Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District
Encyclopedia
The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District is a mass transit system that is part of the Champaign-Urbana Metropolitan Area
in which property taxes are levied to support a local transit system operating buses and the Illinois Terminal intermodal facility in downtown Champaign. Known locally as "MTD," the term also applies to the Board of Trustees or to the administration and operations supported both by these taxes as well as other revenues, such as bus fares. At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
, which lies within the District, all 38,000 students pay a $46 transportation fee every semester in exchange for unlimited use of the bus services. The District currently levies about 25 cents of property taxes per $100 of assessed valuation. The seven members of the Board of Trustees are appointed by the Champaign County Board. Although Willard Airport
lies outside the boundaries of the district, MTD offers District residents bus service to and from the airport on routes funded by the University. Buses are produced by the Canadian company New Flyer, Eldorado, and Gillig. MTD introduced hybrid buses to its fleet in Fall 2009.
. The city of Urbana initially wanted nothing to do with the new railroad economy, so a new city, originally named West Urbana, was created to help serve the needs of the railroad. In 1860 West Urbana was renamed Champaign, and subsequently developed into an important railroad town. The station served as a stopover on the way from New Orleans
to Chicago, and vice versa. In 1909 this was expanded to also include service from Chicago to Jacksonville, Florida
.
The first trolley service in the area was established in 1863, when the Urbana Railroad Company was created to link Urbana and Champaign. These first trolleys were drawn by horses or mules. By 1890, work had begun on an electrified
trolley system under the auspices of William B. McKinley. At its peak, this system had as many as 20 routes, including a nighttime "Owl Service" linking Champaign and Urbana.
Interurban streetcar service was also supplied to the area (and indeed to much of Illinois) by the Illinois Terminal Railroad Company, another brainchild of William McKinley. McKinley's scheme of selling electricity from the interurban system to the surrounding towns led to the founding of the Illinois Power and Light Company.
In 1901 the Illinois Motor Transit Company introduced a city bus system to the region, but they went bankrupt within the year. However, the inability of the trolley system to lay enough track to fully serve the area prompted the 1925 addition of another bus system by National City Bus Lines, a subsidiary of General Motors. In 1936, as was happening in other places across the nation, National City Bus Lines purchased the trolley system from the Illinois Power and Light Company and dismantled it. The last trolley operated on 10 November 1936. Within one month bus lines had become the dominant form of transportation in the city under the new name "Champaign-Urbana City Lines".
Ridership on the Champaign-Urbana City Lines was high, reaching 1,000,000 passengers served in 1958. Like most of America however, buses in Champaign-Urbana became less popular with the advent of affordable automobiles. On November 17, 1970, P.E. Cherry, the manager of Champaign-Urbana City Lines, published an article in the Courier stating that declining ridership, aging buses, and a rising deficit would force the line to close. The Illinois Commerce Commission conducted a hearing on the petition to close the city lines and suggested that rather than close the lines, a referendum should be drafted to create a mass transit district.
On November 24, 1970, a mere week after the lines looked to be closing, the referendum was approved and Thomas Evans was appointed the director of the new mass transit district. The new MTD began operation on August 2, 1971 for a fee of $0.30 per ride with free transfers on buses which allowed one to navigate the area using several different bus lines. On May 13, 1971 a federal grant was procured to help this both fledging and historic transit district rework its fleet of buses, purchasing fifteen new buses, and ten used buses from Peoria, Illinois
. In 1973 the MTD expanded its routes to include the University, offering routes around the University and to the graduate housing complex. Fees for University students were at a reduced rate, paying only $0.10 per ride, or purchasing a $20 semester pass for unlimited rides.
In 1984 MTD received national recognition when it was chosen as the worst transportation system in America because of its very winding routes unlike Valley Metro in Phoenix, Arizona.
In 1999 Illinois Terminal
was created in downtown Champaign which serves as both a transit hub for the MTD and a connection between the MTD, Amtrak
and intercity bus lines.
Today the MTD provides over 10,000,000 rides per year. The current one-way bus fare is $1.00. Transfers are free and may be used to connect with another route at transfer points to complete a one-way trip. An annual bus pass can be purchased for $60. The annual pass allows unlimited rides. All University of Illinois students, faculty, and staff have unlimited access to all routes and services.
Drivers have been re-trained, strobe lights for turning movements installed on the entire fleet, and audible signals are sounded during right-turn movements on 60-foot buses operated on campus. A campaign encouraging University of Illinois students to use crosswalks and look both ways before crossing the street was also implemented.
Administration and Operations Offices
Maintenance Department and Bus Garage
Wright Street Transit Plaza
Downtown Urbana Transfer Point
Hopper interval - Including regular service, for example, 30 minute of yellow and 10 minute of YELLOWHopper means the first 10 and 20 buses are YELLOWHopper and then 30 bus is yellow.
Weekday Daytime Routes
Weekday Evening Routes
Weekday Late Night Routes U of I days only
Saturday Daytime Routes
Sunday Daytime & Late Night Routes
Champaign-Urbana Metropolitan Area
The Champaign-Urbana metropolitan area, also known as Champaign-Urbana, is a metropolitan area in east-central Illinois. It is the 191st largest metropolitan area in the U.S. It is composed of three counties, Champaign, Ford, and Piatt...
in which property taxes are levied to support a local transit system operating buses and the Illinois Terminal intermodal facility in downtown Champaign. Known locally as "MTD," the term also applies to the Board of Trustees or to the administration and operations supported both by these taxes as well as other revenues, such as bus fares. At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
, which lies within the District, all 38,000 students pay a $46 transportation fee every semester in exchange for unlimited use of the bus services. The District currently levies about 25 cents of property taxes per $100 of assessed valuation. The seven members of the Board of Trustees are appointed by the Champaign County Board. Although Willard Airport
University of Illinois Willard Airport
University of Illinois Willard Airport is an airport owned and operated by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign located south of Savoy in Tolono Township, Champaign County, Illinois. It serves the greater Champaign-Urbana Metropolitan Area in East Central Illinois...
lies outside the boundaries of the district, MTD offers District residents bus service to and from the airport on routes funded by the University. Buses are produced by the Canadian company New Flyer, Eldorado, and Gillig. MTD introduced hybrid buses to its fleet in Fall 2009.
Public transit before the MTD
In 1854 the first rail lines in the region were laid 2 miles west of Urbana by the Illinois Central RailroadIllinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
. The city of Urbana initially wanted nothing to do with the new railroad economy, so a new city, originally named West Urbana, was created to help serve the needs of the railroad. In 1860 West Urbana was renamed Champaign, and subsequently developed into an important railroad town. The station served as a stopover on the way from New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
to Chicago, and vice versa. In 1909 this was expanded to also include service from Chicago to Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
.
The first trolley service in the area was established in 1863, when the Urbana Railroad Company was created to link Urbana and Champaign. These first trolleys were drawn by horses or mules. By 1890, work had begun on an electrified
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
trolley system under the auspices of William B. McKinley. At its peak, this system had as many as 20 routes, including a nighttime "Owl Service" linking Champaign and Urbana.
Interurban streetcar service was also supplied to the area (and indeed to much of Illinois) by the Illinois Terminal Railroad Company, another brainchild of William McKinley. McKinley's scheme of selling electricity from the interurban system to the surrounding towns led to the founding of the Illinois Power and Light Company.
In 1901 the Illinois Motor Transit Company introduced a city bus system to the region, but they went bankrupt within the year. However, the inability of the trolley system to lay enough track to fully serve the area prompted the 1925 addition of another bus system by National City Bus Lines, a subsidiary of General Motors. In 1936, as was happening in other places across the nation, National City Bus Lines purchased the trolley system from the Illinois Power and Light Company and dismantled it. The last trolley operated on 10 November 1936. Within one month bus lines had become the dominant form of transportation in the city under the new name "Champaign-Urbana City Lines".
Ridership on the Champaign-Urbana City Lines was high, reaching 1,000,000 passengers served in 1958. Like most of America however, buses in Champaign-Urbana became less popular with the advent of affordable automobiles. On November 17, 1970, P.E. Cherry, the manager of Champaign-Urbana City Lines, published an article in the Courier stating that declining ridership, aging buses, and a rising deficit would force the line to close. The Illinois Commerce Commission conducted a hearing on the petition to close the city lines and suggested that rather than close the lines, a referendum should be drafted to create a mass transit district.
History of the modern MTD
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
. In 1973 the MTD expanded its routes to include the University, offering routes around the University and to the graduate housing complex. Fees for University students were at a reduced rate, paying only $0.10 per ride, or purchasing a $20 semester pass for unlimited rides.
In 1984 MTD received national recognition when it was chosen as the worst transportation system in America because of its very winding routes unlike Valley Metro in Phoenix, Arizona.
In 1999 Illinois Terminal
Illinois Terminal
Opened in January 1999, the Illinois Terminal is an intermodal transportation center, providing city bus, intercity bus, and rail connections to, from, and within Champaign, Illinois...
was created in downtown Champaign which serves as both a transit hub for the MTD and a connection between the MTD, Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
and intercity bus lines.
Fatal accidents
Prior to 2004, MTD never had an accident involving a fatality. Since 2004, there have been two fatal accidents involving pedestrians and MTD buses. Both cases involved University of Illinois students on campus:- October 27, 2004: Carolyn B. Jeffers, a pedestrian, was struck and killed by a 26 Pack bus at the intersection of S Goodwin Ave and Gregory Dr, Urbana.
- September 29, 2005: Sarah Channick, a pedestrian, was struck and killed by a 22 Illini bus at the intersection of S 6th St and E Chalmers St, Champaign. A lawsuit was filed.
Drivers have been re-trained, strobe lights for turning movements installed on the entire fleet, and audible signals are sounded during right-turn movements on 60-foot buses operated on campus. A campaign encouraging University of Illinois students to use crosswalks and look both ways before crossing the street was also implemented.
Facilities
Illinois Terminal- 45 East University Avenue, Champaign, IL. 40°06′57"N 88°14′27"W
Administration and Operations Offices
- 1101 E. University Avenue, Urbana, IL. 40°06′55"N 88°11′43"W
Maintenance Department and Bus Garage
- 803 E. University Avenue, Urbana, IL. 40°06′57"N 88°11′53"W
Wright Street Transit Plaza
- University of Illinois Campus on S. Wright Street, between Daniel and John.40°06′31"N 88°13′44"W
Downtown Urbana Transfer Point
- Broadway Avenue just north of Lincoln Square, between Main and Elm.40°06′43"N 88°12′27"W
Bus routes
Bold - Main portion of routeHopper interval - Including regular service, for example, 30 minute of yellow and 10 minute of YELLOWHopper means the first 10 and 20 buses are YELLOWHopper and then 30 bus is yellow.
Weekday Daytime Routes
| Route | Terminals | Major streets traveled | Interval | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North/West | South/East | |||||
| 1 | Yellow | Illinois Terminal | ↔ | Wal-Mart Savoy |
|
30 minutes |
| YELLOWHopper | ↔ | Lot E-14 or Research Park |
10 minutes (Northbound before 3:00pm and southbound after 2:30pm)
20 minutes (Other)
|
|||
| Red | Wal-Mart Champaign | ↔ | Lincoln Square |
|
30 minutes | |
| Red Express | ↔ | Illini Union | 1 hour: 2-5pm
|
|||
| Lavender | Meijer Champaign | ↔ | Illinois Terminal |
|
30 minutes | |
| Lavender Express | ↔ | Stadium Dr & Oak St |
|
|||
| Blue | Country Fair | ↔ | Market Place |
|
30 minutes | |
| Green | Maplepark Dr & Lawndale Dr | ↔ | Main St & Brady Ln |
|
30 minutes Buses operate in Washington St & Lierman Ave Loop as follow:
|
|
| GREENhopper | State St & John St | ↔ | Washington St & Lierman Ave | 15 minutes
|
||
| Green Express | Curtis Rd & Wynstone Dr | ↔ | Sixth St & Pennsylvania Ave |
|
Does not serve Illinois Terminal Limited Service
|
|
| 6 | Orange | Country Fair or Plastipak | ↔ | Wal-Mart Urbana |
|
30 minutes
|
| ORANGEhopper | Illinois Terminal | ↔ | Lincoln Square |
15 minutes |
||
| Grey | Parkland College | ↔ | Dodson East Dr & Slayback Rd or Lierman Ave & Butzow Dr |
|
30 minutes
|
|
| Bronze | Transit Plaza | ↔ | Lincoln Square |
Westbound
Eastbound
|
40-60 minutes | |
| Brown | Parkland College | via | Clockwise Illinois Terminal Transit Plaza Country Fair |
|
30 minutes | |
| via | Counterclockwise Country Fair Transit Plaza Illinois Terminal |
|||||
| 10 | Gold | Broadmoor Dr & Mayfair Rd | ↔ | Richardson Estates or Cunningham Ave |
|
30 minutes
|
| GOLDhopper | Lot E-14 | ↔ | Lincoln Square | 10 minutes | ||
| Teal | Illinois Terminal | ↔ | FAR-PAR or Orchard Downs |
|
10 minutes
|
|
| Teal Limited | ↔ | Orchard Downs | 20 minutes
|
|||
| 13 | Silver | Lincoln Square | ↔ | FAR-PAR or Vet-Med |
|
Two buses (:40 and :00 at FAR) terminate at Vet-Med. Others terminate at PAR. 10 minutes (U of I days) 20 minutes (Non U of I days) |
| Navy | Mullikin Dr & Kirby Ave or Lot E-14 | ↔ | Transit Plaza |
|
This is a limited service which consists of 50-60 minutes (to/from Mullikin Dr)
20 minutes (from Lot E-14)
|
|
| Illini | North Lincoln | ↔ | FAR-PAR |
|
10 minutes
|
|
| Illini Limited | ↔ | Transit Plaza | 30 minutes
|
|||
| 27 | Air Bus | Illinois Terminal | ↔ | Willard Airport |
|
50-70 minutes
|
| 331 | Weekday Northeast Direct | 6:55-9:06am, 4:06-6:06pm | ||||
| 334 | Weekday West Direct | 6:40-9:00am, 4:00,6:30pm | ||||
Weekday Evening Routes
| Route | Terminals | Major streets traveled | Interval | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North/West | South/East | |||||
| Green | Parkland College | ↔ | Orchard Downs |
|
30 minutes |
|
| GREENhopper | Prospect Ave & John St | ↔ | Colorado Ave & PhiloRd | 15 minutes
|
||
| 60 | Orange | Lincoln Square | ↔ | Wal-Mart Urbana |
|
30 minutes |
| Grey | Parkland College | ↔ | Lincoln Square |
|
30 minutes | |
| 100 | Yellow | Wal-Mart Champaign | ↔ | Wal-Mart Savoy |
|
30 minutes |
| Teal | Illinois Terminal | ↔ | Orchard Downs | Refer 12 Teal | 20 minutes | |
| 130 | Silver | Lincoln Square | ↔ | FAR-PAR or Vet-Med |
Refer 13 Silver |
20 minutes
|
| Silver Limited | ↔ | Transit Plaza |
20 minutes
|
|||
| Illini | North Lincoln | ↔ | FAR-PAR | Refer 22 Illini | 10 minutes
|
|
| Illini Limited | ↔ | Transit Plaza | 30 minutes
|
|||
| 331 | Weeknight Northeast Direct | 6:06-11:30pm | ||||
| 333 | Weeknight Southwest Direct | 7:48-11:25pm | ||||
| 335 | SafeRides | Fixed Portion (Begins at 9pm) (Pick-up time)
|
U of I days Begins at |
|||
Weekday Late Night Routes U of I days only
| Route | Terminals | Major streets traveled | Interval | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North/West | South/East | |||||
| Green | Illinois Terminal | ↔ | Lincoln Square | Refer 50 Green | 15 minutes (before 3am) 30 minutes (until 5am of Friday night) |
|
| 100 | Yellow | Wal-Mart Champaign or Illinois Terminal | ↔ | Lot E-14 | Refer 100 Yellow
|
30 minutes Buses northbound terminate at
|
| Teal | Illinois Terminal | ↔ | Orchard Downs | Refer 12 Teal | 20 minutes (until 3am) | |
| 130 | Silver | Lincoln Square | ↔ | FAR-PAR | Refer 13 Silver | 20 minutes (until 3am except Friday night 5am) |
| Illini | North Lincoln | ↔ | FAR-PAR | Refer 22 Illini | 10 minutes (until 3am except Friday night 5am) | |
| 335 | SafeRides | Fixed Portion (until 3am) Refer 335 SafeRides | until 6:30am | |||
Saturday Daytime Routes
| Route | Terminals | Major streets traveled | Interval | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North/West | South/East | |||||
| Red | Wal-Mart Champaign | ↔ | Sunnycrest | Refer 2 Red
|
30 minutes | |
| Lavender | Meijer Champaign | ↔ | Illinois Terminal | Refer 3 Lavender
|
30 minutes | |
| Green | Country Fair | ↔ | Orchard Downs | Refer 50 Green |
30 minutes |
|
| 60 | Orange | Lincoln Square | ↔ | Wal-Mart Urbana | Refer 60 Orange
|
30 minutes |
| Grey | Country Fair | ↔ | Lincoln Square | Refer 70 Grey
|
30 minutes | |
| 100 | Yellow | Wal-Mart Champaign | ↔ | Wal-Mart Savoy | Refer 100 Yellow |
30 minutes |
| Teal | Illinois Terminal | ↔ | Orchard Downs | Refer 12 Teal | 20 minutes | |
| 130 | Silver | Lincoln Square | ↔ | FAR-PAR or Vet-Med | Refer 13 Silver | 20 minutes
|
| Silver Limited | ↔ | Transit Plaza | 20 minutes
|
|||
| Illini Limited | North Lincoln | ↔ | Transit Plaza | Refer 22 Illini | 30 minutes | |
| 270 | Air Bus | Illinois Terminal | ↔ | Willard Airport | Refer 27 Air Bus |
50-70 minutes
|
| tranSPORT | U of I Campus | ↔ | Memorial Stadium |
|
||
| 331 | Saturday Northeast Direct | 7:05am-11:30pm | ||||
| 334 | Satyrday West Direct | 7:00am-11:25pm | ||||
Sunday Daytime & Late Night Routes
- 50 Green
- 60 Orange
- 70 Grey
- 100 Yellow
- 120 Teal
- 130 Silver
- 220 Illini
- 270 Air Bus
- 331 Northeast Direct (flex service)
- 333 Southwest Direct (flex service)
- 335 SafeRides (flex service)