Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District

Champaign-Urbana
Mass Transit District

Illinois Terminal, transit hub for Champaign
Founded December 15, 1970 (1970-12-15)[1]
Commenced operation August 2, 1971 (1971-08-02)[1]
Headquarters Urbana, Illinois
Service area
Service type
Stations Illinois Terminal
Fleet 102 New Flyer buses[2]
Daily ridership 39,500 (Q2 2015)[3]
Annual ridership 13,000,000[1]
Fuel type
Chief executive Karl Gnadt
Website cumtd.com

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 42,883 students pay a $59 transportation fee every semester in 2014-2015 in exchange for unlimited use of the bus services. The District currently levies about 28 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, while sprinter vans are produced by Mercedes-Benz.

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 Railroad. 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.

History of the modern MTD

60-foot articulated bus on Route 26 Pack

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 7th best transportation system in America, outranking the systems provided by many larger cities across the country.[4] In 1986 and 1994 it was the recipient of the American Public Transit Association's Outstanding Achievement Award.[5]

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.

Bus 0320

Today the MTD provides over 11,000,000 rides per year.[6] The current one-way bus fare is $1. 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 $84. The annual pass allows unlimited rides. An all-day pass, good for either Saturday or Sunday, can be bought for $2.[7] All University of Illinois students, faculty, and staff have unlimited access to all routes and services.

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:

After Channick's death, the governments of Champaign and Urbana, the University of Illinois, and MTD conducted the Campus Area Transportation Study (commonly referred to as "CATS"), which made specific recommendations to improve bus safety on campus. As of December 2011, two of three proposed phases have been implemented.[9][10]

Facilities

A typical CUMTD bus stop in Urbana, Illinois on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Administration and Operations Offices
1101 E. University Avenue, Urbana, IL. 40°06′55″N 88°11′43″W / 40.11528°N 88.19528°W / 40.11528; -88.19528
Maintenance Department and Bus Garage
803 E. University Avenue, Urbana, IL. 40°06′57″N 88°11′53″W / 40.11583°N 88.19806°W / 40.11583; -88.19806
Illinois Terminal
45 E. University Avenue, Champaign, IL. 40°06′57″N 88°14′27″W / 40.11583°N 88.24083°W / 40.11583; -88.24083
Wright Street Transit Plaza
University of Illinois Campus on S. Wright Street, between Daniel and John. 40°06′31″N 88°13′44″W / 40.10861°N 88.22889°W / 40.10861; -88.22889
Downtown Urbana Transfer Point
Broadway Avenue just north of Lincoln Square, between Main and Elm. 40°06′43″N 88°12′27″W / 40.11194°N 88.20750°W / 40.11194; -88.20750

Bus Routes

Bold - Main portion of route
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

Route Terminals Major streets traveled Interval
North/West South/East
1 Yellow Wal-Mart Champaign Research Park
  • Town Center Blvd via Market Place
  • Market St
  • Bradley Ave
  • Randolph St (northbound) / State St (southbound)
  • White St via Illinois Terminal
  • Wright St via Transit Plaza
  • Gregory Dr
  • First St
  • Fox Dr, Lyndhurst Dr
  • Woodfield Dr via Savoy Plaza
30 minutes
Illinois Terminal Wal-Mart Savoy
YELLOWHopper Illinois Terminal Lot E-14

10 minutes (Northbound before 3:00pm and southbound after 2:30pm)

  • Every other bus terminates at either lot E-14 or Research Park.

20 minutes (Other)

  • Terminates only at Research Park
2 Red Market Place Lincoln Square
  • Neil St
  • Main St via Illinois Terminal
  • White St
  • Green St via Illini Union
  • Goodwin Ave via south Urbana
  • Philo Rd via Meijer Urbana and Sunnycrest
  • Cottage Grove Ave
30 minutes
Red Express Illini Union 1 hour: 2-5pm
  • U of I days
  • Does not serve Market Place
3 Lavender Walmart Champaign Illinois Terminal
  • Boardwalk Dr (northbound) / Prospect Ave (southbound)
  • Anthony Dr, Queens Way
  • Mattis Ave, Paula Dr, Bloomington Rd
  • Harris Ave, Vine St
  • Randolph St (northbound) / State St (southbound)
  • Main St via Illinois Terminal
30 minutes
4 Blue Country Fair Illinois Terminal
  • Crescent Dr, Mattis Ave
  • John St
  • Randolph St (westbound) / State St (westbound)
  • Stadium Dr, Peabody Dr
  • Wright St via Transit Plaza
  • University Ave
30 minutes
5 Green Maplepark Dr & Lawndale Dr Main St & Brady Ln
  • Kenwood Td, Westfield Dr (westbound)
  • Maplepark Dr, John St (eastbound)
  • Springfield Ave via Country Fair
  • Randolph St (westbound) / State St (westbound)
  • Neil St via Illinois Terminal
  • Green St via Illini Union
  • Vine St via Lincoln Square
  • Fairlawn Dr, Pennsylvania Ave
  • Florida Ave via Sunnycrest
  • Kinch St, Country Squire Dr
  • Lierman Ave, Main St
  • Brady Ln, Washington St
30 minutes

Buses operate in Washington St & Lierman Ave Loop as follow:

  • Before noon, clockwise
  • After noon, counterclockwise
GREENhopper State St & John St Washington St & Lierman Ave 15 minutes
  • U of I days
5X Green Express Curtis Rd & Wynstone Dr Sixth St & Pennsylvania Ave
  • Cherry Hills Dr, Maynard Dr
  • Kirby Ave, Kenwood Rd
  • Springfield Ave via Country Fair
  • Nail St
  • Green St via Illini Union
  • Goodwin Ave
  • Gregory via Main Library
  • Fourth St

Does not serve Illinois Terminal
Limited Service

  • eastbound am-trips (6:30-8:30am)
  • westbound pm-trips (2:20-5:30pm)
6 Orange Country Fair or Plastipak Wal-Mart Urbana
  • Springfield Ave via Country Fair
  • Country Fair Dr
  • Church St (westbound) / West University Ave (eastbound)
  • East University Ave via Illinois Terminal
  • Park St, Church St
  • Broadway Ave via Lincoln Square
  • Main St via Urbana post office and Wal-Mart Urbana
30 minutes
  • Only the first and last two trip serve Plastipak.
ORANGEhopper Illinois Terminal Lincoln Square

15 minutes

7 Grey Parkland College Dodson East Dr & Slayback Rd or Lierman Ave & Butzow Dr
  • Bradley Ave, Williamsburg Dr
  • McKinley Ave, Prospect Ave
  • Church St (westbound) / University (eastbound) via Illinois Terminal
  • Second St, Fifth St
  • Romine St, Wright St
  • Park St, Fairview Ave, Church St
  • Broadway Ave, Vine St via Lincoln Square
  • University Ave via Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District

30 minutes

  • Only before 9am and after 2:30pm, buses serve Slayback Rd and do not serve Butzow Dr.
  • Other times, buses terminate at Lierman Ave & Butzow Dr.
8 Bronze Transit Plaza Lincoln Square

Westbound

  • Pennsylvania Ave
  • Fourth St
  • Wright St via Transit Plaza

Eastbound

  • Goodwin Ave via Illini Union
  • Orchard St
  • Vine St
  • Race St
40–60 minutes
9A Brown Parkland College via Clockwise

Illinois Terminal
Transit Plaza
Country Fair

  • Bradley Ave
  • State St via Illinois Terminal
  • White St
  • Wright St via Transit Plaza
  • St Mary's Rd, Fox Dr, Devonshire Dr
  • Galen Dr
  • Windsor Rd
  • Winchester Dr, Crescent Dr via Country Fair
  • Duncan Rd, Clayton Blvd
30 minutes
9B via Counterclockwise

Country Fair
Transit Plaza
Illinois Terminal

10 Gold Broadmoor Dr & Mayfair Rd Lincoln Square
  • Mattis Ave
  • Kirby Ave
  • First St via Lot E-14
  • Gregory Dr via Main Library
  • Goodwin Ave
  • Springfield Ave via Lincoln Square
  • Broadway Ave
  • Brownfield Rd
  • High Cross Rd
30 minutes
  • Before 11am buses operate counterclockwise to Richardson Estates.
  • At noon buses terminate at Cunningham Ave.
  • After 2pm buses operate clockwise to Richardson Estates.
Lot E-14 Richardson Estates or Cunningham Ave
GOLDhopper Lot E-14 Lincoln Square 10 minutes
11 Ruby Lincoln Square Courthouse Airport & Cunningham
  • Cunningham & Perkins
  • Willow & Beason (Northbound) / Liberty & Jefferson (Southbound)
  • Randolph St (westbound) / State St (westbound)
40 minutes (Limited service)
12 Teal Illinois Terminal FAR-PAR or
Orchard Downs
  • White St
  • Green St via Illini Union
  • Goodwin Ave via FAR-PAR
  • Orchard St
10 minutes
  • U of I days
  • Every other bus terminates at either PAR or Orchard Downs.
Teal Limited Orchard Downs 20 minutes
  • Non U of I days
13 Silver Lincoln Square FAR-PAR or
Vet-Med
  • Springfield Ave
  • Green St via Illini Union
  • Wright St via Transit Plaza
  • Gregory Dr via Main Library and FAR-PAR
  • Lincoln Ave

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)

14 Navy Mullikin Dr & Kirby Ave or Lot E-14 Transit Plaza
  • Mullikin Dr
  • Windsor Rd
  • Fox Dr, St Mary's Rd via Lot E-14
  • Fourth St, Sixth St

This is a limited service which consists of
50–60 minutes (to/from Mullikin Dr)

  • 4 eastbound am-trips (7-9am,9:22am)
  • 3 westbound pm-trips (4-6pm)

20 minutes (from Lot E-14)

  • 5 eastbound am-trips (7:20,7:45-9:05am)
16 Pink Village at the Crossing Fieldstone at Horizon Hobby or Country Fair
  • Stephens Family YMCA
  • Kirby and Cobblefield

30 minutes (Fieldstone at Horizon Hobby) or 45 minutes (Country Fair)

  • 3 northbound trips terminate at Country Fair (2 in the morning, 1 in the evening)
  • 3 southbound trips start at Country Fair (all in the morning)
  • All other trips run to and from Fieldstone at Horizon Hobby
22 Illini North Lincoln FAR-PAR
  • North Lincoln Ave
  • North Goodwin Ave via Engineer
  • Green St via Illini Union
  • Wright St via Transit Plaza
  • Armory Ave (northbound) / Chalmers St (southbound)
  • First St via ARC
  • Gregory Dr via Main Library
  • South Goodwin Ave via ISR
  • South Lincoln Ave
10 minutes
  • U of I days
Illini Limited Transit Plaza 30 minutes
  • Non U of I days
27 Air Bus Illinois Terminal Willard Airport
  • University Ave
  • Goodwin Ave via Illini Union
  • Wright St via Transit Plaza
  • Gregory Dr
  • First St via Lot E-14
  • Dunlap St

50–70 minutes

  • U of I days
  • Some northbound buses run express and do not serve U of I campus.
  • Two southbound trips serve PAR at 5:31 and 7:26am.

Weekday Evening Routes

Route Terminals Major streets traveled Interval
North/West South/East
50 Green Parkland College Orchard Downs
  • Bradley Ave, Country Fair Dr
  • Springfield Ave via Country Fair
  • Randolph St (westbound) / State St (westbound)
  • Nail St via Illinois Terminal
  • Green St via Illini Union
  • Vine St via Lincoln Square
  • Fairlawn Dr, Pennsylvania Ave
  • Florida Ave via Sunnycrest
  • Philo Rd via Meijer Urbana
  • Windsor Rd
  • Orchard Downs Dr
30 minutes
GREENhopper Prospect Ave & John St Colorado Ave & PhiloRd 15 minutes
  • U of I days
70 Grey Parkland College Lincoln Square
  • Bradley Ave, Bloomington Rd
  • Randolph St (northbound) / State St (southbound)
  • Main St via Illinois Terminal
  • Second St, Fifth St
  • Rommie St, Wright St
  • Park St, Fairview Ave, Church St
  • Broadway St, Vine St
30 minutes
100 Yellow Wal-Mart Champaign Wal-Mart Savoy
  • Town Center Blvd via Market Place
  • Market St
  • Bradley Ave, Columbia Ave'
  • Main St via Illinois Terminal
  • White St
  • Wright St via Transit Plaza
  • Gregory Dr, Hessel St
  • State St, First St
  • Woodfield Dr via Savoy Plaza
30 minutes
120 Teal Illinois Terminal Orchard Downs Refer 12 Teal 20 minutes
130 Silver Lincoln Square FAR-PAR or
Vet-Med
Refer 13 Silver

20 minutes

  • U of I days
  • Every other bus terminates at either PAR or Vet-Med.
Silver Limited Transit Plaza

20 minutes

  • Non U of I days
180A Lime Country Fair via Clockwise
  • Mattis Ave via Old Farm
  • Kirby Ave, Crescent Dr
  • Windsor Rd
  • Duncan Rd, Westfield Dr
30 minutes
180B via Counterclockwise
220 Illini North Lincoln FAR-PAR Refer 22 Illini 10 minutes
  • U of I days
Illini Limited Transit Plaza 30 minutes
  • Non U of I days
335 SafeRides Fixed Portion (Begins at 9pm) (Pick-up time)
  • Armory via Main Library (:27, :57)
  • Wright St via Transit Plaza
  • Green St via Illini Union (:00,:30)
  • Illinois St via ISR (:27,57)
U of I days
Begins at
  • 5pm (When day light saving is observed)
  • 7pm

Weekday Late Night Routes U of I days only

Route Terminals Major streets traveled Interval
North/West South/East
50 Green Illinois Terminal Lincoln Square Refer 50 Green

20 minutes (before 3am)
30 minutes (until 5am of Friday night)

100 Yellow Wal-Mart Champaign or
Illinois Terminal (after 3am)
Lot E-14 Refer 100 Yellow
  • Does not serve Market Place
30 minutes (until 3am except Friday night 5am)
120 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)
220 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
20 Red Wal-Mart Champaign Sunnycrest Refer 2 Red
  • Does not serve south Urbana and Meijer Urbana
30 minutes
30 Lavender Meijer Champaign Illinois Terminal Refer 3 Lavender
  • Does not serve Harris Ave, Vine St, Randolph St, and State St
  • Serves Prospect Ave and Church St (northbound) / University Ave (southbound)
30 minutes
50 Green Country Fair Orchard Downs Refer 50 Green

30 minutes

70 Grey Country Fair Lincoln Square Refer 70 Grey
  • Does not serve Parkland College
30 minutes
100 Yellow Wal-Mart Champaign Wal-Mart Savoy Refer 100 Yellow
30 minutes
11 Ruby University & Cottage Grove Airport & Cunningham
  • Lincoln Square
  • Cunningham & Perkins
  • Willow & Beason (Northbound) / Brownfield & Columbia (Southbound)
1 hour
120 Teal Illinois Terminal Orchard Downs Refer 12 Teal 20 minutes
130 Silver Lincoln Square FAR-PAR or Vet-Med Refer 13 Silver 20 minutes
  • U of I days
  • Two buses (:40 and :00 at FAR) terminate at Vet-Med. Others terminate at PAR.
Silver Limited Transit Plaza 20 minutes
  • Non U of I days
180A Lime Country Fair via Clockwise

Refer 180 Lime

30 minutes
180B via Counterclockwise
190 Plum Parkland College Country Fair
  • Country Fair Dr
  • Bradley Ave via Parkland College
  • Clayton Blvd
30 minutes
220 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

  • U of I days
  • Some northbound buses run express and do not serve U of I campus.
  • Two southbound trips serve PAR at 5:31 and 7:26am.
280 tranSPORT U of I Campus Memorial Stadium
  • Goodwin Ave
  • Gregory Dr
  • Fourth St

Sunday Daytime & Late Night Routes

References

  1. 1 2 3 "FAQs". Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District. 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  2. Sullivan, Jane (2015-11-02). "Green Light MTD's Fleet is Growing". Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  3. "Ridership Report Archives" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  4. City Bus History--CU MTD site
  5. American Public Transportation Association past awards page
  6. History: Buses | MTD
  7. Fares & Passes | MTD
  8. Daily Illini: Channick family settles lawsuit for $1.25 million Archived June 12, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
  9. Daily Illini: More changes likely for MTD Archived June 12, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
  10. Champaign County Regional Planning Commission: About CATS
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