on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, or Christmas.[2] Basic adult fare is $1.25 with free transfers. 1, 7, or 30 day bus passes are available.[3]

Connect Transit has two main transfer centers. Uptown Station, located in Normal, is also served by Amtrak and by intercity buses. Eight routes have one terminus here. The other transfer center is two miles to the south, in downtown Bloomington. Nine routes have one terminus here. The Green, Red, and Lime routes serve both locations.[4]

The Olive route that ran along Normal's north side was eliminated on July 1, 2019 due to low ridership.[5]

Route List[4]

Route Name Northern/Western Terminus Southern/Eastern Terminus Interval (min)
Aqua Downtown Bloomington Greyhound & Southgate Daily
Blue Shoppes at College Hills Downtown Bloomington Daily
Brown Bloomington Walmart Uptown Station Daily
Gold Advocate BroMenn Downtown Bloomington Daily
Green Uptown Station Downtown Bloomington Daily
Lime Uptown Station Downtown Bloomington Daily
Lime Express Bloomington Walmart Downtown Bloomington Mon-Fri
Orange Downtown Bloomington Hamilton Rd & Merna Ln Daily
Pink School St & Northfield Dr Uptown Station Daily
Purple Downtown Bloomington Shoppes at College Hills Daily
Red Uptown Station Downtown Bloomington Daily
Red Express Uptown Station OSF Medical Group Mon-Fri
Redbird Express Cardinal Court Beaufort St & School St Daily
Silver Bloomington Walmart Downtown Bloomington Daily
Tan Uptown Station Central Illinois Regional Airport Daily
Yellow Heartland Community College Uptown Station Daily

Fleet

Connect Transit has a retrofitted 2003 Gillig that features a waiting room area in the back (seats 13), two booths for meeting space (seats 8), a television and a DVD player, dubbed the #GetConnected Community Bus. The bus was debuted in 2018 with the goal of utilizing the bus to hold voter registration drives, fresh food markets, reading literacy nights, mobile pop-up museums and more.[6]

Manufacturer Model Length Engine Type Numbers
Gillig Phantom 30 feet (9.1 m) Diesel 801-802

(2 buses)

Gillig Low Floor 35 feet (11 m) 1001, 1101 – 1104

(5 buses)

New Flyer D40LF 40 feet (12 m) 301-309, 311

(10 buses)

New Flyer Xcelsior XD40 1501-1505,1601-1607,1801-1810

(22 buses)

Ford E450 Supreme 21 feet (6.4 m) Gas 91-92

(2 buses)

E450 Aerotech 113-115

(3 buses)

E450 Starcraft Propane 181 - 189

(9 buses)

E450 Champion 26 feet (7.9 m) 1701-1704

(4 buses)

[7]

References
  1. "About Us".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. "Holiday Service Schedule". Retrieved January 12, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. "Connect Transit Fares". Retrieved January 12, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. "System Maps". July 1, 2021. Archived from the original on 2018-07-10. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  5. "Connect Transit Delays Fare Hike; Scraps Olive Route". March 26, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. "#GetConnected Community Bus". Retrieved January 12, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. "Connect Transit Fleet". Archived from the original on 2019-11-01. Retrieved January 12, 2022.

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