Connect Transit

Last updated
Connect Transit
Connect Transit logo.png
Connect Transit bus.jpg
A bus leaving Uptown Station in 2022
FormerlyBloomington-Normal Public Transit System
Founded1972
Headquarters351 Wylie Dr.
Locale Normal, Illinois
Service area McLean County, Illinois
Service type bus service, paratransit
Routes16
Stations Uptown Station
Fleet44 Transit, 27 Demand Response
Daily ridership7,900 (weekdays, Q1 2025) [1]
Annual ridership2,206,100 (2024) [2]
Fuel typeDiesel, Electric, Propane
Managing DirectorDavid Braun
Website connect-transit.com

Connect Transit, formerly Bloomington-Normal Public Transit System until 2012, [3] is the primary provider of mass transportation in Bloomington/Normal, Illinois. The system consists of 16 fixed routes including the Illinois State University Redbird Express and a Red Express route. In 2024, the system had a ridership of 2,206,100, or about 7,900 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2025.

Contents

History

B-NPTS Gillig Phantom.jpg
Gillig Phantom serving the Blue (E) route
Redbird Express Gillig Phantom.jpg
Gillig Phantom serving the Redbird Express service
B-NPTS Gillig Low Floor.jpg
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. [3]

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. [4] Basic adult fare is $1.25 with free transfers. 1, 7, or 30 day bus passes are available. [5]

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. [6]

The Olive route that ran along Normal's north side was eliminated on July 1, 2019, due to low ridership. [7]

Route List [6]

Route NameNorthern/Western TerminusSouthern/Eastern TerminusInterval (min)
AquaDowntown BloomingtonGreyhound & SouthgateDaily
BlueShoppes at College HillsDowntown BloomingtonDaily
BrownBloomington WalmartUptown StationDaily
GoldCarle BroMennDowntown BloomingtonDaily
GreenUptown StationDowntown BloomingtonDaily
LimeUptown StationDowntown BloomingtonDaily
OrangeDowntown BloomingtonHamilton Rd & State Farm PlazaDaily
PinkSchool St & Northfield DrUptown StationDaily
PurpleDowntown BloomingtonShoppes at College HillsDaily
RedUptown StationDowntown BloomingtonDaily
Red ExpressUptown StationOSF Medical GroupMon-Fri
Redbird ExpressCardinal CourtBeaufort St & School StDaily
SapphireRivianBloomington WalmartDaily
SilverBloomington WalmartDowntown BloomingtonDaily
TanUptown StationCentral Illinois Regional AirportDaily
YellowHeartland Community CollegeUptown StationDaily

Fleet

Source: [8]

Transit

Fleet Number(s)Model Year(s)ManufacturerModelLengthEngineTransmissionNotes
309-311

(3 buses)
retiring

2003 New Flyer D40LF 40 feet (12 m) Cummins ISC ZF 5HP592C
  • Ex-Champaign–Urbana Mass Transit District, purchased in September 2017.
  • 310 is retrofitted with a waiting room area in the back (seats 13), two booths for meeting space (seats 8), a television and a DVD player. It is known as the #GetConnected Community Bus and it 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. [9]
1001, 1101–1104

(5 buses)

2010-2011 Gillig Low Floor 35 feet (11 m) Cummins ISL9 Allison B400R
  • Numbered 90, 96-99 prior to rebranding as Connect Transit.
1002-1004

(3 buses)

2010 New Flyer D40LFR 40 feet (12 m)
1111-?

?

2011 DE40LFR Allison H 40 EP

hybrid system

1501-1505, 1601-1607

(12 buses)

2015-2016 XD40 Allison B400R
1801-1810

(10 buses)

2017 Cummins L9
2101-2104

(4 buses)

2021 Proterra ZX5 35 feet (11 m)
2201-2208

(8 buses)

2022ZX5Max40 feet (12 m)

Demand Response

Fleet Number(s)Model Year(s)ManufacturerModelLengthEngineNotes
1701–1704

(4 buses)

2017 Ford
Champion
E450
LF Transport
26 feet (7.9 m)Propane
181-189

(9 buses)

2018 Ford
Starcraft
E450
Allstar
21 feet (6.4 m) Ford Modular 6.8L V10 Gasoline
201-206

(6 buses)

2020 Ford
Elkhart
E450
EC II
Ford Godzilla 7.3L V8 Gasoline
231-233

(3 buses)

Ford
Starcraft
E45021 feet (6.4 m)Gasoline
22001-22005Braunability
Ram
ProMaster 3500Gasoline

Fixed Route Ridership

The ridership statistics shown here are of fixed route services only and do not include demand response. [10]

500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
3,000,000
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022

See also

References

  1. "Transit Ridership Report First Quarter 2025" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. May 15, 2025. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  2. "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. February 19, 2025. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "About Us".
  4. "Holiday Service" . Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  5. "Connect Transit Fares" . Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  6. 1 2 "System Maps". July 1, 2021. Archived from the original on 2018-07-10. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  7. "Connect Transit Delays Fare Hike; Scraps Olive Route". March 26, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  8. Transit, Connect. "Our Fleet". Connect Transit. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  9. "Connect Transit Fleet". Archived from the original on 2019-11-01. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  10. "The National Transit Database (NTD)" . Retrieved January 8, 2025.

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